Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
If you are going to use animation for education and developing morals and character, then you may be an animator.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Animation is a powerful medium that one can use for good or bad.
Like other forms of media, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, movies, etc., one may use animation for education and developing morals and character, or one may use it for brainwashing, false indoctrination, and manipulating minds to exploit them for selfish motives of domination, influence peddling or gaining power and amassing wealth.
Therefore, what is my purpose or motive in pursuing this profession? What would be the impact of my work on those who read or watch it? Finally, since I am accountable for my legacy and footprint in the world, will I be pleased to stand before my Lord regarding my work?
If you feel comfortable answering these questions to your satisfaction, then you may pursue this goal. However, if unsure, you should reconsider, rethink, and come up with another creative field to excel in.
Stated differently, you may use these media as long of the grave responsibility that comes with your work (i.e., the word, whether spoken or written, including drawings with pencils).
You may ask yourself: What is my purpose in drawing the cartoons? What would be the outcome or impact of it on society? Would it cause a change for good, or would it worsen?
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “People fall into two categories: those who serve as the keys to good and those who act as keys to evil. So, blessed are those who serve as keys to the good and lock to the evil.”
There is an enlightening story about a pious person seeing a famous writer who passed away. After the writer’s death, he appeared to him in a dream. The man asked him what advice he would give him, considering his experience in the grave. The writer repeated the following words, “Everyone who wields a pen perishes and dies; his work may survive him. So, don’t you ever pen anything you wouldn’t like to see in your register with Allah!”
The story highlights the trust or responsibility of those who wield pens or pencils. Since they have a lot of power to influence others, they ought to ask themselves: How are we making a difference in the world? Do my creations or work help promote virtue, peace, and harmony?
If the above is not the case, one would undoubtedly have to give an account before the Creator and Lord of the worlds, whose justice is transparent, and no one can buy it through power, money, or influence.
So, please decide based on the above perspective.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Source: AsktheScholar.com