'' A Scanner Darkly '' is a 2006 American adult animated science-fiction thriller film directed by Richard Linklater , based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick . The film tells the story of identity and deception in a near-future dystopia constantly under intrusive high-tech police surveillance in the midst of a drug addiction epidemic . The film was shot digitally and then animated using interpolated rotoscope , an animation technique in which animators trace over the original footage frame by frame , for use in live-action and animated films , giving the finished result a distinctive animated look . The film was written and directed by Richard Linklater and features the voices of Keanu Reeves , Robert Downey Jr. , Woody Harrelson , and Winona Ryder . Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney are among the executive producers . '' A Scanner Darkly '' had a limited release in July 7 , 2006 , and then a wider release later that month . The film was screened at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival , and nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation , Long Form in 2007
2006 Cannes Film Festival
2006 Cannes Film Festival
A Scanner Darkly (film)