...prepare to return to the Meatrix.

The Meatrix II: Revolting [1] is the sequel of The Meatrix [2], the 2003 flash animation film that's become something of an Internet cult classic. It's a clever parody that plays off of sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix [3]. Each four-minute video skewers factory farms and agribusiness in a way that's informative, smart and fun.

The story goes like this: Leo (in the Keanu Reeves [4] role) is a blissfully ignorant pig who is content to keep splashing around his family farm pen. But his tranquil life is shattered when Moophius (in the Laurence Fishburne [5]role), a bull who wears dark glasses and a black trenchcoat asks him if he's heard about the Meatrix.

“The Meatrix,” Moophius explains, “ is the lie we tell ourselves about where our meat and animal products come from.”

As for the rest... well, let's just say I'm glad I learned about the horrors of factory farm conditions from a cartoon.

The movies tackle prickly subjects, like animal cruelty [5], hormones [5] and antibiotic [5]overuse, massive pollution [5], mad cow disease [6] and the evils of agribusiness [6]. And somehow the cartoons did what so many preachy-but-well-meaning friends never could: They grossed me out to the point that I've sworn off non-organic [6] meat and dairy products.

Once the filmmakers -- Free Range Studios [7] and the Sustainable Table [8] -- show their viewers the Meatrix, they are savvy enough to direct them towards local organic vendors and activism projects.

Meanwhile, consider yourself warned: If you take the red pill and see the Meatrix, you won't be able to eat a cheeseburger for a very, very long time. If you desperately need to believe that meat comes from a happy place, stick with the blue pill.