Most critics are won over by Babe, and several sound surprised to be. Nine of the ten reviews are positive, and the praise gathers around the same two things: the way real livestock and animatronic doubles are cut together so that you stop looking for the join, and a script that treats its audience as adults. Several critics note that the story grows out of the animals’ characters rather than manufactured drama, and that the piglet wins by good manners rather than force. Chris Noonan’s direction, on his first feature, gets particular credit for keeping the effects in service of the story.
The reservations are few and specific. The New York Times finds the Rocky-style soundtrack overbearing. The one mixed notice, from The Guardian writing thirty years on, thinks the effects now look their age and the script wants zip, though it still calls the film a pleasant visit. That is as wide as the spread gets.