In short:
Hire a studio.

Seriously this is a big project to take on, especially if you don't have much experience in Maya. Perhaps you can ask some of your fellow student's/Instructors if maybe they would like to help out. Perhaps a group project? That way you get to work on the project, and you and your class get credit for it.

If you really want to get deep into the technical aspects of a project like this, perhaps you should talk with your instructor.
I'm sure he can answer your questions, and maybe give you some hands on practice. Or at least point you in the right direction.

You've probably seen the small animated shorts on the web. If you look at the good ones, at the end when the credits start to roll. Look at how many people were actually behind making it. And then look at how long it took.