The Animatrix (2003)

88% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(115,966 ratings)

The Animatrix is a collection of several animated short films, detailing the backstory of the "Matrix" universe, and the original war between man and machines which led to the creation of the Matrix.

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Andy Jones, Peter Chung
Written By: Yoshiyaki Kawajiri, Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Kôji Morimoto
Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Animation

In Theaters: Jun 3, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Jun 3, 2003

Critic Reviews

Louis-Jérôme Cloutier, Panorama
Certains films sont davantage une démonstration d'animation qu'une histoire bien construite.
Greg Maki, Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
All in all, The Animatrix is a nice little disc.
Carlo Cavagna, AboutFilm.com
Far from fleshing out the universe of THE MATRIX, this cynical, self-indulgent marketing tie-in renders it less coherent. Boasts only a few memorable visual moments, and suffers from a paucity of narrative.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
Some of its segments are brilliant and breathtaking examples of animation. Unfortunately, as with the average music CD, for every great track there's usually a "filler" song.
Larry Carroll, Big Picture
The best shorts in the bunch result in an orgiastic feast for the senses; the worst of them merely manage to entertain you.
Nathaniel Rogers, Film Experience
This particular 'rabbit hole' has far more verve and artistic curiousity than its bloated blockbuster counterpart [i]The Matrix Reloaded[/i]
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
There is amazing artwork throughout, although many of the stories come up short.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
The Animatrix may be commercial in its purpose, but it's also rapturously artistic in its execution.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
"Beyond" is the highlight of The Animatrix and "A Detective Story" is its nadir.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Sergio G

When you see this movie in #6 aghhh! is so frustrating. As a Matrix fan this movie is a MUSTHAVE. How everything started, the Osiris. It's the perfect complement. As the Atari's videogame "Enter the Matrix".
Conner R

Actually I prefer this to both of the sequels to The Matrix. It explained all the important questions I had from the original and the fact that it takes all these bizarre forms of animation only made it more visually intriguing. The stories are all really well done and show just about… More
Actually I prefer this to both of the sequels to The Matrix. It explained all the important questions I had from the original and the fact that it takes all these bizarre forms of animation only made it more visually intriguing. The stories are all really well done and show just about every side to the world known as the Matrix. I think the Second Renaissance stood out as the best one, just because it was so demented and dark. Hearing about the downfall of man by its own demise is almost scary to watch because it's not all that outlandish.
Wahida K

Oh this was so interesting.
Josh L

Probably my least favorite Matrix related material, but it's still pretty good. Not all of the 9 shorts are good, but I liked probably half of them or so.
Drew S

Well-animated, captivating stories. Having not seen the whole Matrix series, I feel as if some of it is lost on me, but as a standalone flick I still enjoyed it. I mean, the premise can't be THAT difficult to grasp...right? The stories that struck me the most were the one about… More
Well-animated, captivating stories. Having not seen the whole Matrix series, I feel as if some of it is lost on me, but as a standalone flick I still enjoyed it. I mean, the premise can't be THAT difficult to grasp...right? The stories that struck me the most were the one about the girl and her cat and the samurai woman.
Saskia D

9 animations in different styles, inspired by The Matrix. If you're a Matrix fan this is a must!
Tsubaki S

Better than the crappy and forgettable sequels.
Dean L

Let me preface this review by stating I am a Matrix freak. I have seen the first movie an uncountable number of times (4 times in the theatre), took a day off work to see the second, played the video game and am frequently found on the website. That being said (knowing that I might be… More
Let me preface this review by stating I am a Matrix freak. I have seen the first movie an uncountable number of times (4 times in the theatre), took a day off work to see the second, played the video game and am frequently found on the website. That being said (knowing that I might be biased) The only one of the movies that knocked me out was the first. I am not simply a fanboy. Having added that!...I liked the Animatrix quite a bit. The only story that really supplemented the core storyline of The Matrix is the first (The Final Flight of The Osiris). The rest of the shorts are a fabulous exploration by different people on how they see the matrix from both within the matrix and in the world of the "real." It is a flight of fantasy and it was really nice to see other visions of the same core. I was going to start listing my favorites, but almost all of them have earned a place for different reasons. If I had to choose I might choose "Beyond," but I loved World record too. Anyway, if you loved The Matrix and you cannot get enough you will love this DVD. If you have not seen The Matrix (Shame on you!)I would suggest seeing that first or risk being lost.
Lafe F

An assortment of animated delights will please Matrix fans, animation fans, and science fiction fans alike. Some are better than others. It's like an animation film festival. I wouldn't watch them all in one sitting.
Dean !

Not what I expected this is a collection of short stories from the world of the matrix. Some only a few mins long and varying in style from cgi, cartoon, anime, manga and comic book. Would have liked to have seen longer versions of the better stories.
Aaron N

Duo: Maybe you regret taking the red pill. Cis: Maybe. The animated matrix shorts providing more information about the nature of the matrix. Done by many of the pros of anime, each segment delivers a neat concept either pertaining directly to the movies or inspired by the subject… More
Duo: Maybe you regret taking the red pill. Cis: Maybe. The animated matrix shorts providing more information about the nature of the matrix. Done by many of the pros of anime, each segment delivers a neat concept either pertaining directly to the movies or inspired by the subject matter. The shorts: Final Flight of the Osiris: 5 stars The Second Renaissance Part 1: 3.5 stars The Second Renaissance Part 2: 4 stars Kid's Story: 4 stars Program: 3.5 stars World Record: 4 stars Beyond: 3 stars Detective Story: 5 stars Matriculated: 3 stars Neo: They know you know, get out, get out now!
Tim B

Awesome. This disk is never far from my DVD player.
Jason S

Good animation.
Jens S

Pretty impressing add-on to the Matrix-Trilogy, telling more stories from that universe in several very differently animated episodes. While some are nicer to look at that others, the stories are all well written and interesting and complete the Matrix-galaxy nicely.
Michael G

For Matrix and anime fans only.
Duncan R

A nifty little anthology of animated shorts set in the world of "The Matrix". Some are better than others, but overall, it's a fantastic viewing experience that's almost on par with the first film of the trilogy.
Yinalí R

Perfect.
Curt C

9 animated shorts based on the Matrix universe, each in a different style of animation. Obviously, you should avoid this unless you enjoyed 'The Matrix'. I thought this had a lot of potential but about half of the episodes fell a bit short. That being said, the different… More
9 animated shorts based on the Matrix universe, each in a different style of animation. Obviously, you should avoid this unless you enjoyed 'The Matrix'. I thought this had a lot of potential but about half of the episodes fell a bit short. That being said, the different animation styles are very entertaining ('Detective Story' in particular), and some of the shorts ('World Record', 'Beyond', 'Matriculated') are excellent examples of what this entire collection could have been. Matrix fans will enjoy this. I think the cameos by Matrix regulars hurts this though.
Nay Nay B

with a lot of artsy anime nonsense and a surprisingly well done prequel short.
Aurelius D

Different artist styles for different stories, this is the one time I would have preferred if they were all CGI like the first story. The first story is the only one that really adds to the universe, the rest are kind of boring and don't offer up anything new or interesting. It… More
Different artist styles for different stories, this is the one time I would have preferred if they were all CGI like the first story. The first story is the only one that really adds to the universe, the rest are kind of boring and don't offer up anything new or interesting. It was the summer of Matrix so yeah. The only reason I rated it so high is because of the first story.