6 Ways Animation Explains It All (And When It Doesn’t)

Remember Saturday mornings?  Did you use your go-go gadget arm to scoop out the sugary-delicious marshmallows—leaving behind the boring cereal, too? Plastered on the screen, the ‘real’ Inspector Gadget saved the day…again.  Just like last Saturday. That’s how I viewed animation.  Cartoons. Characters.  Adventure.

But animation isn’t just for Saturday mornings anymore.  In marketing, it’s one of the best tools you have for taking something complicated and making it feel simple, digestible, and—most importantly—memorable.

Think: you’ve got a complex product, process, or service. But with animation, you can show an idea, instead of drowning in words. That’s why so many brands turn to animated explainers.

Done right, there’s clarity in motion. And, as I mentioned in our previous blog on batching content, one investment can continue to deliver results if you use it right. 

Why 2D Animation Works So Well

For most marketing teams, 2D animation hits the sweet spot. It’s versatile, affordable, and doesn’t require Pixar’s budget to look polished. You can keep it sleek and minimal, or lean into playful, character-driven storytelling.

Where it really shines is in industries where your product isn’t exactly “camera-ready.” Finance, healthcare, tech—these are worlds full of intangibles, processes, and data. No one’s binge-watching a video of spreadsheets or a clinical procedure manual. But turn those concepts into clean visuals or a simple animated journey, and suddenly, people get it. 

That’s the beauty of animation; you can make the abstract tangible.

It’s also a dream for brand consistency. Colors, fonts, motion style—every bit of your identity can be seamlessly baked into the animation. So instead of some random stock footage that sort of feels like your brand, you’ve got a video that looks and moves like you.

And don’t underestimate accessibility. Simplified characters and icons can cut across languages and cultures, letting you tell a universal story without needing a translation team. Animation has a way of breaking down barriers while keeping the story sharp.

When It Shines

• Abstract made tangible: Finance, healthcare, tech—industries packed with intangibles—benefit from visuals that turn data and processes into stories.

• Brand consistency: Colors, fonts, motion style—everything can match your existing brand guide.

• Global accessibility: Characters and icons can be simplified to avoid cultural barriers.

  
  

When Animation Doesn’t Really Work

Now, animation isn’t a magic wand. There are plenty of times when it’s not the right answer.

Take human emotion. If you’re trying to capture subtlety—the tear in someone’s eye, the relief on a customer’s face, the power of a handshake—stick with live action. No animated character can replicate that level of authenticity.

Timing is another factor. Animation is deliberate. It takes storyboarding, illustration, and rendering. If you need a video yesterday, this isn’t your tool. Quick turn content needed?  Check out these creative solutions in a previous blog I wrote: 3 Ways to Get More From Every Shoot.

And then there’s complexity. The second your animation tries to do too much—too many details, too many moving parts—it stops clarifying and starts confusing.

The golden rule? Simple lines beat clutter every time. Keep it clean, or risk losing your audience in the chaos.

When It Doesn’t Work

• When human emotion is key: If the story relies on subtle facial expressions, real people usually win. A handshake, a tear, or a smile feels more authentic when it’s live action.

• When speed matters: Animation takes time to storyboard, design, and render. If you need a video next week, it’s not your tool.

• When complexity kills clarity: Overly detailed animations can confuse instead of clarify. Simple lines beat clutter every time.

Styles Worth Knowing

All animation is not made equal. 2D animation has flavors, and knowing which one fits your story makes all the difference.

Take icon-driven explainers. These are the clean, minimalist workhorses—perfect for overviews, product launches, or breaking down a service in under two minutes. Quick, efficient, and straight to the point.

Then you’ve got kinetic typography. This is text in motion—words and phrases flying across the screen in bold, dynamic ways. It’s killer for campaigns heavy on messaging or social cutdowns where you only have a few seconds to grab attention.

Character-driven stories lean into relatability. A simple animated figure guiding viewers through a process can be gold when you want your audience to see themselves in the story. But here’s the catch: characters should add relatability, not just a “cute factor.” Nobody needs a mascot wedged into a serious B2B pitch. And while I would like to witness this, please reach out to us BEFORE the meeting and we’ll help you on that quick turn. We always have content ideas.

And finally, mixed media. This is where live action and 2D overlays meet. Think of a person on screen, grounded in reality, while clean animations swirl around them for context. It feels modern, polished, and gives you the best of both worlds.

Where Motus Comes In

Here’s the thing: animation is powerful—so learn how to make it work for you.  

Because we’re a studio rooted in both strategy and execution, we help marketing teams:

·       Decide whether animation is the best tool (or if live action will resonate more).

·       Pick the right animation style that fits the story and the brand.

·       Keep production efficient—balancing creativity with deadlines and budgets.

Sometimes that’s a fully animated explainer. Other times, it’s a short social video with kinetic text. Or maybe it’s live action with just the right amount of animation sprinkled in. Our job is to help you pick the right tool, not just the shiny one.

Because the truth is, animation can either clarify your message… or bury it under a mountain of motion graphics. At Motus, we keep it clean, strategic, and human—so the story doesn’t just move, it moves people.

For Nashville companies (and plenty beyond), this means you’ve got a partner who knows how to make animated explainers actually explain. Not just look good. It’s about the message, combined with intentional design and motion that helps convey your message simply, clearly, and impactfully.

The Bottom Line

At Motus, that’s our whole thing. We help you figure out when animation works, what kind works best, and how to bring it to life so your message isn’t just another video floating through the feed—it’s the one that sticks.

Now, if you don’t mind…It’s Friday night…so I’m going to hang with my kiddos and feel nostalgic--while we watch Ninja Turtles and eat pizza.