Well, Gandalf, it's nice to see you again, but...

[Legolas]

Originally Posted by Goldberry101

I think I preferred Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White. It would have been kind of sad, but what I think is sadder is the way Gandalf changed. After he "died", or whatever happened he loses all that attract you to Gandalf in the first place. Mostly his mysteriousness. When he is Gandalf the White, he's so up front and open (or more so than Gandalf the Grey)

I don't think it is necessarily a result of the change from Grey to White. I think it's largely situational - at the point in the plot that Gandalf the White appears, everything is looking much worse for the good side. Time is running outThe Fellowship has split. Frodo and Sam are alone on the outskirts of Mordor; Merry and Pippin are in the hands of Saruman's orcs. Rohan is being attacked, providing a distraction from the goal of Ring destruction that must be dealt with nonetheless.

After the Sauron conflict is settled, we see glimpses of Gandalf the Grey's familiar personality, though those scenes are shorter now as Tolkien still had a story to finish.