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Kid's Story (2003) More at IMDb Pro »

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
The best Animatrix short by far - absolutely stunning!, 12 June 2003

Author: PlanecrazyIkarus from Wales, UK

The Animatrix is a very entertaining, very interesting experience. But of all the short movies, this is simply the best.

What makes it so obviously superior? Is it the swishy-swooshy animation that is incredibly alive and dynamic? Is it the constant mood of bewilderment that seeps through the entire movie? Is it the subtle, yet suitable score? Or is it the story about the most exceptional character in the matrix universe so far?

Yup, thats what the story is about - in my eyes. It's not about Neo or Morpheus or Trinity or any of the other cool people we already know (though Neo and Trinity cameo) - it's about the least likely character, the annoying side kick from Reloaded who made some of the Zion scenes so awkward. Watch "Reloaded" without seeing this first, and you may not like his character, or his very presence in the movie, one little bit (I did not). Yet this touching short movie shows a totally different side to him, and hints quite strongly at a powerful relevance for the matrix universe - even if that is not capitalized upon in Reloaded or Revolutions, this character and his unique story have the potential of an own spin-off. Why? Well I won't spoil it, but the ending of the short is quite powerful, creating the ideal finale for a perfect short animated movie.

Stunning, absolutely stunning, and easily the best matrix-related merchandise you are likely to see this year!

10/10

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Not the best, not the worst, 11 November 2003
Author: antialias11 from Bonn, Germany

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is not the best of the animatrix series. The artwork is sub par and the story is quite thin. What saves it is the believable feeling of paranoia and the end scene in the graveyard.

*SPOILER*

When one teacher says to another (from memory):"Some kids are so insecure they need to make up some safe place where they can escape to" <looks towards the sky/heaven>. "but he will be better of where he is now". That comment and the nice rendering of how the adult was completely unaware what he was saying about his own religious beliefs really enthralled me. I had to replay the scene multiple times before going on.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Impressive, 26 January 2004

Author: dispet from Melbourne, Australia

some have commented that this is plot-light, and in some ways it is, but it doesnt need a plot. this episode of the animatrix is pure philosophy and lead in to a great character in the films. the key to overcoming reality in the matrix is to unlearn everything you know. if you can learn that gravity is meaningless, then it is meaningless, our minds hold total power. and if we can make ourselves believe that death is not the end....well.. brilliant philosophy, amazing, unique animation. great stuff.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A nice ending, 25 October 2003

Author: rbverhoef (rbverhoef@hotmail.com) from The Hague, Netherlands

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.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Stylish but plot-light, 15 June 2003
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

A teenager has dreams of falling that feel more real than his actual life. He turns to the internet for answers and receives some cryptic replies via his PC. In school his mobile phone rings despite being turned off, he answers to be told by Neo that `they know you know and are coming for you'. The kid looks out the window to see men in dark suits coming for him and immediately flees on his skateboard.

In Reloaded there is a scene where Neo and Trinty return to Zion and are greeted by an eager kid who offers to carry Neo's stuff because Neo `saved his life'. I didn't understand who this was when I saw the film and it add to the appearance of a film with lots of loose ends it doesn't tie up. Only later did I see this short and realise that the `loose end' was actually a connection to this short. This is an interesting way to build a wider world around a film but when watching Reloaded I only felt it weakened the actual film. Anyway – the short.

The film is stylish and interesting. Plot wise it is similar to the discovery of Neo in the first film but it is done on miniature here. The main attraction is the visual design. The skateboard escape is all blurs and speed while the falling is nicely done and beautifully animated. It may not win any points for having a gripping plot but visually it worked for me.

The novelty of having Reeves and Moss supply the voices to their characters is just that – a novelty, they only have a few lines and I wouldn't have known it was them but for the cast list.

Overall this is an stylish if wafer thin short that is interesting because it supports the Matrix Reloaded. Before I saw this I had taken this strand of the story to be another area left unanswered by the film, having seen this I understand what it was about and am only left in doubt about the wisdom of doing it this way.

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Pretty good, 2 April 2007

Author: Grann-Bach (Grann-Bach@jubii.dk) from Denmark

While not my favorite, I found this short to be a fine addition to the bunch. The drawing/animation style of the animator was interesting, with his low use of on-screen action other than the point you are intended to concentrate on, and his grainy, wavy style. The story was somewhat good, and I liked the concept. It ties in well with the films, with a story that introduces a character that(whilst widely unpopular, to the point of being described as the Jar Jar Binks of the Matrix franchise,) appears in the two last parts of the trilogy, by integrating very true-to-the-source-material Agents, and by having Neo and Trinity appear for what can best be described as cameos, I guess. The skateboarding sequence also looked pretty cool. The voice acting was good, there wasn't really any point where it seemed out of place, which is good, because much of this short relies on dialog. I liked the few metaphors and hints that it had, and I think they were very well-integrated into the film. All in all, not the best of the shorts, but certainly not bad. I recommend it to fans of the Matrix phenomenon, and fans of Japanese Animé. 7/10

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
very cool, 7 August 2003
Author: katanacow232

I don't know what is is but the whole short was very cool. One of my favorites. Even thought it had had-draw pictures that were all wavy and stuff is was still very fun to watch. Also the sound was too notch when he was falling through the sky and past the railing.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
The only reason to watch "the Animatrix", is right here., 18 January 2006

Author: a_p_trapani from Canada

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?

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0 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
I enjoyed this short, but..., 19 August 2003
Author: bones272 from Indiana, USA.

I enjoyed this short, the method of the animation gave it a surreal quality, which helped to convey how this kid felt about his initial question regarding dreams and reality.

But after reading several comments here, I beg to differ that this kid in the animae short is the same kid that followed Neo around like a lost puppy.

The kid in Reload was actually in the first movie, except that he was much younger. Remember the child Neo saw playing with the spoon as they both waited to see the Oracle? I believe those two are one in the same.

As for the problem of age - who is to say that just because you are 24 years old in real life, that your representation within the Matrix is also 24 years old? You could very well be younger or older.

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0 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Pushing the envelope?, 4 August 2004

Author: TheOtherFool from The Netherlands

If the original Matrix got any criticism at all it was because of it's violence. After the shooting at Littleton, things only got worse (but then again, who wasn't blamed?). Kid's Story, one of the 9 animatrices, to me is more dangerous though.

We follow the likes of 'the kid', who finds out the truth about The Matrix (via Neo). He escapes his classroom like Neo his booth, but finds too many agents in his way, so he... jumps...

The next scene is at the funeral of the boy, and I was just thinking what a great self-reflecting movie this was (don't believe anything in the movies?), but in the end we find out the matrix really does exist and the boy is still alive in the real world.

Sure it's just a cartoon, but committing suicide to escape from the so called real world... edgy... 5/10.

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