Frank Barrow of "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote that the film was "daring and unusual in concept". Joseph Gelmis of "Newsday" wrote that "the film's principal reward is a visual experience unlike anything that other animated features are doing at the moment." Roger Ebert called Bakshi's effort a "mixed blessing" and "an entirely respectable, occasionally impressive job ... still falls far short of the charm and sweep of the original story." Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" called the film "both numbing and impressive".