The not so good:
Some of the voice talent seems a bit miscast. That said, the performances do grow on you
The 3D animation takes a bit of getting used to.
The character of Mattis is somewhat irritating and feels a little bit too melodramatic.
The good?
In watching the initial episodes, the animation was decent and the story seemed a bit slow at times. Stick with it. It's touching, fun, sad poignant, perilous and magical with some genuinely scary characters added to the mix. For the most part it is gentle, touching on friendship, relationships and a love of the outdoors. Much to my surprise, I've fallen in love with it, and the characters (mostly).
The backgrounds are sumptuous, and despite my previous comments the 3D, while occasionally a bit clunky, really grows on you, and in fact is really quite good. There are some very special moments that are worth waiting for, you'll know them when you see them, which take this way beyond just a childish cartoon into something with quite a powerful message that is of use to us all.
There are a few scenes that just blew me away, that were totally unexpected and unusual (?) in a "kids" production. A result of the ethos of not talking down to children at Ghibli?
This isn't just a collection of independent episodes either, with is a clear story arc running through the whole series.
A slow burner that will eventually melt your heart. It really is enchanting.
Edited to add:
I'd never read any of Astrid Lindgren's books and after watching the series, out of sheer curiosity, I've read the book. What is most surprising is that the series reflects the book perfectly. It is unusual in that it is a complete and true adaptation, to the extent that most of the (English Language version) dialogue is taken straight from the book. Much credit should go to the producers at Ghibli for having the courage to make it this way!
