New 4+ minute trailer for ANIMATRIX Dvd Online! Plus a review of the whole shebang!

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Robots

Trevor Woolley

Itís rare for a live-action blockbuster to be translated into competent, animated form. One needs only to call up images of the animated versions of Evolution, The Mummy, and Ghostbusters (OK, Ghostbusters was pretty rad) to understand that, more often then not, animating popular culture usually involves dumbing down the material, hacking up the dialog, and adding a goofy sidekick or two. Not the case with Warner Brothers, The Animatrix. Technically itís not an animated version of the film, but a series of bookends and conversation pieces designed to flesh out the world of the Matrix and add a little new flavor to an already very healthy franchise. On June 3rd Warner Brothers will release a VHS and DVD version of this set which includes nine animated shorts ranging from six to seventeen minutes long, audio commentary, and a "making-of" documentary. They are written and produced by some of the hottest names in Anime, and are as slick and well produced as their legacies suggest. So if its swords, and robots, and wave after wave of animated girls in their panties that youíre after, then pop that red pill and step through the looking glass into the world of the Animatrix.

1)Final Flight of the Osiris - Animated by Square USA, Inc. and a couple of the heavy hitters that brought you "Final Fantasy; The Spirits Within", this sexy precursor to "The Matrix Reloaded" runs with its heart in its throat. Smooth and stylish enough to have made the feature, it packs a surprising amount of drama for its length. It starts with a sexy samurai-style showdown (where sword swinging hotties chop away at each otherís clothing) and ends as the crew of the Osiris tries to deliver a message through an army of sentinels. The human modeling (sans clothing) isnít completely convincing yet, but the texturing showed some amazing innovation over its Final Fantasy predecessor. Itís a very well done piece with some great character performances and enough adrenaline induced fury to please even the hardest of fans. A very striking entry.

2)The Second Renaissance (part 1 and 2) - Using uneasy, often disturbing imagery, this two part piece gives us the back story to the first Matrix film. It chronicles the rise of the robots, the birth of their sentience, and their conquest of earth. I canít say enough good things about this one, everything works. It rocks and it rolls. The story is fun (old material, fresh approach), the animation is beautiful, the pacing is excellent, direction, score, imagery, everything is solid. From the chilling new view of trench warfare, to the unforgettable image of a mechanical girl being torn to pieces at the hands of demonstrators, the film offers both social and political critique through strong imagery and even stronger parody. This should make anime and Matrix fans very, very happy.

3) Kid's Story - This short features a character called "The Kid" who I understand we will become better aquatinted with in the upcoming films. It tells the story of his frenzied escape from school and the matrix with the help of Neo (featuring the voice of Keanu Reeves, no less). This one had a great look to it that I can almost describe as "Plympton-esque", with its loose line, initially long frame holds, and sketchpad feel. It worked well for the film because it transitioned nicely with the beginning and made the pacing of the adrenaline-induced skateboard chase towards the end that much more distinct and effective. You'll leave this one wholly impressed and out of breath.

4) The Program - Arguably the most "anime" of the lot, arguably the worst script. There's plenty of samurai action among bamboo fields and pagodas here as the two main characters discuss returning to the matrix over swordplay in the simulator. I donít have much to say about this one, it is what it is. Anime fans will get a kick out of it, but aside from its breathtaking opening, and beautiful directorial perspectives, there wasnít a lot of innovation or tremendous story telling. In my humble opinion, itís the weakest link in the chain. It just felt too much like the directorís previous work on "Ninja Scroll " and "Vampire Hunter D " to get my blood boiling.

5) World Record - I was really impressed with this filmís bold direction. Between its perspective play, spastic keyframes, and extremely exaggerated poses, the movement of these characters will leave you somewhere between awe and vertigo. It's like watching silly putty dance across a newspaper page, but the end result is inspiring. Essentially itís a tale of rehabilitation and escape as a runner experiences euphoria during a big race and achieves true consciousness. Unfortunately, even as he is seeing his reality for what it is, his over exertion in the race leads to a break down of his body in the Matrix. Thereís a lot to like here, but if you really want to walk away with something, come for a quick lesson in short-format tension building. This film excels at making you squirm.

6) Beyond - Simply put, beautiful. This piece honestly has some of the most beautiful backgrounds Iíve ever seen in an animated film. It tells the story of a group of kids checking out a haunted house that turns out to be a malfunctioning grid of the Matrix. As the laws of physics and reality break down, the matrix men appear to right the wrong and chase off the children. The story was really innovative and the characters were surprisingly developed for such a short piece, so it's no surprise that this short offered the most heart and humanity of the lot. I thought the kids were charming as they exploited gravity and time with their games, and there was something inherently good about using the Matrix to initiate a bit of magic into some otherwise ordinary lives.

7) A Detective Story - This classic film noir piece by Cowboy bebop director Shinchiro Watanabe, was an anomaly. It was one of the more timid entries in terms of its content, but it also sported one of the boldest aesthetics in the series. Its photo-realistic, black and white backgrounds were stylistically stunning. Combining the feel of a charcoal sketch and a newsprint photo, these backdrops served as the perfect setting for a hardboiled undercover romp where rotary telephones and typewriters met laptops and morphing Matrix agents. The story deals with a private detective being hired to hunt the illusive Trinity, but to be honest the story isnít anything we havenít seen before. What it gains with its two-fisted rhetoric it loses with its clichÈ detective conventions. In that respect it ties with "The Program" for the worst script in the series, but at least this one is trying to slap a genre around and manages to never take itself too seriously. The most notable aspect of the piece is that it explores the possibility of multiple realities for those trapped in the Matrix. This was a really interesting expansion on the mythos and it deserves a firm nod.

8) Matriculated - Peter Chung returns with this "Aeon Flux", "Heavy Metal" hybrid in which a group of liberated humans capture and interface with enemy robots in an effort to turn them to their cause. Its strongest feature (besides its premise) is its fascinating design work. As the narrative breaks through into the Matrix environment, the color and shape play become the surreal swirls of an acid trip dream. Before that, the shrimp-like robots and industrial shoreline will drop your jaw. Although it gets a little preachy for its own good and some of the characters are functionally ambiguous, there is enough visual eye candy to ensure your forgiveness. Dancing back and forth between metaphorical visuals and whimsical homage, this is the one that will keep you puzzling after the credits role.

To check out these films and learn more about this project, check out TheAnimatrix.Com.