An American Tail (1986)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Don Bluth

Writers:

David Kirschner (creator)
David Kirschner (story) ...

Release Date:

21 November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Family | Musical

Tagline:

This Holiday Season Steven Spielberg and Don Bluth bring you a magical experience. A musical journey. And a story that will live in your heart forever.

Plot:

While emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets seperated from his family and must relocate them while trying to survive in a new country.

Plot Keywords:

Mouse | Russian | Talking Animal | Storm | Three Word Title

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Erica Yohn	...	Mama Mousekewitz (voice)
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
Amy Green	...	Tanya Mousekewitz (voice)
Phillip Glasser	...	Fievel Mousekewitz (voice)
Christopher Plummer	...	Henri (voice)
John Finnegan	...	Warren T. Rat (voice)
Will Ryan	...	Digit (voice)
Hal Smith	...	Moe (voice)
Pat Musick	...	Tony Toponi (voice)
Cathianne Blore	...	Bridget (voice)
Neil Ross	...	Honest John (voice)
Madeline Kahn	...	Gussie Mausheimer (voice)
Dom DeLuise	...	Tiger (voice)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:G | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Portugal:M/6 | Finland:K-6 (1987) | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Iceland:L | Peru:PT | Singapore:G | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:G | West Germany:6

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Tom Bähler was originally approached to write the songs for the film, but soon left the project due to commitments with Quincy Jones on The Color Purple (1985).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: One wide shot of New York features the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which was not built until 1964.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mama Mousekewitz: Fievel! Tanya! Stop that twirling, twirling! I mean it!
Papa Mousekewitz: But Mama, it's Hannukah.
Mama Mousekewitz: For you, every night is Hannukah.

Movie Connections:

References The Rescuers (1977)

Soundtrack:

A Duo

A celebration of the American Dream

As a non-American who has heard so often of The American Dream, I saw this movie as a celebration of that dream. The flight of the poor and oppressed (and Jewish?) from Europe to the proposed Land of Freedom and Wealth (There are no cats in America and the streets are paved with cheese?) to find more poverty and oppression (workhouses, cats and workhouse tout Warren T. Rat), but with the opportunity to do something about it that they did not have in the old country.

The song "Somewhere Out There" is quite perfectly matched with Fyvel and his family searching for each other, and the version heard in the movie is rather more expressive than the released single.

It is not necessarily fun for the whole family. Children will find it fun. Adults will find it interesting, not so much in fun as in pride and awareness, at least if they are Americans .