An American Tail (1986)
I can see why many have fond memories of An American Tail. There are things to like, but this is not Don Bluth at the top of his game.
As he and his family immigrate from Russia to the United States to escape persecution, Fievel Mouskewitz (Phillip Glasser) becomes separated from his family. In the land of freedom - where they say there are no cats - Fievel searches for his family, encountering all sorts of outlandish characters along the way.
Despite their young age, children can understand complex emotions. They enjoy being challenged by characters or stories that feel real. You are not doing them any favors by utilizing broadly painted stereotypes or clichés in your stories while excusing the fact that it’s a movie “just for kids”. For this reason, I should applaud An American Tail and its moments of darkness and honesty... but the movie goes too far. It's depressing. Fievel isn’t an adult looking for his family. He’s a little kid. So little he hardly understands what’s going on around him. He is thrown from one dangerous situation to another while his family believes him dead. There are few instances of fun but overall, it’s gloomy. Constantly being teased as the young mouse and his beloved father (voiced by Nehemiah Persoff) nearly find each other but somehow end up going in opposite directions doesn't help. Look at the cover of the movie/the poster. It looks like a fun adventure, but children, particularly little children - will find this too intense.
There's not much here to adults either, unless you're looking at it through rose-tinted glasses. A thorough analysis does An American Tail no favors. Fievel is not an interesting character. He has no personality because he’s a little kid. Other characters tell him what to do or bring him to the next step in his journey. Remove the young mouse, and the events that unfold would almost go unchanged.
Call this last one a nitpick, but the plot of this animated film is contrived and muddy. I understand the Jewish mice are running away from Russia (a parallel to the humans attempting to escape the Cossacks), but the fact their tormentors being cats doesn’t really make sense. Cats don't chase mice because of their religious beliefs or personal grudges… they just want to eat them! I understand this is an animated movie about talking animals. It’s important to have them all be visually distinct. The message of “mouse good, cats bad” is an easy to grasp. Wouldn’t it have been just effective and much more grounded in reality if the Mousekewitz were persecuted by rats instead? This personal issue, combined with several big coincidences throughout, shows the writing just isn't on the level it should be.
Despite these issues, I wouldn't call An American Tail bad. The animation is smooth, the characters well-drawn, and their designs distinct. The backgrounds are beautifully detailed. There are many inspired sequences. It's a mixed bag but if you remember enjoying it as a kid and you know your children can handle it, then yeah, go ahead. If you missed out back in the day, there's no need to feel bad about it. (On VHS, September 17, 2015)
