A case for the animated documentary

Abstract

Animation and documentary appear as oxymoronic terms, one encompassing all that is fantastical and imagined while the other stands firm in reality and truth, but animated documentaries have been in existence since the early 20th Century. Until recently they have not been of interest to the public or critics. In an effort to validate animated documentaries as an art form and thus a genre for serious consideration, scholars are currently focusing on defining and categorizing animated documentaries. Unfortunately, this is resulting in overly restrictive boundaries that films must adhere to in order to fall into the animated documentary category. In this paper I argue for more encompassing definitions while questioning the need for validation. In a world where boundaries between man and woman, human and non-human, and natural and unnatural are breaking down, perhaps animated documentaries are an ideal representation of this emerging new world.