Pixilation (from
pixilated) is a
stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an
animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more
frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. The actor becomes a kind of living stop motion
puppet. This technique is often used as a way to blend live actors with animated ones in a movie, such as in
The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb by the
Bolex Brothers.