FRANCIS is an account of the creation of a nine-year old ‘defective’ animated character. As the draughtsman’s hand goes to work and Francis attains animated consciousness, his behaviour is observed and assessed by a child psychologist. The boy’s responses - initially slow and apparently flawed - develop in unusual comic directions as the examination progresses. As his vocalizations begin to address the nature of his animated world and the psychologist continues to try and interpret his actions, it appears that Francis may ‘break out’ once and for all and become a ‘real’ animated character.