So, This kind of shows the way I animate the stickmen I use. I think of their limbs as having joints, but also they're kind of rubber-y so their entire body can bend, so I can use some squash and stretch techniques. With things like this, I usually do the stickman's motion, then draw in the objects afterwards, so it moves around the guy properly. with things like the first box he stands on, I usually draw in what's necessary and then go in afterwards and think about what it would do before and after. In this case, it would come in faster, then go slower once stepped on, then spin out after coming into contact with the beam coming downwards. I usually make them quite fast, so the motion looks smoother, and so it's harder to pick up inconsistencies in the sizes or exact placements of features.