An American Tail
Universal, 1986
Voices of Philip Glasser, Dom DeLouise, John Finnegan, and Madeline Kahn
Directed by Don Bluth
Music by James Horner and Barry Mann; Lyrics by Cynthia Weil
The Story: Curious five-year-old Fivel (Glasser) is traveling to America with his mother (Erica Yohn), father (Nehimiah Persoff), baby sister, and sister Tanya (Amy Green) after having been driven out of the Ukraine by murderous Cossacks and their equally damaging cats. Papa claims America is the land of opportunity, where the streets are paved with cheese and there are no cats to harm them.
Fivel is separated from his family when he's swept overboard during a storm. He first ends up on Ellis Island, where a friendly French pigeon named Henri (Christopher Plummer) sends him into New York to find Warren T. Rat (Finnegan). Rat, however, cares nothing about some immigrant kid and sells him to a sweatshop. He escapes with the help of a street boy named Tony (Pat Musick) and flees into the city. Tony falls hard for pretty Irish Bridget (Cathianne Blore), who is trying to rally the mice to fight the cats. She has more luck persuading perpetually drunk politician Honest John (Neil Ross) and crusading rich mouse Gussie Mausenheimer (Kahn) to help corral the cats and send them packing.
Little Fivel is still searching for his family when he discovers Rat's big secret. Rat captures him, but he's once again rescued, this time by a sweet vegetarian cat named Tiger (DeLouise). The little mouse the one who finally brings the cats running...but now the mice have a secret weapon of their own. Even when there's "no cats in America," will Fivel ever find his family...and truly be able to call America home?
The Animation: Among the most gorgeous Don Bluth ever did. Every frame is lush and detailed, with glowing backdrops that show New York as it was becoming a haven for "the tired and poor" in the late 19th century. The animals are a bit more cuddly here than they would be in The Secret of Nimh or later in All Dogs Go to Heaven, harking back to Disney's rounder style of the 30's and 40's. There's some nifty special effects here, too, from the sparks that come off the trains to the truly terrifying Mouse of Minsk and ship that were done by rotoscoping models, rather than computer.
The Song and Dance: Possibly Don Bluth's most touching and sentimental film. Glasser is cute as the little mouse whose big curiosity continually lands him in danger, but the real stand-out is the supporting cast. Kahn and Ross play nicely off each other as the drunk politician who only cares about votes and the wealthy mouse who really wants to get rid of those darn felines. Musick is funny as Tony, especially when he encounters Bridget for the time and is absolutely smitten by her beauty and tenacity. Plummer as Henri the sculptor pigeon and DeLouise as gentle Tiger are so much fun, you really wish they were in more of the film.
Favorite Number: Papa Mouskawitz is joined by an Italian mouse who lost his mother to cats and an Irish mouse who lost his sweetheart as they explain why they're making the journey across the Atlantic in the rousing "There are No Cats In America." My favorite song from this score is Plummer's perky duet with Glasser inside the newly-built Statue of Liberty. He assures him that he should "Never Say Never" and keep searching for his family.
By far the most famous song from this film is the Oscar-nominated ballad "Somewhere Out There." Tanya and Fivel perform the number from two different locations, her at the Mousawitzs' new purse home, him in an old bassinet in a flooded house, wonder where each other are and wish they were together. It's so simple and lovely, it almost makes up for neither of the kids being able to really sing. (Linda Rondstat and James Ingram's version over the credits was one of the bigger song hits of 1986.)
Trivia: Steven Spielburg produced and had a hand in much of the film. Fivel was named for his grandfather.
Henri the Pidgeon was originally supposed to be a scruffier hobo type, but was reworked to be a more polished character when Plummer was hired.
Weill and Mann were given four weeks to write "Somewhere Out There." They didn't think it would be a hit, but Spielburg knew better.
What I Don't Like: I have no idea what audience Bluth intended this for. While not quite as dark as All Dogs Go to Heaven, there's still a lot of violence, starting with the Cossack raid in the opening sequence. The Mouse of Minsk isn't just scary to the cats - it's truly terrifying for just about anyone, with its detailed craggy face and waving purple tail. There's also the several attempts on Fivel's life and his near-drowning.
I wish they didn't drag out Fivel finding his family for so long! The movie should have ended after they rounded up the cats. They probably could have cut the entire short bit at the end with Fivel and the street gang with no one the wiser - it feels like filler. Fivel's search frankly takes a back-seat to the mice trying to get rid of the cats and all the unusual characters he meets on the way.
The Big Finale: The stunning animation and score and unusual story make this a must for adults with an interest in the history of immigration in the US, lovers of melodrama or Don Bluth, and kids with a taste for history who can handle the scarier stuff.
Home Media: Easy to find in all formats, occasionally packaged with its sequel (see below).
An American Tail: Fivel Goes West
Universal, 1991
Voices of Phillip Glasser, Dom DeLouise, James Stewart, and John Cleese
Directed by Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells
Music by James Horner; Lyrics by Will Jennings
The Story: It's now 1890. Cats have returned to New York and are once again persecuting the mice, including the Mouskawitzs. After a raid, they end up in the sewer, where the elegant Cat R. Waul (Cleese) is selling land out west, claiming it's where every dream can be fulfilled and cats and mice will get along. Tanya (Cathy Cavadini) wants to become a singer; Fivel (Glasser) wants to meet his comics idol, Sheriff Wylie Burp (Stewart). Turns out, as Mama says, they've been snookered. The land Waul sold them is barren desert, made even drier after his spider goon (Jon Lovitz) cuts off the water supply.
Fivel does get lost on the train trip after he discovers what Waul is really up to and is thrown out a window. He not only manages to find his family quicker, he also discovers that Burp is an over-the-hill law dog whom the cats barely notice. He claims he needs someone he can train as a deputy. Fivel nominates Tiger (DeLouise), who is out west in pursuit of his girlfriend Miss Kitty (Amy Irving). It's going to take a lot of work to make this tubby tabby into a top dog...and they don't have much time to do it before Waul and his boys reveal their plan to get rid of the mice for good!
The Animation: Not as lush as the first film, but it does have its virtues. Once we get out west, everything is detailed and bright, whether it's the home of the mouse Natives or animal residents of the town of Green River. The "Rawhide" sequence, with its animals popping up everywhere, is especially well-done.
The Song and Dance: I know most people prefer the original, partially because Bluth worked on it, but...ehh, I think this one is a lot more fun. The story is lighter, thanks to the side plot with Fivel and his family not being nearly as drawn-out. If you know anything about western cliches, you'll have a lot fun identifying them here, from the smooth villain to the saloon-girl-with-a-heart-of-gold to the city slicker-turned-gunslinger. I also like that Tanya and Tiger's roles are expanded; DeLouise gets some great gags early-on when he's being chased by every dog in New York, and later when Wylie Burp is trying to teach Tiger the ins and outs of being a law dog.
And honestly, just having James Stewart's final performance makes this a bit of Hollywood history. He has a good time spoofing his own image as the over-the-hill sheriff who thinks he may have found salvation in his unusual new partners.
Favorite Number: "Way Out West" is the big "there are no cats" chorus routine here, as all the mice reveal what they hope to find in their new home. Appropriately for a budding singer, Tanya gets two songs, the lovely ballad "Dreams to Dream" that so impresses Cat R. Waul, and the big chorus number at the saloon with the cats, "The Girl I Left Behind."
The one for the books is "Rawhide." I have no idea who at Amblin decided to sneak the Blues Brothers version of this classic TV theme in or why, but the song is so goofy as it accompanies Fivel bouncing along in the tumbleweeds, it seems oddly fitting.
Trivia: This would be James Stewart's last movie.
While this has been Fivel's last appearance on the big screen to date, it's far from the last film in the franchise. There would be two direct-to-home-media movies that ignored this one and a short-lived Saturday morning TV show.
What I Don't Like: The first half (up to and including "Way Out West") is more-or-less a rehash of the first film. The Mouskawitzes are driven from their home by marauding cats, then leave for a new location where they believe there are no feline pests. Fivel gets lost and has to find them, and he's the one who figures out that the seemingly nice and cultured head cat is up to no good. It's not until the second half that things really diverge and get interesting.
The animation, while far from horrible, isn't nearly as good as either the original film or Beauty and the Beast. Some folks may also miss Bluth's touch...and that dark side that made the original film such a hit in the first place.
The Big Finale: Fans of Stewart and westerns and families with younger kids who aren't up to the heavier original film will want to hop on a tumbleweed and ride on over to this one.
Home Media: Same deal - easy to find for cheap on all formats, including packaged with the original film.
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