Initially I wasn't impressed by the animation, but the film's artistic and emotional merits very quickly had me overlooking that downside. The syncing with the music was a wonderful touch, and the bittersweet ending really hit home - not your grandpa's ending there. Probably my favorite bit was when you introduced the soldiers, standing cold outside the gate, then zoomed in on the eyes to show the fact that they were actually terrified. Never saw it coming, and it added so much.
Overall, fantastic work here.