What each Animatrix short brings to the world of The Matrix

polygon.com:

The Matrix Resurrections, Lana Wachowski’s return to the universe of the Matrix nearly 18 years since the conclusion of the original trilogy, returned to streaming on HBO Max this week following its premiere last December.

Back in 2003, the Wachowskis created what remains to this day one of the most ambitious multimedia storytelling projects attempted in mainstream cinema: an interconnected universe of comic books, video games, and anime designed to be released and watched within and after the six-month release window between 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded and 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions.

While certain titles, in particular the 2003 video game Enter the Matrix and the 2005 MMO The Matrix Online, have either become harder to find or discontinued outright — thus rendering it impossible to experience the original story as it was intended — the 2003 anime anthology The Animatrix remains both widely available (streaming on HBO Max) and highly acclaimed by both fans of the franchise and animation enthusiasts alike. Produced by the Wachowskis and boasting the inimitable talents of directors such as Mahiro Maeda, Shinichirō Watanabe, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, and more, The Animatrix reigns supreme as the platonic ideal of what one would want out of another franchise anthology tie-in of its ilk.

In honor of the arrival of the latest Matrix entry on streaming, let’s take a look back on one of the enduring cornerstones of the Matrix multimedia project and break down how each short ties into the larger mythos of the series and what they contribute to the universe as a whole.

What it is: Directed by visual effects animator Andy Jones (Avatar) and produced by Square Pictures, Final Flight of the Osiris depicts the discovery of a massive