Animation can be used for various purposes such as for procedural and motor skill learning (i.e., dance, sports, and motor rehabilitation). In the context of visual design, this study explores the possible influence of realism (levels of visual detail) in animation at the cognitive stage of motor skill acquisition. Students (N = 64) with low-prior knowledge about tennis were randomly assigned into three groups to view either 2D schematic, 3D stylised, or live-action instructional video. Their performance on the knowledge test, learning time, efficiency score, confidence level, preference, and open-ended responses were captured for analyses. Based on the findings, despite most preference towards live-action video, there was no statistically significant difference regarding cognitive learning performance among learners from different treatment groups. Hence, animated digital characters of various levels of realism can still be incorporated for motor skill acquisition especially in instructional animations, simulations, video games and virtual reality.