Children have a rich fantasy life and they play with it as a safe way to figure out the world. In general I think it's normal. Where it becomes damaging is when the adults / mentors in their life accept and promote particular fantasies as realities.

I think so. It elevates animals to a ‘relatable level,’ giving children the perspective of animals having a conscience. Their first pet will confirm animals limitations

It is fine so long as you explain it is fantasy, not real and don't encourage them to give Scooby 10% of their income for life or else "the Rhost will gret them"

Yes. It flexes the empathy muscle, because most children are born with an inherent affinity for animals. Anthropomorphic animals also allow morality tales to be more relatable to children without making a villain out of any actual humans. In researching the best literature to use to homeschool my kid I read several papers about the pros of anthropomorphology and it's effect on learning. Completely anecdotally I will tell you that my child was significantly more engaged with tales like Poppy and Ida B (where the characters either were animals, or interacted with animals) than books where all of the characters were human.

I don't think it harms their growth at all. It can in some cases, interest them in learning more about certain animals and encourage them to learn.

Imagination is great for a child's intellectual growth.