I agree entirely about the cartoony look of the CGI, but is it REALLY cheaper to use? If you haven't already, watch the 'scene in a minute' docu about part of the Mustaphar duel on the ROTS DVD. Text
I wasn't positive it costs less to use CGI on the SW movies, I just assumed since it was coming out of Lucas's pocket, I guess he would use the most cost-effective way, but your guess is as good as mine. Let me ask you, does it take less time to use CG rather than using stop motion models?
It is sad cause as much as CG looks really good sometimes, my biggest beef is it just looks cartoonish alot of times, and I think 10-20 years from now, those effects won't hold up as well as the OT models & sets do.