Most of the early animated documentary studies were based on the shooting theory and mode of documentary, and they hoped to take interaction and reflection as the characteristics of animated documentary, as one of the types of documentary. Seeing an irreplaceable gap between animated documentary and performative documentary, wells redefined the animated documentary model, the four dominant areas are identified as the imitative mode, the subjective mode, the fantastic mode, and the postmodern mode. After him, Patrick used the concept of “structure” to classify animated documentaries, the illustrative, narrated, and sound-based — and a fourth, The illustrative, narrated, and sound-based — and a fourth, the ‘extended structure,’ which is an extension of Wells’ fantastic mode.

The reason why animated documentaries appear is that the form of animation can achieve functions that traditional documentaries cannot achieve, such as imitating or replacing live footage, which provides convenience for historical themes and lack of shooting materials. Moreover, compared to traditional cameras shooting from a specific Angle, animation is used more as a tool to evoke experiences in the form of ideas, feelings, and emotions, and the form of animation provides a visual effect on abstract subject matter. Through mimetic substitution, non-mimetic substitution and evocation, animation responds to the limitations of live-action material. Rather than questioning the viability of knowledge through documentary, animated documentaries offer us an enhanced perspective on reality by presenting the world in a breadth and depth that live action alone cannot. Life is rich and complicated in ways that are not always available to observation, something that is reflected in the diversity of styles and subject matter of contemporary animated documentaries.

In a suggestion that is significant for animated documentary, Doane claims that ‘animation is only nonindexical if the “real” associated with the index is yoked to a traditional notion of realism or to the filming of only objects/ places not constructed or generated by human beings’.