The music was wondrous. And the animation's drop-dead gorgeous. It had an ethereal feeling to it, truly having that aura of absolute sheer beauty. You just don't see that anymore, with fully digital animation. People there speculated on the different reasons as to why, but it was universally agreed about that fact, that there's something so magical about the old-fashioned animation that makes it feel so special, so unique, and so good.
Not to mention, it's a simply breathtaking fantasy story, one that I absolutely loved. The movie shows how to do things right, in every way. Storytelling, animation, music...it gets it all done so brilliantly. And while I haven't read the book it's based on, my understanding is that it's a fairly faithful adaption, too. So really, what more could you possibly ask for in it?