People are voting emotionally.

An Exercise In Nonsense

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

An American Tail is cute. Not AS dark as other movies by Don Bluth, but it still carries his mark in the atmosphere. A family of mice emigrates from Russia to America where they have been told there are no cats and the streets are paved with cheese. A well made allegory to the migration towards The New World in the late 19th century. And the world of the mice is also frequently shown parallel to that of the humns. That's clever. Fievel is torn away from his family and tries hard to find them again and comes across many different characters in the streets of New York. Admittedly, I didn't find them very memorable, but they were good natured and served at least a purpose by helping Fievel on his journey. The best thing about it is how Fievel is tested by how much trouble and hardships he goes through. And it is heartwrenching seeing how close he comes to reunite with his family and still manages to avoid it. That makes us so much more eager to see him succeed and makes the reunion so much more delightful. An American Tail does not shy away from torturing its main characters emotionally, but it is still lighter in tone than the other movies with Don Bluth's signature bleakness in them.

In my opinion underrated, but I guess this is one of my childhood favorites. I watched this over and over again and still love it. Bluth's Disney-like (and that's not a bad thing IMO) animations are a real treat, but a bit darker. Not every song is as good as the main song; "Somewhere out there" but they're still enjoyable. The story, perhaps inspired by Art Spiegelman's MAUS, about a Russian Jewish mouse family that seek new live in New York, is really moving. A must-watch for every kid and adult.

An American Tail (1986): Dir: Don Bluth / Voices: Phillip Glasser, Dom DeLuise, John Finnegan, Pat Musick, Cathianne Blore: Edgy animation that makes great references to oppression. In this case a family of mice arrive in America in hopes of avoiding the cats that have always hunted them. The mice apparently are a symbol for Jews while the cats symbolize Nazi power. Phillip Glasser voices young Fievel who becomes separated from his family aboard a ship. He washes ashore in a bottle and discovers that he is indeed in America. He must learn to fend for himself while hoping to reunite with his family. Along the way he encounters a variety of characters, some interesting, others not so much. Dom DeLuise provides the most amusement voicing a friendly fluffy cat named Tiger who refuses to eat Fievel. John Finnegan voices the villain Warren T. Rat who has a secret of his own. Other characters are a mix bag of types that provide little differentiation. An Italian mouse named Tony with a daring spirit is a yawner, and the female he encounters, named Bridget is about as bland as cardboard. While the story is detailed with an exciting climax where the mice unleash their ultimate weapon against the cats, it becomes bogged down periodically with corny elements. Directed by Don Bluth who previously made The Secret of Nimh, this is a worthy animation about family survival during a devastating period. Score: 8 ½ / 10

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.