Enter the Animatrix

When does a series get taken too far? Is it ever possible to pinpoint the exact time a series jumps the shark and goes from brilliant idea to tired cliche? The answer is, usually. In this list, The Matrix franchise managed to jump the shark two movies in, when audiences were forced to spend more time outside the Matrix than in it. But just as the Wachowskis were tarnishing their own good first movie with two bloated, over-the-top sequels, they came up with one last gem: 2003’s The Animatrix. This series of short films was designed to explore the backstory of the Matrix universe and does it brilliantly. It’s telling that The Animatrix has the highest rating of all films in the franchise, even rating higher than the original Matrix by a hair. By spending time on short, tightly packed stories, The Animatrix manages to get me excited about this universe, thirteen years on.

With nine stories to tell over its 100 minute run time, there’s no room for fat. There’s no overlong bump-and-grind rave, no extended philosophical discussions. Each story is self-contained with its own beginning, middle, and end. With only four stories connected to The Matrix films, it isn’t even necessary to have seen the movies recently to enjoy the stories in The Animatrix. The stories that do connect to the movies were all written by the Wachowskis and they feature some of the cast and characters from the movies. (Keanu Reeves makes a brief appearance as Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss shows up in one story as Trinity.) We come to feel for the rest of the characters, who are a mix of human fighting the machines, oblivious Matrix-dwellers, and those who learn of the Matrix’s existence. Although each segment is only around ten minutes long, the characters come to life during that time, due to strong voice acting, breathtaking visuals and tight pacing.

Besides Reeves and Moss, the rest of the cast is a venerable Who’s-who of voice actors, including Pamela Adlon (King of the Hill), John DiMaggio and Phil Lamarr (Futurama), Tara Strong (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) and Tress MacNeille (damn near everything). The directing matches this top-notch cast, with some of the biggest names in anime directing each segment. A special treat for me was the section “Matriculated,” written and directed by Aeon Flux’s Peter Chung. I’ve been a big fan of Chung’s since the mid-Nineties and it’s always a joy to watch his work. While Chung’s short is one of the weirder of the collection, it’s matched in beauty and richness by nearly every other section. In fact, the weakest section in my opinion is “The Final Flight of the Osiris,” which eschews traditional 2d animation in favor of a CGI look. While it isn’t bad CGI by any means, after the previous eight beautifully drawn sections, something about the CGI seems out of place.

This is a very minor quibble though. The Animatrix is beautiful from start to finish. I recommend watching it in shot bursts, as by the end of the film I was a bit wiped out. With so much action, heart, and story packed into each section, I should have taken a few more breaks rather than plow through the whole collection at once. But watch them one at a time or all at once, the result is the same: a rich immersion experience of all the beauty and terror that the Matrix has to offer. It’s a pity the two sequels weren’t this tightly packed or plotted.

The Animatrix tl;drs

Quick summary: The Animatrix features nine stories designed to explore the Matrix mythos and backstory. Some of the shorts connect to the Matrix movies while some are stand-alone.

Too many writers? Not for a project like this. The Wachowskis oversaw the project, meaning each story doesn’t stray too far from its intended tone.

Recommended if you like: The one good Matrix movie; anime

Better than I expected? The stand-alone stories add richness and depth to the Matrix universe.

Worse than I hoped? In a few of the shorts, the characters’ mouths don’t line up with their speech patterns. Minor gripe, but one I couldn’t unsee.

Should it be rebooted? I’d gladly trade Matrix: Revolutions for another series of shorts in the style of The Animatrix.

Verdict: Solid addition to the Matrix canon and worth checking out if (like me) you’d never seen it before.

Related Reading: Wiki article