The ggplot package is great for creating static plots, but it can't handle animations. These are used when we have data indexed by time, and we want to show an evolution of that data.  The gganimate package is designed following a similar logic, but for animations. It will construct plots for every time period and it will then interpolate between the frames in order to construct a smooth animation. This animation can also be exported as a GIF, then embedded later on any website or in any report.