Now that The Matrix 5 was in development. The studio was impressed by a pitch from The Cabin in the Woods’ Drew Goddard, who’s attached to write and direct the new movie. This will be the first Matrix movie not to be directed by either of the Wachowski sisters, although Lana Wachowski is on board as an executive producer, so she’ll help guide the vision.
There’s no word yet on cast of Matrix characters, there will be another cinematic entry in this franchise. And the return of The Matrix franchise means it’s the ideal time to revisit one of the greatest and most underappreciated expansions of the series from more than 20 years ago.
A Matrix Reboot Makes It The Perfect Time For An Animatrix Sequel
The Animatrix Was An Animated Matrix Spinoff Movie
In 2003, in between the back-to-back releases of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, the Wachowskis expanded the franchise’s lore even further with the animated spinoff movie The Animatrix. Released straight to VHS and DVD by Warner Home Video, The Animatrix is a feature-length anime-style anthology compiling nine animated shorts that take place within The Matrix universe. The movie focuses on filling in the backstory of The Matrix trilogy. It made for a perfect companion piece to the live-action movies, and a great little animated gem in its own right.
The Animatrix sold 2.7 million copies, generating $68 million in sales revenue.
As long as Warner Bros. is going back to expand on The Matrix franchise with a fifth movie, it’s the perfect time for another Animatrix movie. Direct-to-DVD movies are a thing of the past, but they’ve been replaced by straight-to-streaming releases. Warner Bros. is committed to filling its Max streaming service with content — that’s why the studio made the controversial decision to do day-and-date releases with its summer tentpole releases in 2021 — and a new Animatrix movie to complement the next live-action sequel would be a terrific addition to Max’s streaming library.
The Animatrix Was All About Expanding The Matrix's Franchise With New Ideas
The Animatrix Didn't Rely On The Past
The Animatrix set out to expand The Matrix franchise’s mythology with new ideas. Instead of just rehashing what audiences liked about the movies, it focused on showing audiences what the movies didn’t show them. One short revolves around the crew of the Osiris making a final stand against the Sentinels. One short explains how the first plugged-in humans became aware of the existence of the Matrix. One short, taken from the archives of The Machines, tells the story of humanity’s downfall and enslavement by A.I. through the lens of the creation myth from the Book of Genesis.
The Animatrix 20 Years Later: Does It Still Hold Up?
It's been 20 years since The Animatrix was first released, and some may question if this anthology still holds up. The answer is a resounding YES.
It might’ve sounded cool to do a series of animated shorts about Neo’s battles with the Agents or Morpheus and Trinity’s adventures before they found “The One.” But there’s enough information in the movies to fill in those gaps, so it wouldn’t have really added much. What The Animatrix does is ultimately much more exciting. It digs into the unseen history of The Matrix timeline and introduces a bunch of compelling new characters living in that universe. It would be fun to revisit that concept with a fresh batch of animated shorts.
The Matrix 5 Can Learn A Lot From The Animatrix's Short Films
The Matrix 5 Needs To Bring In Fresh Ideas
The biggest mistake made by the last Matrix movie, The Matrix Resurrections, is that it was hung up on the past. It started off with a meta storyline about the legacy of the franchise itself and the challenges of making a new sequel to it. Then, as it plunged Thomas Anderson back into the Matrix for another action-packed adventure, it just rehashed all the iconic moments from the original film. Agents showed up at his office, he put his hand through a mirror, and he heroically jumped off a roof.
That’s what made The Animatrix so great; instead of relying on nostalgia, it relied on the strength of this sci-fi universe and explored brand-new corners of it.
If The Matrix 5 is going to succeed, then it needs to let go of nostalgia for the past and focus on new ideas and storylines. That’s what made The Animatrix so great; instead of relying on nostalgia, it relied on the strength of this sci-fi universe and explored brand-new corners of it. It’s high time Warner Bros. went back to the well for another animated anthology set in this curious digital world.
The Animatrix
- Release Date
- May 9, 2003
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
- Director
- Peter Chung, Andy Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Takeshi Koike, Mahiro Maeda, Kôji Morimoto
Cast
Akio Otsuka-
Clayton Watson
WHERE TO WATCH
The Animatrix is a collection of nine animated short films set in the universe of The Matrix. Released in 2003, the anthology delves into the origins of the Matrix, the war between humans and machines, and individual stories that expand on the film trilogy's themes. Each segment is directed by a different filmmaker, blending various animation styles to explore the complex world created by the Wachowskis.
- Writers
- Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Kôji Morimoto, Shinichirô Watanabe, Peter Chung
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