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> the animation adds no additional information.

No it removes information; to be able to focus on one period at a time as it evolves.

Seeing a "living graph" of how something evolves is different than seeing the graph fully drawn statically, that cannot be considered chart junk IMO.

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Following the parent comment's idea, it'd end up in a table being the best choice 100% of the time.

Because the underlying assumption is that accessibility and the ability to grasp the data that is being conveyed isn't completely dependent on the audience. If I happen to prefer a static chart, an animated chart might still convey the intended thing in a stickier way, to a wider audience.

Fully agree. He must have been itching to use the term "chart junk" :-)

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