Objective To explore the effect of animated educational videos applied in cancer patients with fear of cancer recurrence and to provide a more effective method for mental health education. Methods A total of 146 patients with fear of cancer recurrence were randomly assigned to a control group or an observation group, with 73 cases in each group. The control group received routine health education, while the observation group received health education using self-made animated videos. The scores of self-perceived burden, fear of cancer recurrence, health-related knowledge, and psychological resilience were compared between the two groups. Results The observation group had significantly lower scores of fear of cancer recurrence and self-perceived burden, whereas significantly higher scores of health-related knowledge and psychological resilience compared to the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion Applying animated videos for health education in cancer patients can alleviate their fear of cancer recurrence and psychological pressure, and improve their disease knowledge.