The Final Flight of the Osiris will be released in theatres on March 21st as an "extra" in front of Dreamcatcher. All images © 2003 Warner Home Video. All rights reserved, unless otherwise noted.

Unless you are a recent arrival on the planet or you have been off-world exploring rotanium ore deposits on Comtron Nine, then I don’t have to tell you what The Matrix is. And, I’m certain you know what The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions are. But what in the name of Morpheus is The Animatrix? If you guessed that it’s an animated version of The Matrix, you guessed the obvious, and you guessed wrong. It’s not an animated feature at all, but rather a series of nine animated short films, created in anime style to be released as a collection on DVD and VHS by Warner Home Video June 3, 2003. But you don't have to wait until June to begin to view The Animatrix shorts, you can begin viewing the first of four of them online at www.theanimatrix.com. The Website started streaming The Second Renaissance — Part 1 on February 4th and will continue with The Second Renaissance — Part 2, Program and Detective Story through May. Another sequence, The Final Flight of the Osiris, will be released in theatres on March 21, 2003 at the head of the new feature Dreamcatcher.

Available on DVD and VHS on June 3rd, The Animatrix features nine short films.

Beyond The Matrix
These feature quality short animated films, each between six and seventeen minutes long are not a rehash of any of the live-action Matrix features nor are they based on a given storyline. Instead they tell new stories set in that futuristic virtual world created by the Wachowski brothers, Andy and Larry. Viewers of The Animatrix will learn new details of the genesis of The Matrix and meet new characters whose adventures are inter-woven with the fabric of all three feature films.

“The Wachowski brothers’ vision for The Matrix is one that extends far beyond the theatrical trilogy, and the world they have created is so rich that we’ve chosen to tell these inter-connected Matrix-related stories in multiple mediums,” Joel Silver, executive producer of The Matrix trilogy, explains. “The Animatrix takes fans beyond the boundaries of the movie screen and into the vast realm of The Matrix, introducing them to new characters and scenarios that further the trilogy’s mythology and amplify their cinematic experience."

"In particular," says Silver, "The Final Flight of the Osiris serves as chapter 1.5 in The Matrix trilogy, giving fans an electrifying ride though the events that occur following The Matrix and directly impact the story told in the video game Enter the Matrix. In turn, this chain of action sets off The Matrix Reloaded. It’s not crucial that fans see Final Flight or play Enter the Matrix to enjoy The Matrix Reloaded, but their movie-going experience will be immeasurably enhanced and they will gain a deeper understanding of the world of The Matrix.”