If you were a kid in 1995, you probably remember the absolute fever pitch of the Mortal Kombat hype train. The arcade game was a phenomenon, the home ports were printing money, and Paul W.S. Anderson’s live-action movie was about to hit theaters. But right before the movie arrived, we got something… different. Mortal Kombat The Journey Begins was a direct-to-video animated prequel that promised to set the stage for the big-screen showdown. Honestly? It’s one of the most bizarre pieces of media ever tied to a major franchise. It wasn't just a cartoon; it was an experimental hybrid of traditional 2D animation and early, blocky 3D CGI that looked like it was rendered on a calculator.
Most people today only remember it for the memes. You’ve probably seen the clips on YouTube—Raiden looking vaguely like he’s made of clay, or Scorpion and Sub-Zero fighting in a digital void that looks like a pre-alpha PlayStation 1 tech demo. But if you actually sit down and watch it, there’s a surprisingly deep narrative ambition there. It tried to explain the complex lore of the Midway games at a time when most players just thought "the guy in blue freezes people."
The Strange Marriage of 2D and 3D Animation
The first thing that hits you about Mortal Kombat The Journey Begins is the jarring transition between art styles. The "present day" scenes, where Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade are traveling to Shang Tsung’s island on a boat, are handled with standard mid-90s cel animation. It looks fine. It’s colorful, the character designs are reasonably close to the game sprites, and the voice acting is surprisingly earnest.
Then, the flashbacks happen.
Whenever a character explains the backstory of a fighter—like the legendary rivalry between the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu—the animation shifts to 3D. At the time, Threshold Entertainment was really pushing the envelope of what desktop computers could do. This was the era of ReBoot and Beast Wars, but those were full series with massive budgets. This was a 54-minute straight-to-video feature. The result is "cutting edge" 1995 technology that looks like nightmare fuel today. Characters have "hover feet." Their mouths don't quite match the words. The textures are flat. Yet, there’s a charm to it. It was a bold swing.
It Actually Fixed the Movie's Plot Holes
Believe it or not, the live-action movie makes way more sense if you’ve seen this first. Mortal Kombat The Journey Begins acts as a lore dump that the 101-minute theatrical film simply didn't have time for.
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For instance, the movie treats Goro as just a big, scary sub-boss. In this animated prequel, we get the full history of how he became the Prince of Shokan. We learn about his brother, Durak, and the trial they underwent to see who would represent their race in the tournament. It adds a layer of Shakespearean tragedy to a character who is usually just a four-armed punching bag.
It also clarifies Raiden’s role. In the games, he’s a god. In the movie, he’s a bit of a cryptic mentor. This special bridges that gap, showing him as a protector who is strictly forbidden from interfering directly but is desperate to guide these "mortals" toward their destiny. It’s basically a strategy guide in narrative form.
Who the Heck are the Voice Actors?
You might recognize some of the voices if you close your eyes. It’s a "who’s who" of 90s voice talent.
- Ron Williams voices Jax (though Jax barely does anything here).
- Jeff Bennett (who voiced Johnny Bravo!) plays Johnny Cage.
- Jennifer Hale, the legendary voice of Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, voices Sonya Blade.
Having talent like Jennifer Hale involved is why the dialogue actually lands, even when the animation is doing something terrifying in the background. They took the material seriously. They weren't just phoning in a "kids' cartoon." They were trying to build a cinematic universe before that was a buzzword everyone hated.
The Gory (or Lack Thereof) Details
One of the biggest complaints from "Kombat" purists back in the day was the lack of blood. The games were famous for Fatalities and buckets of red pixels. Mortal Kombat The Journey Begins was rated PG. You aren't going to see anyone’s spine get ripped out.
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Instead, the fights focus on the supernatural elements. You see Sub-Zero’s ice powers and Scorpion’s spear, but the "finishing moves" are usually just someone getting knocked off a cliff or blasted with energy. It’s frustrating if you’re looking for the arcade experience, but it’s interesting to see how the creators tried to translate "Mortal Kombat" for a younger, television-bound audience without losing the darker tone of the mythos.
Why Does It Still Matter?
You might think a 30-year-old animated special is irrelevant. You’d be wrong. Mortal Kombat is one of the few fighting game franchises that prioritizes its story mode. The modern games (MK11, Mortal Kombat 1) have these massive, cinematic campaigns that people love.
That tradition of "lore-heavy" MK content arguably started here. Before this, the story was just a few paragraphs in an instruction manual. Mortal Kombat The Journey Begins proved there was an appetite for watching these characters talk, argue, and share history, not just punch each other.
It also serves as a digital time capsule. It captures that specific window in the mid-90s when we were transitioning from hand-drawn art to computer-generated imagery. It’s a messy, awkward transition, but it’s an important one in the history of animation and gaming media.
Actionable Steps for the Curious Fan
If you want to experience this piece of gaming history, you don't necessarily need to track down a dusty VHS tape at a garage sale.
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1. Check the Bonus Features
If you own the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie on Blu-ray or certain DVD releases, the full animated special is often included as a "Legacy" feature. It’s the highest quality version you’ll find.
2. Watch the "Side-by-Side" Comparisons
Go to YouTube and search for the Goro vs. Durak fight. Seeing the 1995 3D models compared to the 2023 Mortal Kombat 1 graphics is a mind-blowing lesson in how far technology has come.
3. Read the Tie-in Comics
If you like the "vibe" of this era, track down the Malibu Comics series from the same period. They share a similar "edgy but censored" energy and fill in even more gaps about the characters' lives before the tournament.
4. Temper Your Expectations
Don't walk into this expecting Arcane or Castlevania. Go into it expecting a weird, experimental, slightly broken piece of nostalgia. It’s best watched with friends who can appreciate the absurdity of Raiden’s glowing eyes and the way Johnny Cage’s sunglasses never seem to fall off his face.
Ultimately, Mortal Kombat The Journey Begins is a flawed masterpiece of marketing. It did exactly what it was supposed to do: it got a generation of kids obsessed with the lore of a world where a thunder god recruits an actor and a soldier to save the planet. It’s janky, it’s ugly in parts, and the CGI is prehistoric, but it has more heart than half the big-budget reboots we get today.
Keep an eye out for the subtle references to this special in the newer games. Ed Boon and the team at NetherRealm Studios have long memories, and they often sneak in "Easter eggs" that point back to these early, weird days of the franchise. Understanding where the story started makes the current multiversal chaos of the new games much easier to digest.