I read the book first,and after a few months I saw the movie. what I liked best in the book was in the movie too: the fun,the love of life,the music,the mockery about Sartre,the criticism towards religion. And Gondry added his touch: the visual effects are great,without CGI. Another funny thing is presenting the mouse as a nice animal,so we can appreciate how he helps the characters and how they like him. Maybe the illness part is a bit too long,but as I told to a friend,Illness and death are a part of life,Arne't they? I also liked a lot the technology shown in 1946 Paris,as if we could see the works for the Halles area and the underground lines passing . There are some cruelties in the movie,but I think they're justified by the tone of fable. Great actors too,very well assorted.