This article is about the short film; for the act of enrolling as a college or university student, see Matriculation.

Matriculated is an animated short film set in the world of The Matrix and is the last of the nine films of The Animatrix, a collection released in 2003. Each of these films explore elements of the Matrix series, some directly figuring in the live-action trilogy of films (and related video games) and some unique to The Animatrix. The short film has a running time of 16 minutes.

The title of the film has a dual meaning, referring both to the insertion into a virtual reality matrix and to the literal matriculation which the film's main character, an AI robot undergoes within the educational environment of that matrix. The film was written and directed by Korean American director Peter Chung, creator of the cartoon Æon Flux.

Plot synopsis

The film deals with a group of above-ground human rebels who lure sentinels and other hostile intelligent machines to their laboratory in order to capture them and insert them into a "matrix" of their own design. Within this matrix the humans attempt to teach the captured machines some positive traits of humanity, primarily compassion and empathy. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop free will in the intelligent machines to allow them to overcome their original automatic search and destroy-style programming. The rebels' hope is that, once converted of its own volition (a key point discussed in the film), an "enlightened" machine will assist Zion in its struggle against the machine-controlled totalitarianism which currently dominates the Earth and keeps the "bluepills" enslaved in the dream reality of the Matrix.

The film opens showing a female human (who resembles Chung's character of Aeon Flux) and a small primate in a glass jar, both of them sitting near a blue fire beside a body of water. The woman, listed in the credits as "Alexa," appears inattentive. The primate appears to be a Senegal Bushbaby (its name is later mentioned as being "Baby"), one of the smallest members of the order of primates. It is shown that the bush baby's vision is somehow linked to a monitoring station at the rebels' laboratory. When the bush baby (and the monitor at the lab, by proxy) see a disturbance in the water, Alexa is told through her headset to "Wake up."

Alexa then attracts the attention of and lures two "runner" machines over and through a labyrinth of pipes which leads to the rebels' laboratory. Before reaching the laboratory, one of the runners releases a homing beacon which attracts the attention of sentinels and other hostile machines to its position, unbeknownst to the humans within the building.

Inside the lab, the two runners discover the bush baby (still presumably hooked up to the laboratory's monitoring system) suspended from the ceiling in front of them, and a door with a key in front of it. While one robot examines the bush baby (not appearing to want to harm it), the other analyzes the key and then unlocks the door.

The door opens and a larger robot emerges. This robot attacks the runners, killing one before the other in turn kills it. For a brief moment, the surviving runner examines its fallen comrade. Just then, the runner is incapacitated with an EMP blast fired by Alexa.

While the injured runner is being repaired and prepared for its "matriculation," Alexa debates with a scientist about the benefits of reprogramming the machine as opposed to letting it "convert" on its own. They discuss whether the machine would react differently if it knew the simulated matrix they intend to plug it into was designed by humans:

Alexa: "That runner's smarter than we've seen so far." Scientist: "It's quite a catch." Alexa: "Thanks. Will it — Do you think it will convert?" Scientist: "To convert is its choice to make." Alexa: "Do you think maybe we oughta reprogram it?" Scientist: "No, we can't make slaves of them." Alexa: "Because that would be simpler." Scientist: "We won't beat the machines by making them our slaves. Better to let them join us by choice." Alexa: "Make them believe that the right choice is the one we want them to make." Scientist: "All right. Yes. Machines are tools. They're made to be used. It's their nature…" Alexa: "To be slaves." Scientist: "That's why we can show them a better world, why they convert." Alexa: "But that world we show them isn't real." Scientist: "It doesn't matter." Alexa: "Well, I'm afraid they'll figure out that we've made up the thing in their head." Scientist: "They can't tell the difference. To an artificial mind, all reality is virtual. How do they know that the real world isn't just another simulation? How do you?" Alexa: "I know I'm not dreaming now because I know what it's like being in a dream." Scientist: "So dreaming lets you know that reality exists." Alexa: "No — only that my mind exists. I don't know about the rest."

This brief discussion encapsulates a handful of philosophical motifs of the Matrix series: the argument of free will versus fate (in this case free will versus predetermined programming); and the question of how an apperceptive being can determine if reality is truly "real," since dreams are just as convincing as waking experience when one is in the dream state.

As the rebel group prepares to enter their own version of a virtual matrix (similar to the Construct program used aboard the Nebuchadnezzar in The Matrix), they prepare the bush baby for insertion as well. This is the first incident in the Matrix story-line where a biological being besides a human is shown being "plugged in." The group, including the runner, is then plugged into the matrix.

As the runner awakens, it sees itself in a large gold chamber with the group of humans, now in their stylized residual self images. This digital setting, filmed with CGI, is brightly illuminated and appears to be exclusively metallic. The runner watches as all the humans run off into archways which close behind them. The runner pursues the humans, following them through a sequence of environments during which it is stripped of its original robotic form and replaced by a humanoid appearance. Soon after it is placed in mortal danger and is rescued by Alexa. On seeing this a close-up shows the runner's optic nodes changing from red to green. The Alexa and the runner (as well as the bush baby) travel as beams of energy, passing through a frightening landscape into a gleaming, crystalline vista. The runner appears to revel in this environment, before the program ends.

The rebels awaken as the lab is attacked by sentinels and other hostile machines responding to the homing signal. The humans and their converted machine allies are all destroyed while the runner watches, not assisting either side in the battle even though Alexa pleads with it to help her. When it sees Alexa being carried by a machine and determines that she is either dead or dying, the runner finally decides to act and attacks the machine, destroying it. After the battle ends, it is seen that only the runner is still alive.

It then decides to save at least one of its human teachers and attempts to join itself and Alexa within the Construct program. It is shown that the runner scrutinizes Alexa, apparently in an attempt to capture her physicality and make its own version of her residual image. The runner does not appear to understand the significance of Alexa's condition, however — namely, that her body was mortally damaged and that it is not appropriate to keep only her brain alive within a program; she should be dead. (See Rautavaara's Case.)

In the matrix, the runner, in its residual self image form, reaches out a hand to Alexa, as had been previously done for it — truly depicting its grasp of empathic behavior. Behind the runner, there is a roiling blackness which Alexa appears to notice, though the runner does not. Alexa suddenly comes to and realizes what the runner has tried to do and screams in horror. She then shudders, looking disconsolate, and wraps her arms around herself as her residual self image evaporates.

In the last scene of the film the runner is shown sitting near the blue fire by the shore depicted in the film's first scene, apparently continuing the work of the humans, desiring to do so of its own free will.

Voice actors

• Melinda Clarke — Alexa
• Dwight Schultz — Nonaka
• Rodney Saulsberry — Chyron
• James Arnold Taylor — Raul
• Jack Fletcher — Sandro
• Olivia d'Abo — Rox

See also

• Simulated reality

•  • [ e] The Matrix series
The Matrix • The Matrix Reloaded • The Matrix Revolutions
The Animatrix:	Final Flight of the Osiris • The Second Renaissance • Kid's Story • Program • World Record • Beyond • A Detective Story • Matriculated
Soundtracks:	• • • • • •
Video games:	Enter the Matrix • The Matrix Online •
Characters:	Neo • Trinity • Morpheus • Agent Smith • Agents • Oracle • Architect • Niobe • Merovingian • Persephone • Sati • Seraph • Twins • Deus Ex Machina • Minor human characters • Programs and machines
Locations:	The Matrix universe • Mega City • Club Hel • Mobil Ave. • Zero One (Machine City) • Zion • New Zion • Ships from The Matrix series
Cast and crew:	Wachowski Brothers • Keanu Reeves • Laurence Fishburne • Carrie-Anne Moss • Hugo Weaving • Jada Pinkett Smith • Owen Paterson • John Gaeta • Geof Darrow • Steve Skroce
Other topics:	The Matrix Comics • Matrix digital rain • The Matrix character names • The Matrix Revisited • The Ultimate Matrix Collection • Matrix cell phone • Bluepill • Redpill
Related topics:	Bullet time • Cyberpunk • Digitalism • The Hero's Journey • Martial arts film • Simulated reality • Virtual reality • The Official Matrix Exhibit • Cadillac CTS