Grab a Snicker's folks, because this is gonna be a while.I'll never forget my first time discovering the majesty of Haruhi Suzumiya. A good friend of mine sent me a link to the dance number that ends every first season episode. I laughed and discarded it as something out of a bizarre shojo anime, which isn't usually my thing. In the Related Videos section was Haruhi's performance of God Knows. I sent it to my friend who called it his favorite scene. I was surprised to learn that not only was he a huge fan, the show actually seemed pretty interesting.Later that week we watched the first few episodes of the series together and I fell in love with its quirky, avant-garde sense of humor and oddball premise. I watched and enjoyed the rest of the series during the rest of the week and enjoyed it all (minus Endless Eight, that was a big f*** you to the fans). But the finale, The Sigh of Haruhi, left a bad taste in my mouth. It felt so anti-climactic. Not the way a series this fantastic should've ended.Lo and behold last week when I discovered that there was a film to go along with the series. The trailer sure made it look interesting. Kyon wakes up one cold morning to discover that Haruhi is gone and no one remembers her existing. Not only that but Mikuru doesn't remember him and Nagato is a human with emotions. Koizumi is nowhere to be found. Kyon decides to go on a mission to uncover the source of this disturbance and correct it. Like I said, it sounded interesting. One thing my time in the anime fandom has taught me, anime films usually aren't nearly as great as the series that spawned them. So I went into this a tad bit skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised by the film's run time; nearly 3 hours. I love long movies, but only when done right, and this movie is most definitely done right. The plot is gripping and the pacing is perfect. I was just as confused as Kyon when the film started and really felt for him every step of the way. The animation looks just like the regular episodes of the show, but in much higher quality. It was breathtaking to see the characters I love in 1080p. Admittedly, I didn't really pay that much attention to the music. I was too engrossed in what was going on to notice.The movies ends just the way the series should have. I'm not really sure if this film can be considered a finale, but it is to me. I feel like we finally have closure while still leaving things very open ended. So all in all, I loved this film. It's not very welcoming to people who are new to show, but if you already love the show, this will take it to the next level. It did for me. 10/10

I have always loved animation and anime from an early age. Having loved the show, I knew I had to see this film, and I loved it just as much. Initially I was worried about the length due to whether it would be long winded or padded out, but actually it is just right. This length ensured that the story and characters were developed well as well as maintaining your interest and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzamiya does that superbly. The storyline is compelling, with its great ideas developed perfectly without it feeling rushed or sluggish regardless of the length and you are left thinking about it for a long while afterwards. The characters are instantly likable, never annoying, jarring or stereotyped, basically true to the personalities they have on the show. The script has some light-hearted moments, but also some poignancy and a lot of depth. There is also some clever references to the show, showing that they have these great ideas without completely ignoring the show, which I have seen movies based of TV series do. To those who say that it is a good idea to see the show before the film, I absolutely agree, the thought of people being confused by any references to the show was what immediately came into my mind while watching. The music has a haunting ethereal quality to it, and the animation is superb, beautifully coloured and drawn with something interesting to look at in every frame. The voice acting is also fine, I do find the original voice acting to be superior to the dubbed version(though dubs are good for those introducing themselves to anime and for them to fully comprehend the story) but that is largely true to that of most animes. I know that I have added very little to what has been said already and so wonderfully might I add, but I have done my best. Overall, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is a wonderful film in every way, anime or otherwise, it doesn't feel like a direct copy of the show but it doesn't ignore it either. 10/10 Bethany Cox

As a fan of the franchise, this was a wonderful treat for me. My expectations were very high ever since the Endless Eight fiasco in Season 2 but the film did much more than just fulfill those expectations.What I really loved about this film was that it took its time, it did not rush into the situation but lovingly and subtly guide us through it. Never overblown, patient and mild, hauntingly realistic in some cases and plenty of time to express proper emotions rather than make the characters throw in goofy faces and tones.Though predictable, the story was interesting and rather amusing. The movie was based less on Kyon's Journey, but rather him finding his true thoughts and beliefs at the end of it. These sorts of movies are quite rare, many exaggerate the adventure and its moral message does not reach the audience in the right atmosphere. So bravo to this movie.Unfortunately, this movie will prove alien to anyone who is not familiar to the franchise, so any casual movie goer will find this film very difficult to follow and hollow in information and detail. Be warned. The movie does not stand alone.The movie is a masterpiece to someone if they are a fan of the franchise, a puzzle to casual watchers, a surprise to Haruhi haters and probably the best piece of anime of 2010. I am looking forward to Season 3 now more than ever.

I remember watching the first anime series without knowing anything about the way it aired. When I saw the first episode (which was the movie made by the SOS Brigade) I wanted do drop the series, thinking "WTF?". Well, fortunately, I didn't and I immediately became a fan.Even though endless eight annoyed me big time, I really enjoyed seeing Haruhi in the 2009 version.I couldn't help but wait for this movie. Well, firstly, I have to say that I don't live in Japan, so I watched it on a creepy quality version available on the net. Also, I haven't read the novels. Can't make comparison of stuff, but I don't want to anyway.I would have rated this 9.5 / 10, because I think nothing can be perfect, but, in my opinion, this was close. I really liked the story and I can't understand how the one who wrote this can have such good ideas. The emotions are touching the viewer, thing that is really important (if not the most) in such a movie.A short summary of the movie: It's almost Christmas and the SOS Brigade decides to spend this holiday together. Everything was normal until one morning, when Kyon is waking up in a world with Mikuru and Yuki normal people, and Haruhi nowhere to be found. Furthermore, nobody remembers that a Suzumiya Haruhi ever existed in their class.The characters, like always, are great. It was so very nice to see a shy and "ordinary" version of Yuki, but I'll always remain a big fan of Haruhi.In terms of animations, from what I could see (I told you, the quality was beyond awful), everything looked fine. The characters' design is really good, like always.Heh, I don't think I can write any more. If you know and like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, you should definitely watch and like this. I don't know anything else to say but that I hope more Haruhi movies/series will be released as soon as possible.So, 10/10. :)