My reactions to the revamped pets continue to be mixed - some I like, some I don't.
For example, I don't like ANY of the Grey redraws. imho they were hit worse than the Faerie or Darigan. Some even look HAPPY, fer pete's sake. Don't like the new Grey Gelert specifically. The old one looked heavy, weary, and everything about its anatomy conveyed this very well. The new one? Not at all. The ears aren't even drooping. The facial expression's been altered too much, doesn't look nearly as sad/cynical as before. Though I guess I should secretly be happy about this; instead of paying 3+ million NP for a Grey PB, I'll probably wind up spending only a few hundred thousand for a Gelert Transmog potion (once I'm done with labbing), since it came out of the revamps relatively unscathed.
On the flip side, I do have to say that the revamps gave some vitality to some pets who desperately needed it - the Scorchio, the Flotsam, the Elephante, and the Peophin (with the exception of Faerie, which thank God they allowed to stay the same) all look much, much better now. Scorchios in particular, that was just what they needed - better art that still stayed true to the basic features that defined the pet. I can see where people are coming from with their critiques on the new Elephante art, but I still prefer it to the old art, which was flat and quite frankly ugly for the most part.
I noticed that virtually all the pets look sleeker now. For some, that was a good thing. The Ogrin specifically looks more unified, somehow. But for colors that relied on texture for part of their appeal, such as Snow, Sketch, and Snot, it wasn't. This is also the reason I don't like the new Yurbles (they flattened out their nice furry manes
) and why I initially didn't like the Acara revamp a couple of years ago. Even though they were older pets who needed new art, they took out the curly texture in their fur.
Compare that to the current Acara. Acaras are supposed to be a semi-aquatic species: I always thought the curly fur made it look as if it had just come out of the water and shook itself dry just before coming up to meet you. The new one took away some of that charm.
Anyway, I'm going to wait and see if they make some of the older art an option. Because no way am I going to paint Drilax Grey if all new Grey Gelerts are going to look like that from now on.