Like many other fans, I'd hated Elmo for the longest time, for "taking over" Sesame Street. BUT, now that I'm a Dad, with that comes many changes on a guys perception.
These days, I'm as big a fan of Elmo as I am of Cookie, Bird, and Grover!! Elmo's just another great an lovable Muppet on the Street.
I first saw EIG only around two years ago, when my then 1 year-old Son absolutely LOVED Elmo upon seeing Elmo's World for the first time one morning during SS. I got drawn in after multiple viewings, and before I knew it, EIG was in my Muppets DVD Collection! Ha ha. The movie is quite cute for every reason it's supposed to be, hit all the right marks as far as I'm concerned.