Q: Does the Animator use up the power of the Finger of God, or can both cards be used for smiting in the same turn?

A: They each get their own single smiting instance per turn, so, yes, if played cleverly (making sure the Finger of God is not in play at the time one wants to use the Animator to smite) one can eliminate up to two Creepers on one’s turn.

The Animator is not merely an extension of the Finger of God such that they have a limit of only once per turn between them. They can each smite once per turn. Andy says to think of them as separate but equivalently-powered “deities.”