When Does "The Animatrix: Program" (2003) Take Place?
"Program" is a science fiction animated short film written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri that released March 5th, 2003. So when is "Program" set?
It takes place on the fictional The Matrix timeline roughly in the year:
We know this because, while no dates are mentioned or shown, the plot revolves around preparing soldiers for an instance of something that happened in the first feature film "The Matrix" (1999), which takes place roughly in late ~2699 AD. Matrix fans suppose that, since no one seemed prepared for it, it was a novel problem and, therefore, the events of this short film are an immediate reaction to the events of that feature film. Harder evidence exists for a latest possible date as the entire premise would be pointless after the events of the third feature film "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003), which take place in ~2700 AD.
~2700 AD
We know this because, while no dates are mentioned or shown, the plot revolves around preparing soldiers for an instance of something that happened in the first feature film "The Matrix" (1999), which takes place roughly in late ~2699 AD. Matrix fans suppose that, since no one seemed prepared for it, it was a novel problem and, therefore, the events of this short film are an immediate reaction to the events of that feature film. Harder evidence exists for a latest possible date as the entire premise would be pointless after the events of the third feature film "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003), which take place in ~2700 AD.
It is technically an entirely unplaceable work. All that can be said with certainly is that it takes place between ~2199 AD and ~2700 AD.
The timeline of the Matrix Universe is fairly unique among the largest franchises because the human characters within its fictional world (diegesis) do not themselves know what year it truly is for the duration of most of the stories.
It is (probably) the sixth chronological short film in The Matrix Universe timeline. It can be watched at its timeline point or entirely separately.
