The Animatrix - Release

Release

Four of the films were originally released on the series' official website; one (Final Flight of the Osiris) was shown in cinemas with the film Dreamcatcher. The others first appeared with the VHS and DVD release of all nine shorts on June 3, 2003. The DVD also includes the following special features:

  • A documentary on Japanese animation. The on-screen title is "Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime," but in the DVD menu and packaging, and on the series' official website, it is referred to as "Scrolls to Screen: The History and Culture of Anime."
  • Seven featurettes with director profiles, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage of each of the films.
  • Audio commentaries on World Record, Program, and both parts of The Second Renaissance
  • A trailer for the video game Enter the Matrix.

To coincide with the DVD release, a print of the film premiered in June 2003 in New York City at the New York Tokyo Film Festival http://archive.newyork-tokyo.com/nytff/index_flash.html.

It was broadcast on Adult Swim on April 17, 2004, and has received airplay on Teletoon several months after its American broadcast. In the UK, Final Flight of the Osiris was broadcast on Channel 5 just before the DVD release, along with The Second Renaissance Parts 1 and 2, Kid's Story, and World Record broadcast after the DVD release.

In May 2006, The Animatrix was aired in Latin America by Cartoon Network on Toonami. The Animatrix was also screened in select cinemas around the world for a short period of time, a week or two before the sequel The Matrix Reloaded, as a promotional event.

One day before the release of The Matrix Reloaded on cinemas the Brazilian television channel SBT, which have a contract with Warner Brothers, aired the Final Flight of the Osiris, after airing The Matrix, to promote the movie.

The cinema running order for The Animatrix (at least in Australia) differed from the DVD release. The cinema release-order:

  1. The Second Renaissance, Part I (June 3, 2003)
  2. The Second Renaissance, Part II (June 7, 2003)
  3. Kid's Story (June 14, 2003)
  4. Program (June 21, 2003)
  5. World Record (July 5, 2003)
  6. Beyond (July 12, 2003)
  7. A Detective Story (August 30, 2003)
  8. Matriculated (September 20, 2003)
  9. Final Flight of the Osiris (September 27, 2003)

To coincide with the Blu-ray edition of The Ultimate Matrix Collection, The Animatrix will also be presented for the first time in high definition.

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