Animated CG Film Pipeline

You can make a 2D Animated Short without going through any pipeline. This is especially true if you are just working alone.

But when you are trying to transfer to 3D, the pipeline becomes very important whether you are working solo or with a group.

3D Animated Shorts are a lot harder to make than 2D. It requires more art discipline. You need to have someone skilled at modeling (somewhat similar to a sculptor). You need a person with great painting skills to make the textures. Then you need to have a good video editor. You need to have a rigger. And then an animator.

3D Animated Films requires more people compared to 2D Animated films.

Having said that I like this article from cgtuts describing a CG Animated Film Pipeline.