I was expecting it to be either really good, or really bad, but it wasn't actually either. It was just...good. I really liked it, but it's not going to be one of my favorites or anything. The actors were WONDERFUL, but the movie seemed kind of rushed. Many of the best parts in the book were barely seen in the movie, and the whole thing would have been very confusing if I hadn't read the book. They didn't describe many of the facts well, but because I had read it, I knew what was going on. It was pretty faithful to the book (compared to things like Harry Potter and LotR) and was overall very enjoyable. The main thing it was missing was Cornelia Funke's wonderful writing style, but...well...it's a movie. It's probably as good as it could have been. :) Overall, 7.5 stars. I recommend this movie to everyone of all ages, even if you don't like fantasy stories like Harry Potter, but only as long as you read the best-selling book first.

To me the book will always be better, but I enjoyed the movie enough. There were some changes from the book, but not dramatically. I don't think they spent as much time on the music and setting as they did the plot. There were quite a few minor things, such as Scipio didn't look at all like his father; very unimportant. What bothered me most was that, after the merry-go-round ride, Scipio's face looked just the same; he looked like he was on stilts, and had 'makeup stubble'. The voices of those who changed back into children didn't match the movements of the mouths, and I don't think their voices were very...'young'. I enjoyed the way Bo saw each of the animals of the merry-go-round, I can't remember if he did in the book or not. The introducing of characters wasn't that impressive, but they're easy to tell apart once you know them. The movie seems to go very quickly, and it doesn't seem like much is happening. There were some good lines, and the actors/actresses were chosen very wel. All in all, it was good, and I enjoyed it.