Splitting out storage and computer is definitely good first step to increase optimization and increase failure resiliency.
Exactly why I’ve been considering doing it this way for my new setup! I had to leave my last one on the other side of the planet and have felt positively cramped with just a couple TB worth of internal drives, can’t wait to properly spread out again.
Not too far, or its possible right now depending on jow you want to define “animated”. I feel like there uses to be really low-budget cartoons on air which were really just still frames with some shake added, couple soumd effects, and voice acting. A lot like SolidJJ on YouTube now. Those wouldn’t even be too hard to do, if the AI were just one tool in the set - could probably crank out a few a week, anyway.
If you’re looking for twenty minutes of animation that doesn’t shift around like a fever dream while you’re watching it, maybe six to eighteen months. I do think human voice actors would be required, but you could do the music with Suno.