The Animatrix: Kid's Story

This is the ninth and last part of 'The Animatrix', a collection of animated short movies that tell us a little more about the world of 'The Matrix'. In this part a kid knows there is something out there like Neo knew in 'The Matrix'. During a class he is contacted by Neo (Keanu Reeves) and tries to run from the agents who arrive at the school building. This short is a nice ending for 'The Animatrix' with the first and therefor only appearance by Neo.

This animated short is genius, plain and simple. Personally, I find this to be one of the few anime cartoons that actually shows a high degree of talent, style, and originality. Honestly now, anime has become a copy of a copy, of a copy. But this, ladies and gentleman, pushes the limits of reality, looking quite real until they move at high speeds, where their bodies flow like wind and sway to whatever direction they moved. I really must say, I cannot find much wrong with this animation, even the voice acting was quite amazing (and I just loved it when the teacher said, "Mr. Popper").Just, I wish that a full animated English feature would be made in this art style, please, someone, anyone?

The fourth of the Animatrix shorts, this is one of those of them that ties closely into the trilogy, specifically, the sequels. This provides the background for The Kid, seen in the second two movies, and he's genuinely not irritating in this(no, seriously). The concept is highly interesting, although, for obvious reasons, this should not be seen by anyone too likely to imitate it, anyone whose behavior is that easily influenced. The animation is well-done and quite interesting, with a style of limited motion in the drawings, and the camera being responsible for a lot of the movement, in a way that feels reminiscent of regular, live-action films. The atmosphere is impeccable, and the pace is spot-on throughout. The voice acting is great, Watson does well with what few lines he has, as do Anne-Moss and Reeves. The idea and execution of this are excellent, and this is a remarkable addition to the overall universe. This has a making of, shared with Detective Story, which is well-done and informative. It's 9 and a half minutes, same as the short itself. This has one disturbing aspect, nothing objectionable beyond that. I recommend this to any fan of The Matrix franchise and/or science fiction in general. 7/10

Kid's story is a good short that sadly doesn't have a lot going for it. It's completely fine in its own married and an interesting idea in terms of exploring themes, but it doesn't really have more than that. Top that off with a pretty weird art style, and you overall have a short that speaks to me on some levels and not on others.

A kid is trying to find out what's wrong with his dreams. A mysterious person called Neo is alluring him.

I don't know if I like the animation here. The way people look and move here dosn´t look good to me. It's a bit too wild. At the same time, the drawn feel of the short is interesting, but it clashes with the backgrounds too much. The mixture of art styles once again affect my enjoyment of the Animatrx shorts.

This is a great short about mental health and I guess a hit against Matrix extremist. The short follows a kid that clearly has some issues and are looking for a way out or some sort of higher reason in a meaningless world. I wish the short used more time on the kid and his backstory to really make the story stronger. Course, there isn't a lot going on here. Except for a cool action sequence towards the end, not much happens here.

While it can feel a bit eventless and the art style did not land with me, Kid's story is still a great short with some great subjects and a grim yet uplifting finale depending on how you read it.

There's not much plot to this Animatrix short, but the movies overcompensated for that so it's good to have a Matrix story sold on imagery and feeling.

Remember the overeager kid from The Matrix Revolutions? This is the story of how he freed himself from un-real world and woke up. He feels alone and alienated, wondering why his dreams feel more real than his waking world.

Cowboy Beebop director Shinichirô Watanabe uses abstract, experimental animation deliver the story. It's rough and features many pencil strokes, but it's good. Not the best Animatrix short, but worth watching.