Today’s quick review: An American Tail. Fievel Mousekewitz (Phillip Glasser) and his family (Nehemiah Persoff, Erica Yohn, and Amy Green) leave their home in Russia and immigrate to America, hoping for a fresh start. But on the way over, Fievel is separated from his family. Arriving in New York on his own, Fievel must navigate a new world of danger and opportunity to have any hope of finding his family.
An American Tail is a family animated historical adventure directed by Don Bluth. An American Tail tells the story of a family of mice immigrating to America in the 1880s, facing hardship and turmoil to realize the promise of a better life. The movie creates a richly detailed world and uses it to portray the highs and lows of the immigration process, as well as telling a heartfelt story about a little mouse who has lost his way.
An American Tail succeeds largely on the strength of its premise. The Mousekewitz family’s journey to America lets the movie tap into some resonant themes about immigration, freedom, and the struggle to live. Meanwhile, the small-scale version of New York offers a creative setting for Fievel’s journey. The movie also hits some strong emotional notes as Fievel is separated from his family and faced with a harsher reality than he was promised.
There are a few features of the movie that will put off some viewers. Fievel is less mature than the average protagonist of a family film, and his poor judgement constantly gets him into trouble. This dynamic works well enough for the story, but it can be frustrating for the audience. The world itself is noisy and messy, filled with exaggerated caricatures, extreme dangers, and half-baked coincidences that may rub some viewers the wrong way.
How much you get out of An American Tail will come down to taste, but there is plenty to appeal to the right viewer. Fans of Don Bluth’s style will find An American Tail to be a solid addition to his work, while more general audiences will appreciate the movie’s fusion of the realistic and the fantastic. Not everyone will like what An American Tail has to offer, but anyone curious should at least give it a try.
For an even more serious animated family film from Don Bluth starring mice, check out The Secret of NIMH. For a modern love letter to New York, try Oliver & Company. For a mature, violent crime drama portraying the lives of immigrants in historical New York City, try Gangs of New York.
[6.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090633/). I give it a 7.0 for rich animation and a moving story.