To some folks the Tartakovsky series was the greatest thing since light-saber sliced white bread.
Yes, that would be me. I hold a reverence for that series that is unrivalled by any other EU.
You really cannot compare that to the current series, IMHO. It's like trying to compare Citizen Kane to the Matrix. Both are great, but coming from very different points of origin.
Tarts is all about creating art, using animation as a visual medium for sublime expression. His take is restrained, full of atmosphere and shaded by nuance. It's not a blow you away thrill ride like we got in the Point Rain arc of the new show. There's a stylized, abstract element, not only in the art but in the plotting and execution of the action. It's more methodical, all about pacing.
As for the art and animation styling, I guess "dated" is just a matter of opinion. I suspect many people consider the early Warner Bros animation to be dated as well, because no computers were involved, but that stuff beats the living **** out of anything being trawled out today, if you ask me. Give me hand rendered cells over CGI every day of the week.
Tarts was never aiming to be "hyper-realistic" in his interpretation of the SW universe, it's just his unique vision, very much an outgrowth of the Samurai Jack motif.
And yeah, I can definitely see how that would not appeal to everyone. It's a unique perspective to be sure, and if it's not personally appealing it would be tough to get engaged with the stories.
Final note: Best thing about the micro-series is that they f-ing killed off Asajj Ventress without dragging that weak ass storyline way past its due. Filoni seems completely unable or unwilling to kill any villains in his series, just good guys. So as a result you have a whole universe of major league scumbags walking around that have somehow scattered into the woodwork prior to ROTS.