This week, we explored animation in documentaries —in other words, cartoons with a true story behind them.
During class, we watched many different videos, one of which was ‘The Sinking of the Lusitania’ by Winsor McCay, which showed the event even though there were no live-action shots. During World War II, Disney used the same trick, this time with characters to teach soldiers how to aim a rifle or navigate a submarine.
Going through today’s example, we had: Chicago 10 mixes real protest footage with animated courtroom scenes because the judge wouldn’t allow cameras at the 1968 trial.
In every case, the goal is the same: “Animation clarifies, explains, and emphasises, making factual information easier to understand and retain.”
An animated documentary is an upgrade. When the truth is too dangerous, too tiny, or locked inside someone’s head, drawing it can be the most honest way to show what really happened.