It is the first all cg film to go where most producers and artist just simply will not go. Hyper realistic character and futuristic tech design.
This genre of film obviously lacks the return profit that goofy dancing cg animals or cartoony characters do as it isolates only a small population of viewer, probably a techy male from ages 12 on up.
Spirits within has been criticized for its "weak" story line and the ever so popular and overly used term "uncanny valley syndrome" but I think everyone will agree that the only thing uncanny is the technical achievement by Square and all of the artists involved on the project.
Final Fantasy: The spirits within has been airing lately in High definition on HD.net and is still my favorite all cg movie to date. Kudos to Square for taking a chance and pushing the medium beyond anything we've ever seen.