In order for you to gain some insight into the various skills needed to design and produce an animated short, I have provided some links below to interviews with Pixar artists and animators. Review the videos and then share your thoughts on the linked Google form.
https://www.pixar.com/pixar-profiles
Review these interviews:
Katherine Sarafian
Jay Shuster
Bill Cone
Jerome Ranft
Ralph Eggleston
http://sciencebehindpixar.org/interview-videos
Review these interviews:
Tanja Krampfert
Jason Bickerstaff
Gini Santos
Watch the video - Behind the scenes Monsters University:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOr1wQCi7xI