Animation with intangible cultural heritage (ICH) themes serves as a key vehicle for advancing the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture. As a core visual element in such animations, color symbols play a crucial role in cultural inheritance and artistic expression. Taking typical works such as Yao-Chinese Folktales and White Snake: Origins as examples, this paper focuses on the practical application paths of color symbols in ICH-themed animations, analyzing their application logic in materializing the cultural connotations of ICH, shaping distinct character traits, and accurately creating scene atmospheres. By integrating cases of these works, it explains the supporting value of color symbols in enhancing the visual expressiveness and cultural communication power of animations. The research provides theoretical references that combine cultural significance and practicality for the creation of ICH-themed animations, helping ICH achieve broader contemporary communication through the form of animation.