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We watched this in kindergarten. This is like the best film of all time of the century. There's no way in hell it deserves a 6.8. I don't know what's up with the kids these days they don't seem to understand Jack diddly squat 50 Moskowitz was my hero lol. How dare you write this a 6.8 lol I'm gonna write it at 10 just so it offsets and gets a better review lol coming to America. This is a true story one of the very few Walt Disney movies that I do enjoy and I like and not understood why it got such a bad review from other people. Anyways, not much more I can say about this just go ahead and watch it and you will love it because I do.

I was introduced to An American Tail after perpetually reading the 'book' of the second film, Feivel Goes West. I can't say which one I enjoyed more although at the time, I think I was seven, but this one I understood a lot better.

The sweet-hearted tale of a family of Russian mouse emigrants who travel to America, the 'land of opportunity' but on their way lose their son, really manages to perk up your day. It has all the classic elements of a family flick: great characters, wonderful score and songs, and of course a happy ending (You can't say you didn't expect that).

In some ways it's meant to be almost a satire, a parallel story of many Russian immigrant families who flee to America from the Cossacks: there is actually a scene in the beginning involving the ransacking of a Russian village by Cossacks, aided of course, as most history books conveniently omit, by their vicious slavering cats who destroy the mouse population. This satire is slightly lost once they reach America, but the simple plot of the mouse boy trying to find his family again works very well. It's quite frustrating at times as we see how close they all come to running into each other; a split second here and a well-timed door slamming there, and it could have been all over in thirty minutes of screen time. But where would be the movie in that?

Lastly, the voice cast does a great job. While I personally think the sequel had a better cast, An American Tail boasts some fine names as well - Dom DeLuise and Nehemiah Persoff who also did the sequel, Christopher Plummer, and Madeline Kahn all combine for a great effect. It's not necessary to see this to also see the sequel but it definitely deserves to be watched. Touching, light-hearted and with one of the most beautiful theme songs you will ever hear, it's a winner. ***1/2 / *****

Not only is An American Tail easily one of the best animated features ever made, but it proves to be leaps beyond the efforts of recent Disney movies by refusing to be constricted to an all-too-familiar formula. This movie does not stay within the cozy, comfortable guidelines that Disney adheres to in order to make money. Instead, it tells a truly unique tale, one not borrowed from any other source, and one overflowing with artistic wonder and originality.

The characters you will see here are not stock, not pulled from the typical Disney hat. The story is not a chuckle-a-minute, lowbrow attempt to take the easy way out in pandering to children. The main character, Fievel, suffers real hardships and tragedy, and stares into the despair of his own soul before the movie is finished. This, of course, makes the ending that much more satisfying, an infinitely more significant and authentic moment than any cardboard cut-out Disney plot.

If you want to see what animation was meant to be as an art form, if you want to feel the power and emotion that can truly be reaped from this under-appreciated and over-commercialized medium, look no further than An American Tail.

The Mousekewitzes, a family of Russian mice (whose junior members' broad American accents curiously bear no resemblance to their parent's guttural Russian tones) are forced to flee their homeland after being torched from their modest home by marauding felines. Having already sung the praises of America ("there are no cats in America"), it is only natural that Papa Mousekewitz leads his clan to the land of the free, and it is not long before they are ensconced in the hold of an ocean liner. During a storm, Fievel, the youngest of the children, is washed overboard and is believed to have perished by his parents, although sister Tanya never gives up hope of finding him alive. Of course, Fievel survives against the odds and, with the help of an assortment of creatures, embarks on a voyage to relocate his family.

Back in '86, when the now rejuvenated Disney corporation was languishing in the doldrums and churning out sub-standard fare like The Great Mouse Detective, Don Bluth briefly looked as if he might be the man to speed off with the baton the Mouse Factory had so badly fumbled. Sadly for him, it wasn't to be, and on the evidence of this movie it isn't hard to see why. While An American Tail is acceptable enough entertainment for children, and is superior to Disney's output of the time, it still falls short of the standards to which Disney had – and occasionally still do – reach. Fievel is an adorable enough little character, and his predicament leaves you little choice but to root for him, but at the end of the day, he's just another cute cartoon mouse with little to distinguish him from all the other cartoon mice.

The film's storyline is simple enough, and the historical perspective of the emigrant rush to the States in the 1880s is a unique and interesting one in which to place it. Bluth's writers attach symbolic significance to many aspects of the story – particularly the role of the cats – which will fly right over the top of the kid's heads but which should be easy enough for most adults to pick up on. And while this subtext is welcome in what is overtly a sentimental kiddie flick, it is still a poor substitute for the knowing adult jokes we have come to enjoy (and expect) from cartoon films today. The fact is, there isn't much of a storyline here, even for a film with a kiddie-friendly running time of 80 minutes, especially as Bluth shoves in a half-dozen or so tunes that are as out of place as they are unmemorable. Only 'Somewhere Out There' stands out, but that's too slushy for most adults.

While the animation is, again, of a commensurate standard to Disney's at the time, it looks a little 80s-dated today: too recent to hark back to the Disney glory days, yet too old for the major animators standards of today. While the grimy background is in keeping with the period in which the movie is set, its subdued tones means it fails to catch the eye. So we focus more on the characters, and realise we're watching Disney clones – which might have been considered unavoidable to a degree back in the eighties, but doesn't really stand up today.

An American Tail.is a respectable, workmanlike effort that won't leave anyone angry at having invested eighty minutes of their time in it. But it lacks the vibrancy and texture required to capture both the audience's attention and imagination. Youngsters will be uncomplaining, but few over seven will commandeer the DVD player to watch it over and over again – which, after all, is the only true benchmark of a cartoon's worth..

There were a few Don Bluth movies that I was really into in my formative years; and how well they hold up to adult eyes can be a real gamble. "The Land Before Time" lasts extremely well, and I'm honestly curious about "The Secret of NIMH". But as for "An American Tail", it's still got that luster. It's an affecting story, the animation's easy on the eyes, and even the music's well done (or course it is, it's James Horner). Speaking of the music, this has one of the very best tie-in songs I've ever heard. It sounds good on the radio and captures the emotional vibe and somehow makes you forget that these movie pop songs can be painfully saccharine.

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.

In my opinion, this is an excellent movie for all ages that will warm your heart! When Fievel (voice of Phillip Glasser) got lost, I wanted to cry. Although some of the characters were diabolical, I liked everybody. Well, it's hard to say which character was my favorite. The music was good, especially "Somewhere Out There, "A Duo," and "No Cats In America." In addition to the music being good everyone was cast perfectly, and the direction was flawless. In conclusion, I highly recommend this very touching movie for all ages that will warm your heart to anyone who hasn't seen it. You're in for a real treat and a good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with someone close to you, and watch it.

Director Don Bluth is known for being an ex-Disney animator, and still making it big after his career with them. But no matter how good his career was, it still wasn't as good as with Disney, in animation and in writing. An American Tail is a clever idea for a movie, and could have been good, had it some sort of center or plot, other than just "Feivel the mouse is lost in 19th century New York."

The Mouskewitz family decides to migrate from Russia to America after a particularly bad attack from cats. On the boat ride there, Feivel falls overboard and ends up being picked up by a pigeon, in New York. Feivel travels the town, meets some interesting characters, and tries to find his parents, always assuming violin playing must be his father. Feivel ends up at an anti-cat rally (or a wowwey as they call it here), which leads to one of the stupidest climaxes I've ever seen in an animated film.

One thing that keeps this movie afloat, is some of the characters. Feivel is adorable, and I can see why people would be attracted to watch a movie with such a cute little protagonist. Tiger, voiced by Dom Deluise, is a pretty interesting character, as a vegetarian cat who'd rather befriend mice, than eat them. But the odd thing in the relationship between Feivel and Tiger is, why this grown cat is now great friends with this tiny little kid mouse, and how fast they become best friends. It was just a relationship that should've spanned more time to make more sense.

The animation is not great. It's really loose, and characters shapes change depending on the scene. Sometimes characters are enormously fat, next scene they could be just slightly fat, next scene they could have a huge head. The animation over emphasizes what the point of focus on the character is in a certain scene. For instance, One scene, a cat is supposed to look ferocious, it has a huge mouth with sharp teeth, next scene it's supposed to look nice, so it's stomach is out, because we all know fat cats are innocent.

It may sound as though I hated this movie, but I actually, sort of like it. It's cute, but flawed in many ways, and by the end grows boring. I actually much prefer the Don Bluth-less sequel, Feivel Goes West, for animation, music and writing in general.

My rating: ** 1/2 out of ****. 75 mins. G

"An American Tail" marks the rise of power of Don Bluth. He had made other great animated properties before this, but this was the first one that was both a critical and box office success. Teaming up with Spielberg, this film over doubled the box office take of Disney's own animated film that came out the same year. It would then go on to get an Oscar nomination and win the Grammy for Song of the Year. But putting aside its historical context, how is the film itself? It is really REALLY good.

I understand that there is definitely a nostalgic bias in this review. I grew up watching and loving this film. Though as a kid, I actually preferred its sequel. But revisiting it now, I can see that this original is the superior flick.

The story is quite simple, a child is separated from his family and he wants to reunite with them. A straightforward narrative, and instantly understandable for viewers of all ages. What makes the story work is the likability and believability of our main cast of characters. Fievel feels like a real kid, he is sweet, but at times troublesome. And this poor kid goes through the absolute ringer. The trials and conflicts Fievel endure is what helps the story remain memorable and powerful. The more problems our hero has to overcome, the more we as the audience root for him to succeed.

Along with the beautiful animation of Bluth, the music of James Horner has to be highlighted. The music is always great, and 75% of the songs are all-time classics. "Duo" was never a favorite of mine. But that is cancelled out by how much of a showstopper "Somewhere Out There" is. It is one of the sweetest and heart filled songs I've ever heard. The fact that the two people singing it don't sound like pros, make it all the more endearing.

The whole movie hits hard with the feels and never fails to land emotionally. For those who say they would never cry in a movie... never say never.

This is a somewhat adorable little animated movie about a Russian mouse named Fievel who immigrates to the United States with his family to be away from cats. He gets separated from his family during the process and tries to survive in his new country and to reunite with his loved ones, all the while discovering cats exist in the United States as well.

This film has its good moments, from Fievel dealing with getting lost to him and his new friends conjuring plans to defeat the band of cats. However, large parts of the film didn't generate much suspense or intrigue to keep the story 100 percent engaging, as I thought many of the scenes were rushed through and the characters were too childish or "cute." The songs, especially "There Are No Cats in America" and "Somewhere Out There" were too whimsical and pretty annoying - somewhat painful to listen to.

I've seen much animated films than this one; however, this one may be a winner for little children.

Grade C

Not only that, but I think it's the best pre-Little Mermaid animation of the 80s, Land Before Time being an extremely close contender, as I haven't yet seen the Secret of Nimh. It tells the story of a little mouse named Fieval, who gets lost at sea, and his struggles to find his family. There is a vast difference to this and All Dogs Go To Heaven, and it is that American Tail is genuinely poignant, whereas All Dogs tends to be a little too morose, but don't get me wrong, All Dogs is a very good movie, but I do prefer American Tail. Another difference is that although Warren T Rat is a convincing villain, I still think Carface is a little more convincing. The animation is stunning, as are the songs, my favourite being "Somewhere Out There", which makes me cry every time I hear it. The incidental music and the script were also lovely.I have only two minor criticisms of this movie, which is that the story takes a while to get going, and I personally don't think Phillip Glasser can sing(which I can forgive, as he was only 6 years old). The voice talents, as is usually the case in Don Bluth movies, are exceptional. Phillip Glasser is very sweet and even touching at times, and Dom DeLuise likewise. Christopher Plummer is very good as Henri, and Madeline Kahn delights with her character's speech impediment. I cried at the end, and thank you Don Bluth for a heartfelt film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The film is probably best known for the duet between Aaron Neville and Linda Rondstadt which isn't even in the film. The ninety animated feature isn't as fun as other animated features. The animated tale is about a family of mice leaving Russia for America with all the obstacles along the way. It has it's moments but the film just doesn't seem enough at times to really capture the spirit and joy of animation.

If Jeffrey Katzenberg is wise he will have taken out a court order forbidding Steven Spielberg to have anything to do with the production of animation at Dreamworks. Treacle for people under ten is his legacy. -I know this film sounded like the last trumpet to people at Disney in 1986; it thrashed "The Great Mouse Detective" at the box office and everyone oohed and aahed over it; but it's very hard to see why today. It was hard to see why even then. People gave the standard "Well, it's great for kids" line - hardly a ringing endorsement.

The story concerns a family of mice from Eastern Europe moving to America. One insufferably cute child, Fievel, gets lost on arrival and we follow the efforts of him and his family to become re-united. They pass within inches of each other so many times - I presume this is Bluth's attempt at poignancy - that we finally think, "Well, they're bound to bump into each other sooner or later," and cease to care. Sure enough, they do bump into each other sooner or later. (After Spielberg and Bluth have compiled enough footage.)

Animation is serviceable - considerably better than that in "The Great Mouse Detective", although Disney's movie wins in almost every other respect. And I don't care how many people are willing to pay good money to listen to "My Heart Will Go On," James Horner can't write songs today, and he couldn't then - nor could anyone fit his songs into the story. Great for kids? Well, if you mean that children will like it, then that may be so. But we all know what "great for kids" is code for.

I remember seeing American Tail when I was very little, and I loved it. I always felt sad for Fievel when he was away from his parents, and at the time, I never knew that they were always very near him. I thought that they were always far away from him like he thought. Not too long ago, I bought this movie and watched it again...for the first time in years. I'm 17 and I still love the movie. It's the ultimate animated movie when it comes to being gentle, heart warming, and full of good heart. And the film is such a wonder to behold, even after all these years. Despite another sequel and one (or was that 2?) (one was made in 1999 and it's coming soon to video?) direct to video movies. Out of the three I've seen, this one is still the best, and it's among my favorite animated movies of all time

What's up with the 80s and mice. I mean, The Rescuers, The Great Mouse Detective... This movie. Though, come to think about it, Don Bluth worked on two of those movies and left the Disney Studio just as they were beginning to conceptualize Basil of Baker Street. So, Mr. Bluth: What's up with all the mice?

Nevertheless, it's not a bad film by any means, and is held as a classic by many who have seen it as children. Personally I saw it for the first time as an adult, and while I can see the pull, I can also notice all the flaws.

So what's the story? The family Mousekewitz are Russian-Jewish immigrants on their way to America where there are no cats, or so they have been told. But on the way there Fievel, their son, washes overboard and is believed to have drowned. Naturally our plucky main character simply washes to shore in a bottle, but they don't know that. And from there it's pretty much a story about how they get back together and end up in wacky hijinks while doing so.

It works, simply said. The allegory of cats and mice works really well to reflect the dreams of immigrants looking to start anew in America, the land of possibilities, only to find out that their new home is not terribly different from the place they left. The film is also pure gold on the technical level, with Bluth's signatory animation style lending itself really well to the small world of animals living in the lower quarters of our own. The songs are also very good, especially There Are No Cats in America, which is ridiculously catchy.

But then the problems. The story is pretty clunky. None of the various plot threads connect all that well, except in that Fievel just happens to influence all of them through forced writing. And Fievel himself is incredibly annoying. I can see the appeal of him, but to me he's easily the worst thing in this film.

Still, if you've liked other Don Bluth films, this one is definitely worth a watch. Not his best film, but it has a lot of good stuff in it.

The best thing to say about this film is its authenticity and subject matter. While some might accuse it of sensationalising history, it clearly approaches the setting in a very genuine way with sympathetic and struggling characters. However, some of this film becomes a little typical and doesn't satisfy.

An American Tail is the story of one family's journey to America, and Fievel, their son, who got lost along the way. A holiday event from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. Fievel and the Mousekewitz family undertake their pursuit of the American dream from Russia to overseas. While emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets separated from his family and must locate them while trying to survive in a new country. Fievel , is washed overboard, arrives in America in a bottle and sets out to find his family. He matures as he learns to live on the Big Apple's dirty boulevards. The bad guys are of course cats. An American Tail, a Don Bluth film, coming this Thanksgiving !. The story that will live in your heart forever !. Meet Fievel in his search to find his family, he discovered America !. 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 !.

Notable cartoon and a high-minded plot, though very sentimental but keep it interesting for both children and adults. The script is pretty stereotypical, a young mouse is separated from his family while emigrating to New York. From here on, the movie slips into slightly more routine cat-and-mouse stuff but there are some excellent roles , including a calculating cockroach, Henry le Pigeon busy decorating the Statue of Liberty, and a fat orange cat voiced by Dom DeLuise who's vegetarian, a thicko and a softie and becomes Fievel's friend. The grim voyage of the immigrants is finely caught by the animators without any recourse to over-sombre detail. Produced by Spielberg and the first big hit for the Don Bluth factory, a collection of expatriate Walt Disney artists. Knowing better than to let a money-making mouse tale languish; Bluth followed with ¨An American tale: Fievel goes West¨, in which the Mousekewitz family continue their American dream by heading West, where the intrepid mouse seeks to become a famous lawman while his sister looks to make it big as a dance hall singer.

It contains an impressive musical score composed by James Horner and performed by the London Symphony Orchestre. The motion picture was competently directed by Don Bluth. Don was one of the chief animators at Disney to come to the mantle after the great one's death. He eventually became the animation director for such films as The Rescuers (1977) and Pete's Dragon (1977). Unfortunately, the quality of animation that Disney was producing at this point was not up to par with the great works of Disney, and there was rumor that the production unit at Disney might be shut down indefinitely. In retaliation, Bluth and several other animators led a walkout, and went off to form their own independent animation firm. Bluth's first animated feature may still be his best. The Secret of NIMH (1982). He created the video games Dragon's Lair (1983) and Space Ace (1983), both of which allowed the player to control an actual cartoon. He later teamed up with Steven Spielberg for the films An American Tail (1986) and The Land Before Time (1988). After his next film, All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), received mixed opinions and failed to be more than a minor box office success, Bluth fell into a failing streak of films that were comparatively mediocre when placed alongside his previous work, including Rock-A-Doodle (1991), and Thumbelina (1994). Bluth later joined forces with 20th Century Fox where he made his first commercial hit in some time, Anastasia (1997). He followed up with the ambitious but hollow science fiction fantasy Titan A. E. (2000). While Bluth has yet to reach the glory of his earlier work, he nonetheless deserves credit as a champion of animation, and for surviving as an independent film maker. An American Tail(1986) rating: 6.5/10. Worthwhile wiewing for the whole family, but it won't ever reach the heights of Anastasia.

Famously, Don Bluth was a top animator at Disney in the 70s. Unhappy with the way the struggling studio was being run post-Walt, he mutinied and left the company, taking many of his fellow animators with him. Knowing his propensity for drama and spite, I think it's no accident that his first two films (this and Secret of NIMH) starred naïve mice. This is, by far, Bluth's greatest film, boasting memorable songs, strong heart, and an uncharacteristic amount of complexity for a children's film.

I think that I first saw "An American Tail" when I was about three. All that I interpreted was a bunch of scary-looking men on horses. Now that I'm old enough to understand the historical context, every part of the movie makes sense. The scary men on horses were cossacks carrying out pogroms against the Jews in tsarist Russia (in the movie, they bring cats to terrorize the mice). Thus, a family of Russian-Jewish mice immigrates to the United States in the belief that there are no cats in America. Meanwhile, a Sicilian mouse recounts the misdeeds of a feline mafioso, while an Irish mouse remembers the sad things that happened on the Emerald Isle.

Sure enough, there are cats in America. But much of what happens in the course of Fievel's search for his family in New York seems to be a representation of the overall immigrant experience at the time. The immigrants are forced to work in sweatshops under the most dangerous conditions, and gangsters are the best hope for protection. Bridget's calls for the mice to unite against the cats sounds like an allegory for labor organizing.

All in all, I recommend this movie. It was probably Don Bluth's most creative movie ever, and certainly a credit to Steven Spielberg. I suspect that it was one of the first cartoon movies to cast movie stars (Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Plummer) as opposed to professional voice artists like Mel Blanc. Definitely worth seeing.

Also starring the voices of Phillip Glasser, Amy Green, Nehemiah Persoff*, Erica Yohn, John P. Finnegan, Pat Musick, Cathianne Blore, Neil Ross, Will Ryan and Hal Smith (Otis on "The Andy Griffith Show").

*Nehemiah Persoff also starred in "Some Like It Hot", and appeared on a "Gilligan's Island" episode as a deposed Latin American dictator.

Don Bluth is another animator I love along with Max Fleischer and Hayao Miyazaki, and this film, "An American Tail," is one of my favorites from him; it is a childhood favorite.

A reason I like mice (not rats) is because they are the "good beasts" from my books, like the "Redwall" series by Brian Jacques (my favorite author) and also "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien, which was made into another film by Don earlier. Of course, those rats were good, and I could accept that. I love the romantic scene with Tony and Bridget (when they first meet, that is), and besides, I love Bridget, Tony, Tanya, and Fievel himself.

When I was a child, my sister and I would love watching all sorts of animated films. One of these films was An American Tail. My interest in the film increased after watching All Dogs go to Heaven. I only remembered bits and pieces of it, so I finally got the opportunity to watch the film, and it was definitely worth seeing.

Frustrated by all the cats in Russia, the Mousekewitz family to America, where there are supposedly no cats. During the voyage, Fieval Mousekewitz (Phillip Glasser) wanders off and is separated from the rest of the family. Fortunately, he lands in New York, where he is determined to find his parents. Fieval journeys through New York, meeting many friends, who include a French pigeon named Henri (Christopher Plummer), a young mouse named Tony Toponi (Pat Musick), and a large alcoholic mouse named Honest John (Neil Ross). He also discovers that there are cats in America, one of them being a scam artist named Warren T. Rat (John Finnegan).

There are several satirical moments in the film, such as the depiction of cats in Italy as mobsters, the depiction of cats in Russia as Cossacks, etc. But the film, although enjoyable, has some minor flaws. The first and the most obvious flaw is that the film may get too depressing for children, and the other flaw is that the film is that the voices may get a bit annoying, but it never gets even remotely unbearable.

Overall, An American Tail was an excellent animated film, and I highly recommend

Good film it works, simply said. The allegory of cats and mice works really well to reflect the dreams of immigrants looking to start anew in America, the land of possibilities, only to find out that their new home is not terribly different from the place they left. The film is also pure gold on the technical level, with Bluth's signatory animation style lending itself really well to the small world of animals living in the lower quarters of our own. The songs are also very good, especially There Are No Cats in America, which is ridiculously catchy. But then the problems. The story is pretty clunky. None of the various plot threads connect all that well, except in that Fievel just happens to influence all of them through forced writing. And Fievel himself is incredibly annoying. I can see the appeal of him, but to me he's easily the worst thing in this film.

7/10.