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This
film shows the story of the life of a family of
Jewish-Russian mice who emigrate to New York City,
believing that there are no cats in America. Once
there, they immediately discover that there are
indeed cats in America and plenty of them, and
begin living in a typical late 19th/early 20th
century immigrant manner: working in a sweatshop,
living in horrible conditions, and paying the cats
tribute as an alternative to being eaten. The film
follows Fievel Mousekewitz (his first name comes
from that of Steven Spielberg's grandfather), who
is separated from his family as the boat
approaches America; the movie chronicles Fievel's
search for his family, and his struggle against
the Cats, including, their money hungry leader,
Warren T. Rat.
An
American Tail is an allegory for the terrible
conditions immigrants to the United States faced
at the turn of the century (the mice represent the
Jewish immigrants, and the cats their Anti-Semitic
tormentors) and the film is similar in this
respect to Art Spiegelman's graphic novel Maus.
It also illustrates the hope (of a new, better
life) that America represented to these immigrants
at that time.
The
ethnic and even religious backgrounds of
characters are made somewhat starker than is
normal in animation. This is most true in the case
of Fievel's family, but it is also true with other
characters. For example, characters discuss their
lives "back home" in Ireland, Sicily,
Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. Later, a dead mouse
is shown clutching a rosary and a cross.
Original
Release Date in Theatres: November 21st, 1986
Released By: Universal Pictures (1st
Animated Film Produced by Universal)
Created By: David Kirschner
Story By: David Kirschner And Judy
Freudberg & Tony Geiss
Directed By: Don Bluth
Produced By: Don Bluth, John Pomeroy &
Gary Goldman
Executive Producers: Steven Spielberg,
David Kirschner, Kathleen Kennedy & Frank
Marshall
Casting By: Michael Fenton, C.S.A, Jane
Feinberg, C.S.A & Linda Gordon
Music By: James Horner & Barry Mann
Also in Production (Character Clean-Up
Inbetweeners): Tim Allen
Approximate Running Time: 1hr 21mins., or
81mins. |
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Fievel
and his family are finding that America isn't
exactly "paved with cheese" as they once
thought. They are poor and living in the slums of
Brooklyn. Fievel spends his days dreaming about
fighting side-by-side in the old west with
Dog-Sheriff Wylie Burp, while his sister Tanya
still dreams of stardom. Meanwhile Tiger the cat
is upset when his girlfriend, the smart-aleck Miss
Kitty wants "a cat that's more like a
dog" and heads out West on a passing carriage (it
should be noted several references to Casablanca
occur here, including the famous line "Here's
Looking at You, Kid"). Shortly after, the
devious Cat R. Waul and his band of mouse-hungry
felines (and a spider, Chula), attack the mouse
ghetto under the instruction of "Plenty of
violence...but no eating." Tiger falls into a
trash can, while the mice are all driven into the
sewer, including the Mousekewitz family. In the
sewer, Cat R. Waul (via mouse-cowpoke marionette)
is selling tickets to a town called Green River.
All the mice seem interested, and everyone manages
to get train tickets.
The
next day, Tiger finds a note in Fievel's house
which says that Fievel and his family has moved
out West. Desperate to catch up to his little
buddy, Tiger braves dozens of dogs to catch
Fievel's train. He manages to climb onto the
caboose, only to be chased off again by another
dog. That night, Fievel wanders into the main car,
where he overhears the cats devising their
plan...to get the mice to slave for the cats, then
to turn them into "mouse burgers." Cat R
Waul finds Fievel, and releases Fievel, only to
command Chula the spider to throw him overboard,
and Fievel lands in the desert. The Mousekewitz's
are heartbroken over the loss of Fievel and aren't
happy when they arrive at Green River. They settle
by the water tower, which Chula plugs up. Cat R
Waul then encourages the mice to help him build an
empire underneath the town's saloon.
Meanwhile,
Fievel is wandering aimlessly through the desert,
as is Tiger, who has found his way out west as
well. They see each other, but assume they are
just imagined. Tiger is captured by mouse Indians
and is seen roasting over a fire. But the Indian
Chief sees a sign in a cliff that Tiger is meant
to be their god. Fievel, in the meantime, is
picked up by a hungry hawk and dropped over the
mouse Indian village and reunited with Tiger.
Tiger chooses to stay in the Indian village, but
via tumbleweed, Fievel finally makes it to Green
River. However, to his dismay, no one believes
that Cat R Waul is plotting to eat the mice.
Fievel
makes his way inside the saloon and discovers that
the cat's "mouse burger" plot is all too
true. Again, Fievel is discovered by Cat R Waul
and trapped in a bottle by Chula, who tries to
cook him over a candle. Meanwhile, as Cat R Waul
searches for entertainment for the saloon, he
happens to hear Tanya, Fievel's older sister,
singing while working, and he's enchanted by her
sweet voice. He sends Tanya to Miss Kitty, who's
now a saloon-girl cat in Cat R Waul's saloon. She
reveals that she didn't come out west by her own
will, but at the request of Cat R Waul. Cat R Waul
tells Miss Kitty to put Tanya on stage. Tanya, of
course, has stage fright now that her dream is
coming true. With a little encouragement from Miss
Kitty, Tanya pulls off a great performance for the
cats, who all had the same reaction as Cat R Waul
when they heard her sing. Fievel had escaped from
Chula and tries to tell Tanya to run from the
cats, but Tanya has become an admired saloon mouse
and refuses to leave. Fievel, out of ideas, sadly
leaves the saloon.
While
walking out of town, Fievel stops to talk with an
old hound sleeping outside the jail. Fievel
discovers that the dog is the one and only Wylie
Burp, but discouraged to find out he's an old
hound with no energy left to go on. But Wylie
changes his mind and tells Fievel to find a young
dog to whom he can teach to fight alongside him.
Fievel, instead, goes to Tiger in the Indian
village. Tiger refuses to become a dog. But when
Fievel reminds Tiger of Miss Kitty wanting a
"cat that's more like a dog," Tiger
volunteers. Tiger at first won't listen to Wylie's
teaching, claiming "I...am a GOD!" But
soon enough, Tiger is trained and becomes just
like Wylie. The trio: Wylie, Tiger, and Fievel. go
back to Green River to fight the cats, who had scheduled
to kill the mice via giant mouse trap at sunset.
At
Green River, the mouse trap has been disguised as
bleachers for a ceremony for the opening of the
saloon, and all the mice have been hoarded on the
mousetrap (except Tanya, who has been protected by
Cat R Waul and is instead sitting on a balcony
with Miss Kitty above the scene). Tiger fires a
slingshot at Cat R Waul just as he is about to
trigger the mousetrap. Tanya then realizes it is
indeed a mousetrap and climbs onto it and warns
the mice to run. Hesitant to "squash the
diva," Cat R Waul scares the mice off the
mousetrap. The trio of heroes are systematically
beating the cats until Miss Kitty is captured by
Chula. Tiger then goes mad with his inner dog and
does Chula and the rest of the cats in. Fievel
then triggers the mousetrap, which sends the cats
hurdling into the air and onto an eastbound train,
never to be seen again.
The
mice have been saved and celebrate. Miss Kitty and
Tiger get back together, Tanya had finally become
a famous singer, and the water tower flows with
water again, making Green River bloom with
flowers. Fievel finds Wylie Burp away from the
party. Just like in the beginning of the movie,
where Fievel is handed a Sheriff badge in his
dream, Wylie gives Fievel his own Sheriff badge.
Original
Release in Theatres: 1991
Released By: Universal Pictures
Created By: David Kirschner
Story By: Charles Swenson
Directed By: Phil Nibbelink & Simon
Wells
Produced By: Steven Spielberg & Robert
Watts
Executive Producers: Frank Marshall,
Kathleen Kennedy & David Kirschner
Casting By: Nancy Nayor, C.S.A &
Valerie McCaffrey
Music By: James Horner & Barry Mann
Approximate Running Time: 1hr 16mins., or
76mins. |
