The instructions are there, if you know where to look.

It happens all the time in stories. The Velveteen Rabbit does it. So does Pinocchio. Pygmalion’s a slightly different case, because the sculptor does the work to bring the statue Galatea to life, but the instructions are still there. There’s even hints of it in AI. Turn from artificial creatures to real, living ones. And their stories tell you how! It’s all there, for those with eyes to see. Of course, you have to actually read Pinocchio for the secret — the movie glosses over the important bits.

Here’s a hint: it involves self-sacrifice, and the intervention of a goddess.

Read them closely, and remember Isis, and Ishtar. Now you know why the Steadfast Tin Soldier failed in his bid for life, don’t you? And it becomes clear how the Tin Woodsman is an example of how things can work the other way.

There’s automatons out there who would kill for this secret (and maybe have), but there’s something about the messy, metaphorical human viewpoint that keeps them from the deep understanding. At least, so far.