"Halliwell's Film Guide" commended its "excellent animation", but complained of the "poor and confusing narrative" that "rendered pointless". Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film two stars out of four. In his review, he gave mild praise to the songs and the animation and said the film may entertain younger audiences, but said the film "doesn't feel as bright as it should." He also called the live-action segments unnecessary. Dave Kehr of the "Chicago Tribune" criticized the film's overwhelming amount of characters and subplots as well as its "frantic" altering in pacing and tone. However, he acclaimed the hand-drawn animation, calling it superior to the "shabby rotoscoping techniques" of "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). "Hartford Courant" reviewer Malcolm L. Johnson, while feeling that "Rock-a-Doodle" lacked a story, highlighted its "technical feats" in animation, such as the use of live-action and moments where the animation "zoomps us through layers of action, as though a camera were riding on the back of a freewheeling bird." He also praised the voice acting and "witty" take of the "Bach vs. rock" story.