Frank animated Pinocchio brilliantly in the song sequence "I've got no strings on me".
It is a character defining section of the film. Pinocchio tries very hard to be an actor, and even when little accidents happen during his first performance, he carries on the best he can.
I had the chance to listen to a short Frank Thomas lecture on how to animate Pinocchio, which was recorded during production…when Frank was still a kid!!
The interesting thing he pointed out was that you shouldn't use the usual squash and stretch on him because he is made out of solid wood. So when his head hits the floor, it bounces, but without any deformation of the head mass.
Here are a few drawings from that sequence. Eric Larson did the beautiful animation of the puppets.
They move and perform, but without life.
