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An American Tail

An American Tail is a 1986 American animated musical adventure comedy-drama film directed by Don Bluth and written by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss from a story by David Kirschner, Freudberg and Geiss.[3] The film stars the voices of Phillip Glasser, John Finnegan, Amy Green, Nehemiah Persoff, Dom DeLuise, and Christopher Plummer. It is the story of Fievel Mousekewitz and his family as they emigrate from Russia to the United States for freedom, but Fievel gets lost and must find a way to reunite with them.

This article is about the film. For the franchise, see An American Tail (franchise).

An American Tail

Dan Molina

  • November 21, 1986 (1986-11-21)

81 minutes

United States

English

$9 million[2]

$84 million

The film was released in the United States on November 21, 1986, by Universal Pictures, four months after Disney's The Great Mouse Detective was released. It received positive reviews and was a box office hit, making it the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film at the time; the film is currently Don Bluth's second highest-grossing animated film, only behind Anastasia (1997).


Its success, along with that of fellow Bluth film The Land Before Time and Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit (both 1988), and Bluth's departure from their partnership, prompted executive producer Steven Spielberg to establish his own animation studio, Amblimation, in London, England.


The film spawned a franchise (made without the involvement of Bluth) that included a sequel, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991); a CBS television series based on the film, Fievel's American Tails, premiered in 1992; and two additional direct-to-video sequels set between the first two films, An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island (1998) and An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999).

Plot[edit]

In 1885 Shostka, Russian Empire (a city that is today located in Ukraine), the Mousekewitzes are a Russian-Jewish family of mice who live with a human family named Moskowitz. While celebrating Hanukkah, Papa gives his hat to his son, Fievel, and tells him about the United States, a country in which he believes there are no cats. The celebration is interrupted when a battery of Cossacks ride through the village square in an anti-Semitic arson attack and their cats attack the village mice. The Moskowitz home, along with that of the Mousekewitzes, is destroyed, while Fievel narrowly escapes from the cats. They flee the village in search of a better life.


In Hamburg, Germany, the Mousekewitzes board a tramp steamer, setting sail for New York City. All the mice aboard are ecstatic at the prospect of going to America, believing that there are "no cats" there. During a thunderstorm on their journey, Fievel finds himself separated from his family and washed overboard. Thinking that he has died, they proceed to the city as planned, though they become depressed at his loss.


However, Fievel floats to New York in a bottle and, after a pep talk from a French pigeon named Henri, decides to look for his family. He encounters conman Warren T. Rat, who sells him to a sweatshop. He escapes with Tony Toponi, a street-smart Italian mouse, and they join up with Bridget, an Irish mouse trying to rouse her fellow mice to fight the cats. When a gang of them called the Mott Street Maulers attacks a mouse marketplace, the immigrant mice learn that the tales of a cat-free country are not true.


Bridget takes Fievel and Tony to see Honest John, an alcoholic politician who knows the city's voting mice. However, he is unable to help Fievel search for his family, as they have not yet registered to vote.


Led by the rich Gussie Mausheimer, the mice hold a rally to decide what to do about the cats. Warren is extorting them all for protection that he never provides. No one knows what to do about it until Fievel whispers a plan to Gussie. Although his family also attends, they stand well in the back of the audience, and they are unable to recognize Fievel onstage with her.


The mice take over an abandoned museum on the Chelsea Piers and begin constructing their plan. On the day of launch, Fievel gets lost and stumbles upon Warren's lair. He discovers that he is actually a cat in disguise and the leader of the Maulers. They capture and imprison Fievel, but his guard is a reluctant member of the gang, a vegetarian tabby cat called Tiger, who becomes friends and frees him.


Fievel races back to the pier with the cats chasing after him and exposes Warren as a cat when Gussie orders the mice to release the secret weapon. A huge mechanical mouse, inspired by the bedtime tales Papa told Fievel of the "Giant Mouse of Minsk", chases Warren and his gang down the pier and into the water. A tramp steamer bound for Hong Kong picks them up on its anchor and carries them away. However, a pile of leaking kerosene cans has caused a torch lying on the ground to ignite the pier, and the mice are forced to flee when the fire department arrives to extinguish it.


During the fire, Fievel is once again separated from his family and ends up at an orphanage in an alley. Papa and Tanya overhear Bridget and Tony calling out to Fievel. Papa is sure that there is another "Fievel" somewhere, until Mama finds his hat. Meanwhile, Fievel ends up in Orphan's Alley, and is convinced by a trio of bullies that his family should be looking for him, not the other way around, and the reason why they haven't is because they don't care. Saddened by this, he cries himself to sleep.


Joined by Gussie, Tiger allows them to ride him. This allows them to find Fievel. Papa returns Fievel's hat, commenting that it now fits him, and he has grown up into a mouse. Henri ends the journey by taking everyone to see his newly completed project—the Statue of Liberty, which appears to smile and wink at Fievel and Tanya, and the Mouskewitzes' new life in the United States begins.

as Fievel Mousekewitz. While "Fievel" is a generally accepted spelling of his name, the opening credits spell it as "Feivel", the more common transliteration[4][5] of the Yiddish name (פֿײַװל Fayvl) (Cf. Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz and Feivel Gruberger). The main protagonist, he is the only son of Papa and Mama Mousekewitz. A high-spirited, daring yet naïve Russian-Jewish mouse, Fievel becomes a frightened child when he is separated from his family. The strength and the encouragement from his new American friends from Henri to Tony and Bridget give him the fortitude to reach his goal in reuniting with his family while starting a new life in America. Fievel was the same name of Steven Spielberg's grandfather, whose stories as an immigrant influenced the film (the ending credits spell his name as "Fievel"). However, many English-speaking writers have come to adopt the spelling Fievel, especially for this character; it was this spelling that was used on the film's poster, in promotional materials and tie-in merchandise, and in the title of the sequel An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. His last name is a play on the Russian-Jewish last name "Moskowitz", the name of the human occupants of the house his family is living under in the beginning of the film.

Phillip Glasser

as Warren T. Rat, a small Havana Brown who disguises himself as a rat. He is the leader of the Mott Street Maulers, an all-cat gang which terrorizes the mice of New York City. Conniving and a schemer, he misleads the gullible Fievel at one point. Later on, he gets his comeuppance when Fievel discovers and later exposes him as a cat to the Mouse community. He is accompanied everywhere by his accountant Digit, a small English-accented cockroach.

John Finnegan

Amy Green as Tanya Mousekewitz (singing voice provided by Betsy Cathcart), Fievel's older sister, whom he mutually adores. Optimistic and cheerful, less daring but more obedient than her brother, she alone believes (correctly) that he survived being washed overboard en route to the United States. She is given the American name "Tillie" at the immigration point at .

Castle Garden

as Papa Mousekewitz, the head of the Mousekewitz family who plays the violin and tells stories to his children.

Nehemiah Persoff

as Mama Mousekewitz, Fievel's mother. Countering Papa's dreamy idealism, she is a level-headed pragmatist, besides being stricter with their offspring than he is. She also has a fear of flying.

Erica Yohn

as Tony Toponi, a streetwise teenage mouse of Italian descent. His "tough guy" attitude suits his New York surroundings. The name "Toponi" is a play on "topo", the Italian word for "mouse". He hits it off with Fievel, acting as a surrogate big brother to the younger mouse, whom he calls "Philly". In a subplot, he falls in love with Bridget.

Pat Musick

as Tiger, the most physically imposing member of the Mott Street Maulers, whom he serves as an enforcer, and often as the brunt of their cruel jokes. This bushy-tailed, orange long-haired tabby stands 3 feet tall on his rear legs. Although not especially intelligent, Tiger is very friendly, and his warm nature endears him to mice and birds. He is mostly vegetarian, aside from the occasional bit of fish. Tiger becomes Fievel's best friend. He enjoys card games like poker and gin rummy, despite being terrible at them. Tiger's singing voice also helps him stand out; he sings Lyric and Dramatic Bass and Lyric and Dramatic Baritone, from D2 or E2 to F4 or G4.

Dom DeLuise

as Henri le Pigeon, a pigeon of French descent, who oversees construction of the Statue of Liberty.

Christopher Plummer

Cathianne Blore as Bridget, an attractive, elegant Irish-born mouse and Tony's significant other. Her parents were slain and devoured by the Mott Street Maulers, making her an advocate in speaking out against the cats. Kind, passionate yet soft-spoken, she acts as a surrogate big sister to Fievel.

as Honest John, a local Irish-born mouse politician who knows every voting mouse in New York City. An ambulance-chasing drunkard, he takes advantage of voters' concerns to increase his political prestige. John is a caricature of real-life Tammany Hall boss John Kelly (also nicknamed "Honest John") and other 19th-century New York City politicians.

Neil Ross

as Gussie Mausheimer, a German-born mouse considered to be the richest in New York City, who rallies the mice into fighting back against the cats. Despite being against cats, she later accepts Tiger for helping to reunite Fievel with his family.

Madeline Kahn

as Digit, Warren's British cockroach accountant who has a fondness for counting money but is plagued by frequent electrical charges in his antennae whenever he gets nervous or excited.

Will Ryan

as Moe, a fat rat who runs the local sweatshop. Fievel is sold to him by Warren.

Hal Smith

as Jake, Warren's burly aide-de-camp. Among the Mott Street Maulers, he alone enjoys listening to his leader's violin music. Jake catches Fievel after a chase through the sewers. After Tiger takes pity on Fievel and sets him free, Jake and his fellow Maulers pursue the young mouse to the Chelsea Pier, only to face the "Giant Mouse of Minsk".

Dan Kuenster

Glasser (Fievel) was discovered by accident when Bluth and his crew overheard him auditioning for an commercial.[11]

Oscar Mayer

Green (Tanya Mousekewitz) was a young actress who had done some previous television series work and several commercials.

[11]

Persoff, a respected actor in many films, was chosen to play the part of Papa Mousekewitz mostly because he had a similar role as 's father in Yentl.[11]

Barbra Streisand

Yohn (Mama Mousekewitz) has appeared in many features, but her work as a Russian on a TV show attracted the attention of Bluth and John Pomeroy.[11]

gypsy

Finnegan won the role of Warren T. Rat by reciting excerpts of 's Hamlet in the voice of a Brooklyn taxi driver. This idea inspired the writers to make Warren a pretentious illiterate who continually misquoted Shakespeare.[11]

Shakespeare

Musick (Tony Toponi) based Tony's voice on a friend she knew from grade school.

[11]

DeLuise (Tiger) had worked previously with Bluth in , and DeLuise even added material to the script at various points. During the song "A Duo", he suggested they stop the music where the lyrics mention "back scratch" and have Fievel actually scratch Tiger's back.[11]

The Secret of NIMH

Henri was originally to be voiced by comedian , and was conceived as scraggly and worn, but later Plummer was cast for the part and Henri was drawn with a more dignified look. Bluth felt Henri was an essential character to act as a voice for the statue "welcoming" Fievel to the new world.[8]

Sid Caesar

Kahn was chosen to play the part of Gussie Mausheimer with the hopes that she would use a voice similar to the one she used as a character in ' Blazing Saddles, with the character being written as German American for such.[8]

Mel Brooks

An American Tail: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack

November 21, 1986[16]
February 11, 2019 (expansion)[17]

49:04 (original release)
78:28 (2019 expansion)

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

The film has grossed up to $47 million in the United States and Canada, and $84 million worldwide.[20][21] At the time of its domestic release, it became the highest-grossing animated feature for an initial release[22] and the highest-grossing non-Disney produced animated feature. It was also one of the first animated films to outdraw a Disney one, beating out The Great Mouse Detective (another traditionally animated film involving mice that was released in 1986 but four months earlier) by over US$22 million, but The Great Mouse Detective[23] was more successful with critics, most notably Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.[24] The inexpensive success of The Great Mouse Detective played a large role in the Disney Renaissance;[25][26] due to the fact that it was both a critical and financial success, which saved Walt Disney Animation Studios from going bankrupt after The Black Cauldron had flopped at the box office a year earlier. It would later be outgrossed by Bluth's next film, 1988's The Land Before Time, which marginally outperformed Oliver & Company; the latter did beat out The Land Before Time at the domestic box office by $5,000,000.

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 77% approval rating based on 87 reviews, with an average rating of 6.60/10. The consensus is: "Exquisitely animated, An American Tail is a sweet, melancholy immigrants story".[24] On Metacritic, it has a score of 38% based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[27] Critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave it "two thumbs down" on a November 22, 1986, episode of their television program At the Movies, calling it "the most downbeat children's movie since Return to Oz", and that it was "way too depressing for young audiences".[28] Both reviewers also criticized how it gave little mention that the main characters were Jewish, or that the attack on their home at the beginning was an antisemitic one. They called it "a Jewish parable that doesn't want to declare itself" and felt that it "chickened out on its ethnic heritage".[28] In his own review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert gave it two stars out of four, giving credit to the animation, calling it "full and detailed, enhanced by computers and an improvement on so much recent animation that cuts corners", but that the story was too "dark and gloomy".[29]


The film's writing garnered a mixed response. Halliwell's Film Guide claimed it didn't have "much in the way of narrative interest or indeed humor".[30] Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it "witless if well-meaning", adding that its high points were scenes involving the characters Gussie Mausheimer and Tiger.[3] In his review for the Chicago Reader, Pat Graham panned its "flimsy characterizations" but said that "the overall quality of the animation—baroquely executed if rather conventionally conceived—makes it worth a look".[31] Common Sense Media gave it largely positive reviews, commenting that "this is a heartwarming animated tale about the experience of immigrants coming to America. Told from the perspective of an adorable young mouse, An American Tail should engage kids in an important part of U.S. history".[32] Rita Kempley of The Washington Post called it "a bright-eyed tale of Jewish triumphs that will find a place in many young hearts", adding that "it reiterates the happiness of homogeneity, prepares the pups for both brotherhood and the free enterprise system. And it's as pretty as a cascade of soap bubbles".[33]


Roger Harlburt, reviewing for the Sun-Sentinel, also praised the character of Fievel: "You'll discover in gentle Fievel a endearing character that manages to be lovable without undue sentiment. His eyes may tear up once in a while and his lower lip quiver, but mostly he's ready to face the situation. Still, the superb animation makes you believe Fievel is a small boy lost in a big world".[34] Harlburt later summarized: "Laced with action scenes and peppered with amusing dialogue, the film moves along briskly. Little ones won't be bored. Original songs – including "Never Say Never", "Somewhere Out There" and "We're a Duo" – are also entertaining. You'll marvel over the quality of Plummer's singing voice and be convulsed by DeLuise's feline antics".[34]

Media[edit]

Home media[edit]

In September 1987, An American Tail was first released on VHS and became one of MCA Home Video's biggest sellers with sales of 1.4 million.[41] It was later released on LaserDisc in both regular[42] and CAV play editions in November 1991 by MCA Universal Home Video in North America, and CIC Video internationally.[43] On August 11, 1998, both the film and its sequel An American Tail: Fievel Goes West were digitally restored and re-released onto VHS in a 2-pack box set with both videos having clamshell cases. A DVD version was first made available on January 20, 2004, by Universal Studios,[44] which was presented in fullscreen aspect ratio only, and contained a number of changes from earlier versions, including re-dubbing certain character's voices in the Orphan Alley scene, the addition of new voices where there was previously no dialog, and new "humorous" sound effects. This version was reprinted along with other Universal films such as its sequel, The Land Before Time,[45] and Balto.[46] It was released in widescreen on Blu-ray for the first time on March 4, 2014, which included a digital HD and UltraViolet copy.[47] It had the same changes as the DVD, although part of the film's end credits music score was 9% sped-up this time (due to time constrictions). A re-release of the fullscreen DVD version with new cover artwork followed on February 3, 2015.[48] All four American Tail films were re-released on a combination pack DVD released on June 13, 2017.[49] That release marked the first widescreen debut of the first two films on a Region 1 DVD.

Alleged plagiarism[edit]

Art Spiegelman accused Spielberg of plagiarism due to the fact that the Jews are depicted as mice in the film, just as in Spiegelman's earlier Maus, a metaphor he had adopted from Nazi propaganda. Instead of pursuing copyright litigation, he opted to beat its release date by convincing his publishers to split Maus into two volumes and publish the first before he even finished the second.[58]

Cawley, John (1991). "An American Tail". . Image Pub of New York. pp. 85–102. ISBN 0-685-50334-8.

The Animated Films of Don Bluth

at IMDb

An American Tail

at Box Office Mojo

An American Tail

at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012.

Fievel Mousekewitz