The Animatrix

The Animatrix. Animation anthology, various directors and writers. Andy and Larry Wachowski among producers. Joel Silver, exec. Prod. USA: Warner Home Video (for DVD) / Village Roadshow Pictures (see individual segments and IMDb for highly complex production and distribution), 2003. <http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0328832/combined#writers>.

Nine short animations fiving the backstory for The Matrix series (1999 F.)—done in various forms and styles of animation, generally of very high quality. Especially useful for the human/machine interface in the segments "Second Renaissance," "Kid's Story," "World Record," "Beyond," and "Matriculated." Including the The Animatrix into the The Matrix saga tips the moral balance a bit toward the machines, but only a bit; see esp. "Second Renaissance."

(RDE, 13/02/05)