Well, the candle has a very slow speed of movement, which (I'm guessing you will speed up in the future) but beyond the movement, I think it looks funny.

I know I sound a little harsh, but hear me out. Lumierre (sp?) in Beauty and the Beast worked well because he had a more dynamic structure than your candle.

Your guy is basically a straight candle with really skinny straight arms.

Lumierre was a candle stuck into a candlestick holder. So there was visually more mass at his base, and his lower lip was created by the lip of the opening the candle (his head) was jammed into.

Then there was differing thickness on the candlestick holder. This all makes for a more dynamic character.

You have some good movement in the "body" when he does his chopping motion, but just the overall shape of him seems like a stick figure. I kind of wish he was more exciting looking. I know you don't want to copy Lumierre's design, and I'm not sure how to improve your character without doing so. I think that after Beauty and the Beast, anthropomorphic candles may be type cast.

I really hate to say this at the end of my rambling critique, but I would just find a different object to use. One that was a more dynamic looking character. I'm sorry for such dismal suggestions.

-pix