When I first came up with the concept of the film I tried to figure out how could we make a 3D animated film only using a program we all knew already.  This would be easier then for us to try to learn and animate in something new like Maya.  Since I started working with After Effects in 1999 it has developed overtime and has increasingly implemented 3D elements.  I took it upon myself to build a fully 3D character in After Effects.  And rig it so that it could be animated with minimal layers.  This would aid in the ability for the animators to ramp up fast and animate at a level that they are used to.  This worked out well but there were many issues along the way.