The opening scenes were great, Facilier was an excellent villain who was really underused (his evil scheme never got past the planning phase, whereas most Disney villains at least execute some kind of tyrannical takeover that must be undone), and the animation throughout was lively colorful. But on the whole I can only view the film as rather average, not a return to glory.
For one, they spent a lot of time on background paintings and beautiful animation, but the majority of the film happens in a swamp, which no matter how they light it or paint it, is still a swamp. It's sad to be treated to the opening vistas of a lively, detailed New Orleans only to spend most of the film staring at weeds and moss.
And the music was incredibly forgettable. I recall there was a zydeco piece but nothing else. Nothing that really stood out, like "Be Our Guest", "Friend Like Me", or "Hakuna Matata". They were just songs, and I was glad when they were over.
Also, in the final scenes, when [spoiler]Ray's body was lifted in to the heavens and became a star[/spoiler] I nearly vomited all over myself.
The film wasn't horrible, it just wasn't a return to their greatness of their first stuff or even the early 90s stuff like Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. See it as a matinee if you see it at all.