Before this movie, Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite in the series. I now have a new favorite. Where earlier movies have failed because they left out (or changed) key plot points, this one was on target. I'm very glad they decided to split this into two parts. There was so much in the book, it would have been impossible to put it all into one movie.
I took my eight-year-old son to this movie while my six-year-old stayed home (he had no desire to see it). I think my youngest may have been on to something. Although I'm glad we went, it won't be making it into our DVD collection. I have a hard time understanding what the people giving it glowing reviews were watching. There is no "depth" to the characters. The plot is very weak. It would have been more enjoyable as a 1/2 hour TV show than a full-length feature film.
The 10th feature length film from Pixar is another winner. I took my 5 and 7 year-olds and they both had a great time. I found myself caught up in the story while the kids had plenty of opportunities to laugh along with the action. What separates Pixar from the rest of the animated features isn't the quality of animiation (which is remarkable) it's the attention to the story. While other movies try to cram in as many pop culture references as possible, Pixar is spinning a tale and adding humor where appropriate. I believe movies like Up will stand the test of time where other kid's flicks will fall by the wayside.