What is the ruling on creating animated films or cartoons for educational purposes

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his companions. To proceed:

The default ruling is the prohibition of making images of living beings, due to the severe warning against it, as mentioned in the Prophet's saying: "The most severely punished people on the Day of Resurrection will be the image-makers." Scholars have agreed on the prohibition of sculpting complete bodies, but differed on sculpting certain parts of the body and on drawing on paper, canvas, and other materials. However, children's toys and figurines are an exception to this prohibition, as the Prophet has allowed them.

AMJA also has a previous decision regarding the ruling on photography, which states:

"The default ruling on photography is that it is permissible, as it is a representation of Allah's creation and work, and not an imitation of His creation, unless it leads to a doctrinal or moral corruption. For example, photography for the worship of other than Allah or photography that involves exposing private parts or other prohibitions. Therefore, photography is subject to the five legal rulings depending on the intention: if it is intended for something forbidden, then it is forbidden, and if it is intended for something obligatory, then it is obligatory, such as forensic photography used to arrest criminals and achieve justice, and so on for the remaining rulings."

As for animated films or cartoons made for educational purposes, to dispel misconceptions, introduce Islamic figures, and instill love for them in children, and other righteous purposes, then the chosen opinion is their permissibility if they are beneficial and free from anything that contradicts the principles of Islam and its manners. This is because they are mostly watched by children, and because they are not intended to imitate the exact image of creatures that Allah has created. Also, there is a great need to find effective and useful alternatives to what is presented to children that may corrupt their religion and morals. Even with acknowledging the existence of some legitimate concerns that cannot be separated from such works, the least that can be said about them is that they cause the lesser of two harms and prevent the greater of two corruptions. This is something that the principles of Sharia and its rules testify to.

And Allah knows best.