Gonna actually answer the question here for future folks. IDK why there are always people on these threads who say don't skip it, when it's clear they are only saying it because they liked the movie. The question isn't whether the movie is good or worth watching! The question is whether the movie is essential to the story.
You don't have to watch this movie, Liz and the Blue Bird in order to fully appreciate the next movie (Chikai no Finale), and you certainly don't have to watch it before season 3.
It focuses on the two side characters as people mention, and these characters have very minor screen time in the next movie, Chikai no Finale, and they are gone (graduated) by season 3 of the show. It adds a little bit of meaning to the subtext of the next movie, Chikai no Finale, but certainly not in a way that impacts the story. This subtext is just what you happen to know, and a couple minor lines of reference, but it is not relevant to the main content of the movie's story. In other words, you will not be confused or feel like you missed some backstory while watching Chikai no Finale if you have not seen Liz and the Blue Bird.
THAT SAID, I just watched both of these movies recently, and I enjoyed Liz and the Blue Bird a lot more. It's an excellent movie, and it's definitely worth watching. The music in it is excellent, it's throughout the movie itself and the artwork is better than Chikai no Finale as well. Even though it focuses on side characters, it does so in a very pleasing way and it's a great movie if you like music anime, even if you don't even know this series. I think it's one of the best anime movies I've seen recently.
Even so, that doesn't change the fact that it's not essential to the main story line. If you are pressed for time, or just don't have the interest, you can skip this movie and not worry about it. But I do suggest keeping it on your backlog for later, because it's just a good movie, and I think it's still good if you watch it at any time. I know some people won't like this post because they feel like everyone should just watch the movie, but if you are asking this question then it's because you have a reason to, and so people deserve an actual answer, not just subjective options. |