Start with reusing animations, but once you get to a certain point, you can go back and add new animations to the reused stuff.Well, there's your problem. If it takes you guys months to do a single animation and the demand is for a full-fledged, animated story for every character, with lots of different choices and consequences, you need about a hundred employees and a few years time. And the budget to pay for all that.
So, either give up or come up with a manageable scope.
You might have a lot of free money now, but that will run out. And it seems you guys do want to make it into a success. So make something that you can actually deliver. And start with reusing all the assets you already have.
essentially, put out content, then come back to clean it up. You don't have to make a perfect scene with every push.