An American Tail (1986)

Powerful

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I would give Don Bluth credit for making such an exquisite masterpiece, which is becoming one of my favorite franchises, alongside with "Tom and Jerry" and "Frozen". This film has classic theme characters, especially that Tony Toponi character who is definitely my favorite. Even the plot is excitingly fantastic. The second film "Fievel Goes West" is okay, but kind of sucked when Tony only makes minor background appearances (which is possibly the worst thing that would happened in movies/shows) and Tanya is more of a teen diva stereotype. There are direct-to-video sequels that are criticized, but are considered worth watching since they're back to the original formula, as well as bringing back Tony as a main character and Tanya back as an independent preteen. Out of the four "American Tail" films, the original is always best. Yet, it's sad that Universal Studios ceased production on the "American Tail" franchise, but rather continue working on the "Land Before Time" franchise instead. Sad.

While emigrating to the United States, a young Jewish mouse gets separated from his family and must relocate them while trying to survive in a new country.The animation of this film is some of Don Bluth's best work. The story, on the other hand, is heavily influenced by Steven Spielberg, who took bits and pieces of his own family's story as they came to America. Now, my guess is they were not involved in the Wild West (as in the sequel), but for the first time around the parallels are there.Did immigrants see America as a land without cats and streets paved with golden cheese? It seems absurd that anyone would have this expectation, but at the same time it is not completely wrong. Exaggerated, yes, but compared to the hardships and often death waiting behind in Eastern Europe, the slums of New York might have been seen as a salvation -- in many ways they were!

An American Tail (1986): Dir: Don Bluth / Voices: Phillip Glasser, Dom DeLuise, John Finnegan, Pat Musick, Cathianne Blore: Edgy animation that makes great references to oppression. In this case a family of mice arrive in America in hopes of avoiding the cats that have always hunted them. The mice apparently are a symbol for Jews while the cats symbolize Nazi power. Phillip Glasser voices young Fievel who becomes separated from his family aboard a ship. He washes ashore in a bottle and discovers that he is indeed in America. He must learn to fend for himself while hoping to reunite with his family. Along the way he encounters a variety of characters, some interesting, others not so much. Dom DeLuise provides the most amusement voicing a friendly fluffy cat named Tiger who refuses to eat Fievel. John Finnegan voices the villain Warren T. Rat who has a secret of his own. Other characters are a mix bag of types that provide little differentiation. An Italian mouse named Tony with a daring spirit is a yawner, and the female he encounters, named Bridget is about as bland as cardboard. While the story is detailed with an exciting climax where the mice unleash their ultimate weapon against the cats, it becomes bogged down periodically with corny elements. Directed by Don Bluth who previously made The Secret of Nimh, this is a worthy animation about family survival during a devastating period. Score: 8 ½ / 10

One of the better animated films to come out in the 1980s. Directed by Don Bluth and produced by Steven Spielberg, it's the story of a young mouse named Fievel who is separated from his family during their voyage from Russia to America, and his quest to be reunited with them. It's a nice movie, a little familiar in places, that uses animals to tell a very human story against the backdrop of late 19th century New York. The animation is excellent, rich in detail with some well-done action sequences. The voice work is top notch and the music is enjoyable, particularly the touching song "Somewhere Out There," which became a big hit at the time. The movie's only real flaws are its predictability and a dark palette that can leave you with a gloomy feeling while watching. I was a kid when it was first released and I remember leaving the theater underwhelmed. It plays much better to an older audience, I think.