It’s The Matrix, animated.

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A collection of nine shorts, The Animatrix further expands the Wachowski Brothers’ grim future, first revealed in 1999's The Matrix. Since then, the brothers and collaborators have provided further stories in the form of online comics, but 2003 has seen the franchise explode, with the feature sequels, the video game and now this, a natural extension given the influence anime had on the brothers.

The key film in the collection is Final Flight Of The Osiris, a dramatic CG short from Andy Jones (director of the Final Fantasy movie) that acts as a prologue to The Matrix Reloaded.

The rest are pure anime, created by (mostly) Japanese filmmakers with input from the Wachowskis. Highlights include Kid's Story (the origin of one of the supporting characters in Reloaded) and A Detective Story (a fab exercise in future noir), both from Shinichirô Watanabe, the filmmaker responsible for hit anime Cowboy Bebop.

Also fascinating for fans are the two Second Renaissance films, which document humanity's demise (thanks to technological hubris and decadence) and horrific fate. Lightening the load slightly, Beyond is more like a fairy tale set in the Matrix, while Matriculated concerns the efforts of human missionaries to convert machines by seducing them in a psychedelic dream-like programme. Daniel Etherington 30 May 03

The Animatrix, released on dvd 02 June 03.

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