It is a lovely story but why the animation?

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2011)

Now there are things that couldn't be done with live actors but CGI has changed that and it left me wondering why this very lovely story was produced as an animation. For the first half of the story there seemed no earthly reason why, and even in the second half I was still wondering.
Perhaps it was in the marketing as a 3D production that we are treated to camera angles and shots that would be quite difficult to achieve in live action and that is a pity because the story stands up on its own and is overplayed in many of the animation sequences. Fortunately it doesn't spoil the entertainment value but I am left thinking it reduces what could have been a great film into a good one.
Yes the spectacle is, in places, a visual treat, but there is something missing in the personalities that the film doesn't quite make up for. And so I am awarding it seven out of ten for entertainment value, with three out of ten deducted for trying to divvy up reasons for three dimensional viewing.