It's massively inspiring to see what someone can do when they have the time and talent.  This production is the best I've seen since the Open Source collaboration of Big Buck Bunny.  

Although the project started out as a simple test animation, it quickly ballooned into a no-holds-barred attempt at studio-level CGI filmmaking. The repeated emphasis on solid storytelling meant that technical considerations often came second to what the story required. This resulted in a level of technical hurdles far beyond what most independent shorts attempt, especially one that was made for less than $10,000 and created entirely in people's spare time. Countless weeks were spent optimizing assets in order to render the expansive environment, a pass- based look was developed to allow for the use of more expensive ray-tracing techniques, and hundreds of custom tools were written to accommodate the massive amount of data that had to flow through the pipeline.

 

He has also become widely known for his weekly podcast that chronicles the techniques and obstacles he's faced throughout production of the film: www.pigeonimpossible.com/podcast