I like that not only important characters like rivals appear behind their pokémon, but regular trainers too,even with some decent animations. I was a little concerned that they would replace the "Sugi art" during the VS screen for animated models instead, since I liked the former better in gen VI. However these are really well made, and I like how the Lass, Preschooler and even Hau freezes for a second to really give you a good look at them.
I also like how the region seems to vary significantly by the time of day, although the bright orange water(during the evening I assume) looks a bit too saturated in my opinion, but I will probably get used to it.
I agree with WhiteBlair though, I preferred the "caught" pokéball animation from gen VI to the new one.
The battle UI looks good, I specifically like how you see the sprites in the middle. It's a nice little minimalist approach, if you're getting a bit tired of the animations and the camera moving around constantly on the upper screen, might help get a better overview during double battles, triple battles, royales and so on with many players on the field.