O'Reilly is mum on his technical methods, but alleges that he uses Japanese software Xdugef DesuDesuDesu, developed in the early '90s.

So O'Reilly is presently devoting most of his time to personal projects, including the often surreal short films that are winning praise on the festival circuit (and can be viewed on his website).

"I spend about 75% of my time on my own work. I'm currently developing a cartoon for the web called Please Say Something." This tale of a mouse and cat couple joins an oeuvre that includes RGB XYZ, Wofl, and Serial Entopics. "I wanted to learn about relationships for Please Say Something, so I read every book out there on the art of pick-up and ended up dating a lot of different girls out of curiosity. They're now my biggest distraction and it's twice as hard to get any work done. I guess it backfired."

O'Reilly is protective about discussing his technical methods, except to say he's a Mac user. When asked about his software tools, his answer is enigmatic. "I mainly use proprietary software called Xdugef DesuDesuDesu. It was developed in Japan in the early '90s. I believe only four other copies exist."

But he is very straightforward about discussing the path that got him to his current position, which includes enough commercial work that he can turn down jobs that are turn-offs. "I've never formally studied animation," O'Reilly admits. "Much of my success has been due to a small number of people who believe in me, Garth included. There are whispers of more work with Nick & Garth soon, so watch this space!"

In the meantime, don't look for O'Reilly at premieres for Son of Rambow or even at festivals that screen his short films. "I'm far too shy to go to screenings," he says. "It's hard to describe; I just can't bear to look at my work in front of a crowd like that. I wish it was an affectation. It's not!"

Ellen Wolff is a southern California-based writer whose articles have appeared in other publications, including Daily Variety, Millimeter, Animation Magazine, Video Systems and the website CreativePlanet.com. Her areas of special interest are computer animation and digital visual effects.