Formal abstraction is a stylistic approach to various modes of representations that moves between the poles of reality and (pure) abstract and can be part of analysing any form of visual arts. The formalistic methods and the level of abstraction that an artist employs in embodying a concept can offer interesting artistic possibilities and have an impact on the process of meaning-makings and forms of engagement with the artwork. An instance of this is the various stylistic approaches to the animated adaptations of Shahnameh, the canonical Iranian epic poem written by Ferdowsi in 1010 AD. From the first decades of animation’s foundation in Iran, this ancient text has been a source of various re-makings. Despite a good number of animated adaptations based on Shahnameh, there has been a shortage of documenting these artworks as well as a lack of academic studies and practices, particularly on the topic of their adopted animation designs. For example, all former adaptations have maintained representational tendencies and avoided recreating Shahnameh’s narratives in purely abstracted forms. Thus, this research aims to study the artistic, meaning-making, engagement possibilities of ‘iconic’ and ‘pure abstracted’ forms of animation (two formal potentialities within the abstraction continuum) in conveying some of Shahnameh’s narratives and contents. This thesis will conduct textual analyses, including case studies, to define iconic and pure abstraction and critically and creatively analyse the impact of iconic abstraction on some of the formerly animated adaptations of Shahnameh. Next, to address the gap in the practice, by conducting a reflective practical-based methodology, it will experiment with more pure forms of abstraction in visualising and conceptualising this text. Finally, based on their level of familiarity with Shahnameh, employing a semi-structured (interview) method, it will examine five animation experts’ responses to and engagements with this text in abstract forms of animation. The result of this study will expand on the stylistic possibilities of iconic abstraction in animation practices. It will validate McCloud's (1993) model (of amplification through simplification) through an examination of iconic stylisations in the animated adaptations of Shahnameh. Additionally, it will suggest that the openness and ambiguity of purely abstracted styles of animation can enhance the inclusion of audiences regardless of their levels of affinity with an adapted narrative and offer unconventional, unexpected, and novel perspectives for explorations, where the spectators significantly impact the meaning-making process. These can lead to a deeper understanding of a cultural text and more interpretive and open ways of engaging with its narrative space. On this basis, the formalistic choices made in animation design should be taken into account when reconstructing a cultural narrative since such possibilities can help the adaptation process by amplifying the understanding of the narrative’s meanings and providing creative spaces to experience it anew.