Theres A Multitude Of ‘Matrix’ On The Way
By Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Get ready to re-enter The Matrix.
A massive multimedia campaign begins today on the Net with the release of a new animated short film set in The Matrix universe. Three additional shorts will be posted free on the Web over the next three months at www.thematrix.com.
With a pair of Matrix sequels headed to theaters this year, the movie’s makers will maximize their marketing opportunities with two Matrix DVDs √≥ a compilation of nine animated shorts (including the four on the Net) called The Animatrix, and a revamped version of the original hit film √≥ plus a highly anticipated video game tied closely to the movies, all due by summer.
The game will be previewed Wednesday at a Hollywood party at Warner Bros. Studios. New cast member Jada Pinkett-Smith stars in the game, which is scripted by the Wachowskis and incorporates film footage shot especially for it.
All fit into the larger Matrix concept devised by writer-directors Andy and Larry Wachowski. The animations provide the back story that “really bridges” the films, says Paul Hemstreet of Warner Home Video. Such complex story development and promotion across various media is “something that really hasn’t been done before,” he says.
Your first chance to jack into The Matrix world arrives today with the free download of The Second Renaissance: Part One, a nine-minute widescreen short. The segment is directed by Mahiro Maeda, who directed the Japanese animated series Blue Submarine No. 6. Among other noted anim√©¬†¬?ilmmakers involved are Koji Morimoto (Akira) and Peter Chung (creator of Aeon Flux).
The shorts, developed at studios in Japan, Korea and the USA over three years, are close to the Wachowskis’ hearts, because anim√à inspired The Matrix’s style and look. “This is a chance to really go wide in introducing anim√à to the American audience,” Hemstreet says.
The Matrix’s attack timetable:
* March 21. Another Animatrix episode, The Final Flight of the Osiris, a nine-minute film written by the Wachowski brothers and animated by Andy Jones (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within), appears in theaters with the Warner film Dreamcatcher.
* April 29.The Matrix Special Edition two-disc, $28 DVD arrives, including all of the original extras from previous Matrix and Matrix Revisited DVDs, plus “Preloaded,” a new behind-the-scenes preview of The Matrix Reloaded.
* May 15.The Matrix Reloaded, which reunites Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving, arrives in theaters. Enter the Matrix, the video game, hits stores.
* June 3. The Animatrix DVD is released. Reeves and Moss provide voices for two shorts. Among the bonus features is a history of animÈ.
* Nov. 7. The Matrix Revolutions arrives in theaters.
Categories