The animated documentary

Abstract

The term 'animated documentary' may seem like a contradiction. While documentary films endeavour to depict 'real life' and 'the truth', animation is associated with humour, exaggerations and visual fantasy. But despite their apparent differences, animation and documentary have often appeared side by side throughout film history. Many directors have made both documentaries and animation. Many documentaries have contained animated sequences, and many animated films can in my opinion best be classified as animated documentaries.