Next Club Meeting: April 20, 2024, at the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the third Saturday of each month (except when holidays or conventions coincide). The meetings are free and open to the public. Join us for a day filled with anime.

This site provides news, reviews, commentaries, and previews of the world of anime and everything it inspires, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.

Friday, March 31, 2017

Trailer for 'Attack on Titan' Season 2

'Attack on Titan' is returning with
a new season April 1!
Eren Jaeger swore to wipe out every last Titan, but in a battle for his life he wound up becoming the thing he hates most. With his new powers, he fights for humanity’s freedom facing the monsters that threaten his home. After a bittersweet victory against the Female Titan, Eren finds no time to rest—a horde of Titans is approaching Wall Rose and the battle for humanity continues! See a glimpse of the new season here in this official promotional video from Kodansha!

Catch up on Season 1 at Funimation.com/attackontitan

Thursday, March 30, 2017

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: First Epic Trailer


CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS
Two mischievous kids hypnotize their mean high school principal and turn him into their comic book creation, the kind-hearted and elastic-banded Captain Underpants.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Spider-Man: Homecoming Movie Trailer 2


Spider-Man: Homecoming
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

First look at Alicia Vikander's Tomb Raider

Alicia Vikander as Tomb Raider
[Source: SyfyWire] Norwegian director Roar Uthaug's (The Wave) live-action take on the iconic video game character is taking us back to Lara Croft’s early beginnings. The new movie will be based on Square Enix’s 2013 rebooted Tomb Raider game, which sees a young and green Lara Croft in an epic struggle for survival in her first action-packed adventure. A second game, Rise of the Tomb Raider, followed suit on X-Box One and PS4.
 
Here’s a detailed story synopsis (via the good folks at Digital Spy) which confirms the upcoming action-adventure film will stick pretty close to the new game’s storyline, which was set on a mysterious island off the coast of Japan called Yamatai:

Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen.

Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent, and takes college courses, rarely making it to class. Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father's global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he's truly gone.

Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without him, even Lara can't understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death.

Going explicitly against his final wishes, she leaves everything she knows behind in search of her dad's last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan.

But her mission will not be an easy one; just reaching the island will be extremely treacherous. Suddenly, the stakes couldn't be higher for Lara, who — against the odds and armed with only her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spirit — must learn to push herself beyond her limits as she journeys into the unknown. If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name tomb raider.

Slated to open on March 16, 2018, Tomb Raider also stars Dominic West as Lord Richard Croft, Daniel Wu as Lu Ren and Walton Goggins as the film’s villain, Father Mathias Vogel.

Monday, March 27, 2017

Spark: A Space Tail - Official Trailer


S P A R K : A SPACE TAIL
Spark (Jace Norman) is a wisecracking teen living on an abandoned planet with his friends Chunk and Vix. Thirteen years ago the power-hungry General Zhong seized control of their planet Beta, wiping out Spark’s family and sending him into hiding. But now they’ve learned of Zhong’s plan to wipe out the entire universe using the deadly space Kraken, and no one but Spark can stop him. An action-packed space odyssey filled with humor and heart, SPARK is an epic adventure about becoming the hero you were born to become. 
Release Date: April 14, 2017
Cast: Jace Norman, Jessica Biel, Susan Sarandon, Patrick Stewart, Hilary Swank, Athena Karkanis, A.C. Peterson

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Unite the Justice League!

JUSTICE LEAGUE
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes-Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash-it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

The Justice League Unites this November 17, 2017

Saturday, March 25, 2017

The synopsis for New Godzilla Anime for Netflix

NETFLIX's  G O D Z I L L A
Over the years, there have been many iterations of Godzilla created. As the King of the Kaiju, the giant lizard has served as the unofficial mascot for monster movies in general. Still, attempts to modernize him haven’t always worked. That all changed in 2014 when Legendary Pictures reintroduced the character in a gritty new fashion. Helmed by Rogue One director Gareth Edwards, the movie kicked off a new MonsterVerse for Legendary, one that got its second installment a few weeks ago with Kong: Skull Island. With the success of both films, Legendary are poised to dominate the market on kaiju films, especially considering The Great Wall and Pacific Rim are also their creations.

While those latter two aren’t connected to the new MonsterVerse, neither are all versions of Godzilla. We’ll see the 2014 version revisited in 2019 with Godzilla: King of Monsters, but fans of the character will get another look at him later this year as well. We learned last year that an anime version of Godzilla would be released in 2017, and more recently found out it would be coming to Netflix after premiering in Japan. Now, we not only have a title for the film, but a poster and synopsis.

Thanks to Crunchy Roll, we know the new movie will be called Godzilla: Monster Planet. It will premiere in Japan this November, before Netflix picks it up. The adventure will focus on a future world where Godzilla and other kaiju rule the planet, and humans have to fight to survive. Check out the poster, along with the full translated synopsis, below:
The last summer of the 20th century. On that day, the human race realized that they were not the only ruler of the planet earth.
The emergence of gigantic monsters “kaiju” and the ultimate existence that even can destroy the kaijus, Godzilla. After half-century of the war against the kaijus, the human race repeatedly defeated and decided to escape from the earth. Then finally in the year 2048, only people who were chosen by the artificial intelligence under the control of the central government went on board the interstellar immigrant ship Aratrum and left for the “Cetus: Planet Tau e” which was 11.9 light years away from the earth. But the environmental condition difference between the earth and Tau e, which took 20 years to reach, was far exceeded the predicted value, and there was no way to survive for the human race.
A young man named Haruo is on board of the immigrant ship. His parents were killed by Godzilla right front of him when he was 4, since then, he has been thinking about only going back to the earth and killing Godzilla for 20 years. Since there is no hope for immigration to other planets, the “Return to the Earth” group including Haruo becomes the mainstream in the ship as its living condition is getting worse, then they decide to try the long distance hyperspace navigation.
However, 20,000 years have already passed when they finally arrive the earth, and it becomes a totally unknown world dominated by an ecosystem topped by Godzilla. Can the human race take the earth back, and the fate of Haruo will be…?
The announcement also came with some concept art, showing more pieces following a similar announcement earlier this year. Mostly, they tease the ships and tech that exist in this far future.
There’s no word yet on when exactly Netflix will air the film, but it will likely arrive before the year is out. That should hold fans over until 2019’s live-action return of the king. After that, Kong and Godzilla will be duking it out in 2020’s Kong vs. Godzilla. If the anime’s a hit, expect more looks into the future of kaiju to emerge soon as the Godzilla resurgence continues.

Godzilla: Monster Planet premieres this November in Japan before coming to Netflix.

Friday, March 24, 2017

Anime Viewing Schedule for March 25, 2017

Saturday, March 25, 2017
Wood Dale Public Library
Say, "AAAAAHHH."
Main Meeting Room, 10:15 am to 5:00 pm

10:15 - 11:05    Macross Delta 19-20
11:05 - 11:55    Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World 14-15
11:55 - 12:45    91 Days 7-8
12:45 - 1:35      Izetta: The Last Witch 11-12 (End)
1:35 - 2:05        Club Meeting / Announcements
2:05 - 2:30        Little Witch Academia (2017 TV series) ep 6
2:30 - 4:30        Train to Busan (Movie)

All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.
 
Start watching the exciting new anime series: Izetta: The Last Witch and Little Witch Academia!
ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW

Thursday, March 23, 2017

See the first 5 minutes of "Ghost in the Shell"


GHOST IN THE SHELL
Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, "GHOST IN THE SHELL" follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic's advancements in cyber technology.
U.S. Realease Date: March 31, 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Netflix's Death Note

DEATH NOTE on NETFLIX
What if you had the power to decide who lives and who dies?

We suggest you obey the rules. Based on the famous Japanese manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, Death Note follows a high school student who comes across a supernatural notebook, realizing it holds within it a great power; if the owner inscribes someone's name into it while picturing their face, he or she will die. Intoxicated with his new godlike abilities, the young man begins to kill those he deems unworthy of life.
"SHALL WE BEGIN?"
The Netflix original film is directed by Adam Wingard (Blair Witch, You’re Next) and stars Nat Wolff (Paper Towns), Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers), Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out), Paul Nakauchi (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End), Shea Whigham (American Hustle) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man). Death Note will premiere exclusively on Netflix on August 25th.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Teaser Trailer for Pixar's 'COCO'

Pixar's  C O C O
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history. Directed by Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist “Monsters University”) and produced by Darla K. Anderson (“Toy Story 3”), Disney•Pixar’s “Coco” opens in U.S. theaters on November 22, 2017.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Next Club Meeting is Saturday, March 25, 2017

 A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K
"Be Our Guest"... this weekend!

Wood Dale Public Library
520 N. Wood Dale Road
Wood Dale, IL  60191
Main Meeting Room
Saturday, March 25, 2017
10:15 AM - 5:00 PM
 

Our next club meeting will be at the Wood Dale Public Library
Main Meeting Room (on your far right as you enter the front doors), 
from 10:15 AM to 5:00 PM 
(until the library closes).

There is public transportation available. 
A Metra train-stop is located within walking distance. 

Please note: If you are driving, please park your car 
on the south side of the building (not the front) in order to 
make room for other library patrons.
 
A Viewing Schedule will be posted soon.
 
Hope to see you all there!

(Click below for maps

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Marvel's Rocket & Groot

R O C K E &  G R O O T
[Source: Syfy] There's already an animated Guardians of the Galaxy series on Disney XD, and now that show is getting an online spin-off that focuses on Rocket and Groot.

It's called, um, Rocket & Groot.

The pilot finds Rocket and Groot having a bit of engine trouble with their ship, which lands then in Broker's Junkyard. But instead of fixing up their old clunker, Rocket spots a shiny new ship. He just doesn't actually have any credits in the bank. Hmm ...

The series is set to run for 12 webisodes, with new installments dropping over the next few weeks.

The show is rolling out on the Disney XD media channels, but don't let that fool you. The hybrid, cel shading animation is top-notch, and this series looks like it could be a fun little distraction for kids and adults alike. As /Film notes, Rocket comic artist Skottie Young also consulted on the character designs for the shorts and his influence certainly comes through. The characters are voiced by the same folks who bring them to life in the Guardians animated series, Trevor Devall (Rocket) and Kevin Michael Richardson (Groot).

The entire Rocket & Groot web series is set to be available by April 10. In the meantime, check out the first episode below.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Mass Effect: Andromeda launch trailer

Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect: Andromeda takes players to the Andromeda galaxy, far beyond the Milky Way. There, players will lead our fight for a new home in hostile territory as the Pathfinder – a leader of military-trained explorers. This is the story of humanity's next chapter, and player choices throughout the game will ultimately determine our survival.

In this new chapter of Mass Effect, meet and recruit all-new interesting characters caught up in an epic space saga filled with mystery and galactic conflict. Unravel the mysteries of the Andromeda galaxy as you discover rich alien worlds in the search for humanity's new home. New additions like destructible environments, boosted jumps for added verticality, and all-new weapons and Biotics make combat more thrilling than ever and with a much more flexible skill and weapon progression tree, you can replicate your play style to make you unstoppable against new, powerful alien enemies.

Friday, March 17, 2017

Thursday, March 16, 2017

All aboard for 'Train to Busan' anime prequel

Seoul Station
[Source: Syfy] Fans of Train to Busan rejoice! The Korean zombie movie is getting an animated prequel and we have the first trailer, poster and synopsis to share.

Helmed by acclaimed animator Yeon Sang-ho (The King of Pigs, The Fake), Train to Busan is the first South Korean film to attract over 10 million moviegoers, with a box office intake of $87.5 million in U.S. dollars. Not bad, eh? Not only is the movie getting an English-speaking remake but it's also getting an animated prequel titled Seoul Station (where the events of Train to Busan kick off), and we have the trailer below.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho himself, Seoul Station will pull into movie theaters on March 17 in the UK before being released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 3 (again in the UK). Still no date for the U.S. release, but the film's rights are being handled by FilmRise. Let's cross our fingers the animated film will debut here sooner rather than later.

In the meanwhile, if you haven't seen Train to Busan yet, I can't recommend it highly enough. The fast-moving zombies were pretty great, and there were a lot of scenes where I was on the edge of my seat. Read up on the official synopsis for Seoul Station before digging into the trailer:

As the sun sets around Seoul Station, an old man thought to have died sinks his teeth into the warm flesh of a homeless person. Soon the streets are filled with vicious zombies desperate to feed.

Hae-sun, a runaway, witnesses the frightening sight while her father and boyfriend desperately search for her. As the attacked become the attackers, the government declares a lockout of the station, leaving the uninfected to struggle desperately against the dangerous undead. With zombie numbers exploding, people are forced to flee with no place to run to, not knowing if they will survive.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Entertainment Weekly's pics of 'Thor: Ragnarok'

THOR: RAGNAROK
Entertainment Weekly has unleashed a bevy of images from THOR: RAGNAROK, the third THOR film, directed by Taika Waititi (FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, SEARCH FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE). On the cover - we see HELA (an almost unrecognizable Cate Blanchett), THOR (a close cropped Chris Hemsworth weilding double blades rather than his famed Mjolnir) and VALKYRIE (Tessa Thompson without the traditional comic armor).
Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster

Chris Hemsworth as Thor, of course

Cate Blanchett as Hela

Tom Hiddleston as Loki

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (with Chris Hemsworth)

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Godzilla anime stomping its way to Netflix

O  D  Z  I  L  L  A
UPDATED 3/31/17 [Source: Syfy] Toho's first-ever animated Godzilla movie is heading to Netflix later this year. I repeat: Toho's first-ever animated Godzilla movie is heading to Netflix later this year!

According to a piece over at Bloody-Disgusting, Netflix Japan made the announcement via Twitter that Polygon Pictures' animated movie featuring the King of the Monsters will stream globally on Netflix, as well as play in select theaters, sometime in 2017. How cool is that?

Written by Gen Urobuchi (Psycho-Pass) and co-directed by Hiroyuki Seshita and Kôbun Shizuno (Knights of Sidonia), Godzilla will feature a Japanese voice cast that includes Yuuki Kaji, Takahiro Sakurai, Mamoru Miyano, Junichi Suwabe, Kana Hanazawa and Tomokazu Sugita. No word yet on whether the movie will be dubbed or simply subtitled.

It's definitely a great time to be a Gojira fan. Everyone's favorite giant lizard is getting a major sequel to 2014's Godzilla with Godzilla: King of Monsters (slated for a March 22, 2019, premiere) before clashing with Kong (who crushed the box office over the weekend in Kong: Skull Island) in Godzilla vs. Kong on May 29, 2020. Toho's Shin Godzilla also recently nabbed the Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture, which is impressive.

There’s no logline for the Godzilla animated film yet, but from the poster and two pieces of concept art included below, it seems like the film will be set in the future while featuring what looks to be a prehistoric-like Earth? Have a look, and let us know if you're excited about Toho and Polygon Pictures' first-ever animated Godzilla film.
 FEATURETTE 

Monday, March 13, 2017

Trailer for ATOMIC BLONDE will blow you away...

ATOMIC BLONDE
RED BAND TRAILER
Oscar® winner Charlize Theron explodes into summer in Atomic Blonde, a breakneck action-thriller that follows MI6’s most lethal assassin through a ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors.

The crown jewel of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.

A blistering blend of sleek action, gritty sexuality and dazzling style, Atomic Blonde is directed by David Leitch (John Wick, upcoming Deadpool 2). Also starring John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones, the film is based on the Oni Press graphic novel series“The Coldest City,” by Antony Johnston & illustrator Sam Hart. Kurt Johnstad (300) wrote the screenplay.

Sunday, March 12, 2017

New Wonder Woman Origin Trailer

WONDER WOMAN 
Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
Wonder Woman is in theaters June 2, 2017
From Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Entertainment comes the epic action adventure starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright, directed by Patty Jenkins.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

GHOST IN THE SHELL Character Motion Posters

GHOST in the SHELL
Below are 8 Character Motion Posters for the upcoming movie GHOST in the SHELL.

The Major (Scarlett Johansson) is a special ops, one-of-a-kind, human-cyborg hybrid who leads an elite task force known as Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, she faces an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotics' advancements in cyber technology.
Release date: March 31, 2017

TOGUSA - Chin Han

SAITO - Yutaka Izumihara

ISHIKAWA - Lasarus Ratuere

BORMA - Tawanda Manyimo

CHIEF DAISUKE ARAMAKI - Takeshi Kitano

LADRIYA - Danusia Samal

BATOU - Pilou Asbæk

MAJOR - Scarlett Johansson