I've Got No Strings

Artists who work in both puppetry and animation explore physical movement and gesture to convey expression and character. Here are some examples of expert puppetry that use both ingenuity of design and artistry to bring inanimate objects to life.

Here's a little gem of a find featuring the one and only Duke Ellington in an early animation short by George Pal that uses "puppetoons," a cross between a "puppet" and "cartoon." Pal came up with a technique known as "replacement" animation, which involved creating a series of different handmade pieces for every frame in which the puppet moves.

The link is posted below, since embedding is not enabled.

George Pal's Puppetoons "Date with Duke" (Duke Ellington)
http://youtu.be/oVFbFXBZftg

George Pal's Puppetoons "Date with Duke." Jazz legend Duke Ellington at the piano conducts a group of puppet perfume bottles playing his "Perfume Suite." (1947)

..."just for fun," a definition of Expression, as it relates to perfume.

Expression is the oldest and least complex method of extraction. By this process, now used in obtaining citrus oils from the rind, the fruit or plant is manually or mechanically pressed until all the oil is squeezed out. http://www.answers.com/topic/perfume

Here's a sampling of puppets and puppeteers.



Liebe Wetzel's Lunatique Fantastic, "Executive Order 9066"
http://youtu.be/jPzn4fQU9Kk




Sesame Street's Kermit the Frog sings, "It's Not Easy Being Green"
http://youtu.be/51BQfPeSK8k




The Muppets make a comeback in 2011 with The Muppet Movie
http://youtu.be/C4YhbpuGdwQ





Puppeteer Basil Twist "Puppets Alive"
http://youtu.be/irpwazWXggA





Handspring Puppet Company: The genius puppetry behind War Horse
http://youtu.be/h7u6N-cSWtY




"Picasso" the Gorilla - Ross/Hill Productions
http://youtu.be/z5nJ_7ziFoo