Craig Butler of All-Movie Guide criticized the animation and the musical score, but said it was close to the book. He said that, “no attempt has been made to soften the existential sadness at the story's core” (no one tried to soften the major sad parts of the story, like when Charlotte dies at the end). Dan Jardine criticized the songs and the “Saturday morning cartoon quality” of the animation, but also says that Hamner kept just enough of White’s prose to keep the movie from being only an experiment that did not work out. Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com said that the animation is sometimes “downright bad, but E. B. White's classic fable needs little to make it come to life”. He later went on to say that the movie is “a must-own for anyone with children, and a must-see for everyone else.” He rated it four out of five stars. When it was reissued on DVD the movie was awarded an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award.