For Immediate Release

Warner Home Video and Village Roadshow Pictures Present

THE ANIMATRIX

A Groundbreaking Collection of Nine Short Films From the Creators of The Matrix Trilogy

Worldwide Release June 3 on DVD & VHS

Burbank, Calif., February 4, 2003 -- After breaking domestic and international box-office and DVD sales records, garnering four Academy Awards® and setting the standard by which all futuristic action films are measured, The Matrix is poised to break new ground with the highly-anticipated release of Warner Home Video and Village Roadshow Pictures' The Animatrix.
An unprecedented fusion of CG-animation and Japanese anime, The Animatrix is a collection of nine original short films conceived by the Wachowski Brothers, the creators of The Matrix trilogy. Inspired by the visionary action and innovative storytelling that power the trilogy, this spectacularly visual short film series delves deeper into the mind-bending world of The Matrix and the characters who inhabit it. Created in the anime style pioneered by Japanese animation artists and helmed by world-renowned anime directors, The Animatrix also features the voices of actors Keanu Reeves (Neo) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) in two of the shorts.

One complete episode from The Animatrix, The Final Flight of the Osiris, will accompany the worldwide release of the supernatural thriller Dreamcatcher when it debuts in theaters on March 21. Written by Larry and Andy Wachowski, this nine-minute computer-generated short serves as an explosive prelude to The Matrix Reloaded.

The Animatrix debuts worldwide on DVD and videocassette on June 3, between the release of the next two films in The Matrix trilogy - The Matrix Reloaded, which opens theatrically on May 15, followed by The Matrix Revolutions, which debuts in theaters in November. The Animatrix will be available on DVD for $24.98 SRP/$19.95 MAP and on VHS for $19.98 SRP/$13.95 MAP from Warner Home Video (WHV).

The Animatrix features an eclectic techno soundtrack supervised by renowned DJ/producer/remixer Jason Bentley with some of today's hottest electronica artists such as Juno Reactor, Death in Vegas, Massive Attack, Meat Beat Manifesto and others. The original score for the project is provided by Don Davis, who crafted the music for all three films in The Matrix trilogy.

The Animatrix features short films directed by some of the world's premiere anime filmmakers, including:

• Yoshiaki Kawajiri (writer/director of the anime classics Ninja Scroll and Vampire
  Hunter D)
  
• Shinchiro Watanabe (writer/director of the anime feature Cowboy Bebop)
  
• Koji Morimoto (animation supervisor of the seminal anime film Akira)
  
• Mahiro Maeda (director of the sci-fi anime series Blue Submarine No. 6)
  
• Takeshi Koike (lead animator on several of director Yoshiaki Kawajiri's films including Wicked City)
  
• Peter Chung (creator and director of the popular MTV series Aeon Flux)
  
• Andy Jones (animation director for the stunning CG film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within)
  

This "ultimate dream team" of anime collaborators provides The Animatrix with the creative power to take viewers on a cerebral journey of cutting-edge animation, mind-blowing visuals and pulse-pounding music. To generate early awareness for the release, fans will be able to view several complete episodes before street date as well as learn more about The Animatrix by visiting www.theanimatrix.com.

"The Animatrix is certain to become the genre-defining standard by which all other anime films are judged. More than three years in the making at animation studios in Japan, Korea and the U.S. with some of the most revered talent in the anime world, The Animatrix is truly a not-to-be-missed experience," said Mike Saksa, WHV vice president U.S. marketing. "With the release of The Animatrix along with The Matrix two-disc Special Edition DVD, the two theatrical films, the new video game and other ancillary projects spawned by the franchise, 2003 is strategically poised to become ‘The Year of The Matrix.'"

THE ANIMATRIX DVD FEATURES

The Animatrix DVD is highlighted by the following special features:

• Scrolls to Screen - The History and Culture of Anime
  
• Seven "making-of" featurettes including director profiles featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes looks at each film
  
• Four audio commentaries (featured on the films The Second Renaissance Pt. 1 & 2, Program and World Record) - all with Japanese audio and English subtitles
  
• Enter the Matrix Game Trailer - exclusive look into the creation of the "Enter The Matrix" video game, featuring interviews from some of the film's stars including Jada Pinkett and Carrie-Anne Moss

THE ANIMATRIX FILM SYNOPSES

The Final Flight of the Osiris

Written by Andy and Larry Wachowski; Directed by Andy Jones
Animation and production design by Square USA, Inc.
The crew of the hovercraft Osiris must get a message back to Zion, a message of vital importance. Easy to do, but for the armada of Sentinels between them and Zion.
(more…)

The Second Renaissance - Parts 1 and 2

Written by Andy and Larry Wachowski; Directed by Mahiro Maeda
Animation and production design by Studio4°C, Tokyo
The Genesis of the Matrix: the last cities of mankind, the war with the machines, and humanity's ultimate downfall. An epic guided tour of the Zion archives and the history of the Matrix.

Kid's Story

Written by Andy and Larry Wachowski; Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe
Animation and production design by Studio4°C, Tokyo
Sitting in his high school classroom, THE KID gets a personalized invitation from Neo (voiced by Keanu Reeves) to escape the Matrix. But finding an exit proves more difficult than he ever imagined.

Program

Written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Animation and production design by Madhouse Studios, Tokyo
In the simulated world of a Samurai training program, CIS, a soldier of Zion, is forced to choose between love and her comrades in the real world.

World Record

Written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri; Directed by Takeshi Koike
Animation and production design by Madhouse Studios, Tokyo
Through an incredible combination of will power and physical strength, DAN, a world-record-holding sprinter, breaks out of the Matrix and gets an all-too-brief glimpse of the real world beyond.

Beyond

Written and directed by Koji Morimoto
Animation and production design by Studio4°C, Tokyo
In a quiet town where all is not as it seems, YOKO finds a bug in the system: an abandoned mansion in which anything seems possible. And then the exterminators arrive to "de-bug".

Detective Story

Written and directed by Shinichiro Watanabe
Animation and production design by Studio4°C, Tokyo
Hard-boiled private investigator ASH tracks cyber-criminal TRINITY (voiced by Carrie-Anne Moss) through the looking glass…

Matriculated

Written and directed by Peter Chung
Animation and production design by DNA, Seoul
A small group of rebels have captured a sentient robot and proceed to program it to act as an ally for their cause. They succeed too well in teaching the robot to prefer their "human Matrix" to machine reality. And the robot's appetite for the "human Matrix" may exceed the humans' ability to supply it.

The Matrix revolutionized science-fiction action films and boggled the minds of moviegoers, becoming one of the most successful sci-fi films of all time, with a domestic box-office gross of nearly $172 million. Recently inducted into the DVD Premiere Academy of Artistic Achievement, the DVD was the first ever to reach sales of three million units. Voted "DVD of the Year" by the Video Software Dealers Association at the first annual DVD Festival 2000 Awards, it has sold over 15 million units worldwide, and its fiercely dedicated fan base has spread feverish anticipation of The Matrix sequels across the Internet.

BASICS

DVD SRP $24.98/$19.95 MAP
Street Date: June 3, 2003
Languages: ENG (5.1), JAP (5.1)
Subtitles: ENG, FR, SPAN
Program Running Time: Approx 90 mins.
DVD Running Time: Approx 180 mins.
Rating: Not Rated
Dolby/Digital [CC]

With operations in 78 international territories -- more than the video division of any other studio -- Warner Home Video commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment Company, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

End Of Release