All may not be lost! First of all, take what I say with a grain of salt, as I have not seen the animation (can't get Quick Time to work on my computer). That said-- I think it is possible to get a good character without going the Disney route. You can get a lot of character just by using body posture. One of my favorite examples of "inanimate" characters is the moon machine in Nick Park's "A Grand Day Out". Most of that character's expression is done through the positioning of the arms and hands, with a little from the position of the main body. Watching the film, you have a really good idea of what is going on with this character, even though he has no dialogue and not even a face! So... stick figures, I think, can be dynamic, but it takes some thought. Think of details and gestures. Heck, even experiment with shoulder placement Details.. how about dripping wax for interest? Perhaps the candle can even splatter wax around at times (extreme agitation?). Or maybe if he stands around too long, the wax pools at his feet and he has to tear himself away. The flame: Is it just there, is it like hair, is it his head, is it his hat? And so on. Does he have a reason for cutting up the orange? Or is he a homicidal maniac? The answers to these questions may reveal what sort of stances and postures this character will make. Hmmm... this suggestions an interesting challenge. Can one express mood using a simple primitive?