An American Tail

***An American Tail*** is a 1986 American animated musical adventure film directed by Don Bluth and written by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss from a story by David Kirschner, Freudberg and Geiss. The film stars the voices of Phillip Glasser, John Finnegan, Amy Green, Nehemiah Persoff, Dom DeLuise, and Christopher Plummer. It is the story of Fievel Mousekewitz and his family as they emigrate from Russia to the United States for freedom, but Fievel gets lost and must find a way to reunite with them.

The film was released in the United States on November 21, 1986, by Universal Pictures, four months after Disney's *The Great Mouse Detective* was released. It received positive reviews and was a box office hit, making it the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film at the time; the film is currently Don Bluth's second highest-grossing animated film, only behind *Anastasia* (1997).

Its success, along with that of fellow Bluth film *The Land Before Time* and Disney's *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (both 1988), and Bluth's departure from their partnership, prompted executive producer Steven Spielberg to establish his own animation studio, Amblimation, in London, England.

The film spawned a franchise that included a sequel, *An American Tail: Fievel Goes West* (1991); a CBS television series based on the film, *Fievel's American Tails*, premiered in 1992; and two additional direct-to-video sequels set between the first two films, *An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island* (1998) and *An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster* (1999).

## Storyline

### Plot

A young mouse named Fievel Mousekewitz (Phillip Glasser) and his family emigrate from Russia to the United States by boat after their home is destroyed by cats. During the trip, a fierce storm throws Fievel from the ship, and he loses contact with his family. Luckily, he manages to sail to New York in a bottle. There, Irish mouse Bridget (Cathianne Blore), an Italian mouse named Tony (Pat Musick) and a kindly cat named Tiger (Dom DeLuise) help Fievel search for his loved ones.

### Genres

* Horror
* Action
* Animation
* Comedy
* Drama
* Romance
* War
* Western
* Children's film
* Adventure
* Teen
* Thriller
* Musical
* Comedy drama
* Comedy music
* Musical Drama

### Motion Picture Rating

* **Atp** (Argentina)
* **G** (Australia)
* **Livre** (Brazil)
* **G** (Canada) (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec)
* **F** (Canada) (Ontario)
* **K-6** (Finland) (1987)
* **Tous publics** (France)
* **L** (Iceland)
* **T** (Italy)
* **G** (Japan)
* **U** (Malaysia)
* **AL** (Netherlands) (original rating)
* **6** (Netherlands) (re-rating)
* **G** (Nigeria)
* **A** (Norway) (iTunes rating)
* **7** (Norway) (1986)
* **Apt** (Peru)
* **M/6** (Portugal)
* **G** (Saudi Arabia)
* **G** (Singapore)
* **All** (South Korea)
* **TP** (Spain)
* **7** (Sweden)
* **u 13+** (Thailand) (self-applied)
* **U** (United Kingdom)
* **G** (United States)
* **6** (Germany)

## Images

UK VHS cover (1986)UK VHS coverUK VHS cover (1993)UK VHS coverUK VHS cover (1998)UK DVD cover (2004)UK Blu-ray cover
## Cast and Crew

### Writing Credits

* David Kirschner (created by)
* David Kirschner (story by) &
* Judy Freudberg (story by) &
* Tony Geiss (story by)
* Judy Freudberg (screenplay) &
* Tony Geiss (screenplay)

### Cast

* Erica Yohn - Mama Mousekewitz
* Nehemiah Persoff - Papa Mousekewitz
* Amy Green - Tanya Mousekewitz
* Phillip Glasser - Fievel Mousekewitz
* Christopher Plummer - Henri le Pigeon
* John Finnegan - Warren T. Rat
* Will Ryan - Digit
* Hal Smith - Moe
* Pat Musick - Tony Toponi
* Cathianne Blore - Bridget
* Neil Ross - Honest John
* Madeline Kahn - Gussie Mausheimer
* Dom DeLuise - Tiger

### Other Cast (in alphabetical order)

* Betsy Cathcart - Tanya Mousekewitz (singing voice) (uncredited)
* Dan Kuenster - Jake (uncredited)

### Producers

* Kate Barker (associate producer)
* Don Bluth (produced by)
* Gary Goldman (produced by)
* Kathleen Kennedy (executive producer)
* David Kirschner (executive producer)
* Frank Marshall (executive producer)
* Deborah Jelin Newmyer (associate producer) (as Deborah Jelin)
* John Pomeroy (produced by)
* Steven Spielberg (executive producer)

## Details

### Countries

* USA
* UK
* Ireland

### Release Dates

* November 21, 1986 (USA)
* December 26, 1986 (Australia)
* December 31, 1986 (Norway)
* February 4, 1987 (France)
* May 18, 1987 (Spain)
* June 19, 1987 (Austria)
* June 19, 1987 (West Germany)
* July 2, 1987 (Argentina)
* July 3, 1987 (Brazil)
* July 3, 1987 (Ireland)
* July 10, 1987 (New Zealand)
* July 24, 1987 (UK)
* July 31, 1987 (Soviet Union) (video premiere)
* August 1, 1987 (Japan)
* August 13, 1987 (Peru)
* September 16, 1987 (Uruguay)
* October 16, 1987 (Denmark)
* December 11, 1987 (Finland)
* December 11, 1987 (Sweden)
* December 18, 1987 (Portugal)
* December 22, 1987 (Italy)
* March 19, 1988 (West Germany) (video premiere)
* April 4, 1989 (Singapore)
* July 10, 1989 (Madagascar)
* July 13, 1989 (Belize)
* October 11, 1990 (Turkey)
* January 21, 1991 (Togo)
* May 10, 1991 (Hungary) (video premiere)
* October 3, 1993 (Russia)
* October 2, 2002 (France) (re-release)
* January 20, 2004 (Canada) (DVD premiere)
* November 28, 2005 (Russia) (DVD premiere)
* November 21, 2006 (Greece) (DVD premiere)
* May 25, 2016 (France) (re-release, restored version)
* October 16, 2018 (Thailand) (Blu-Ray release)

### Home Media Release Dates

* September 21, 1987 (UK) (VHS) (rental)
* November 7, 1988 (UK) (VHS) (retail)
* June 29, 1992 (UK) (VHS re-release)
* October 11, 1993 (UK) (VHS re-release)
* March 4, 2002 (UK) (VHS re-release)

## Reception

### Box office

The film has grossed up to $47 million in the United States and Canada, and $84 million worldwide. At the time of its domestic release, it became the highest-grossing animated feature for an initial release and the highest-grossing non-Disney produced animated feature. It was also one of the first animated films to outdraw a Disney one, beating out *The Great Mouse Detective* (another traditionally animated film involving mice that was released in 1986 but four months earlier) by over US$22 million, but *The Great Mouse Detective* was more successful with critics, most notably Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. The inexpensive success of *The Great Mouse Detective* played a large role in the Disney Renaissance; due to the fact that it was both a critical and financial success, which saved Walt Disney Animation Studios from going bankrupt after *The Black Cauldron* had flopped at the box office a year earlier. It would later be outgrossed by Bluth's next film, 1988's *The Land Before Time*, which marginally outperformed *Oliver & Company*; the latter did beat out *The Land Before Time* at the domestic box office by $5,000,000.

## Company Credits

### Production Companies

* Universal Pictures
* Sullivan Studios
* U-Drive Productions
* Amblin Entertainment
* Don Bluth Productions

### Distributors

* Universal Pictures (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
* United International Pictures (UIP) (1987) (Argentina) (theatrical)
* United International Pictures (UIP) (1987) (Austria) (theatrical)
* United International Pictures (UIP) (1987) (Finland) (theatrical)
* United International Pictures (UIP) (1987) (Japan) (theatrical)
* United International Pictures (UIP) (1986) (Norway) (theatrical)
* CIC Video (1986) (UK) (VHS)
* CIC-Taft Home Video (1986) (Australia) (VHS)
* Argentina Video Home (1987) (Argentina) (VHS)
* CIC Victor Video (1987) (Japan) (VHS)
* MCA Home Video (1987) (Canada) (VHS)
* MCA Home Video (1987) (USA) (Betamax, VHS)
* MCA Home Video (1987) (USA) (laserdisc, video)
* CIC Video (1988) (West Germany) (VHS)
* Esselte CIC Video (1988) (Netherlands) (VHS)
* Esselte Video (1988) (Norway) (VHS)
* CIC Video (1992) (Spain) (DVD)
* CIC Video (1991) (UK) (VHS)
* CIC Video (Brazil) (VHS)
* MCA/Universal Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
* MCA/Universal Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)
* Universal Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
* Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (2020) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
* Universal Pictures Home Video (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
* Universal Pictures Home Video (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
* Universal Pictures Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
* Universal Pictures Video (2005) (Norway) (DVD)
* Universal Pictures Video (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
* Universal Pictures Video (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
* Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2016) (Denmark) (DVD)
* Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2016) (Finland) (DVD)
* Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2016) (Norway) (DVD)
* Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2016) (Sweden) (DVD)
* Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (DVD)
* Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2014) (Australia) (Blu-ray, DVD)
* Universal Studios Home Video (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
* Universal Studios Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
* Universal Studios Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)

### Special Effects

* A&A Special Effects (special atmospheric effects)
* Special Effects Unlimited (special atmospheric effects)

## Technical Specs

### Aspect Ratio

* 1.85:1 (intended ratio)
* 1.66:1 (1997 Re-Release)
* 1:37:1 (negative ratio)
* 1.14:1 (35mm uncropped film scan prints, along with the film itself in open matte)

## Trivia

* There is some fan criticism with the widescreen format on the Blu-ray release and digital streamings. The film was theatrically released in 1.66:1. When it was digitally released, the frame is cropped further to 1.85:1, loosing more of the masterpiece compared to on the full screen release on VHS and older DVD releases.
* As of July 1, 2020, *The Secret of NIMH*, this film, *The Land Before Time*, *All Dogs Go to Heaven*, *Rock-a-Doodle*, and *The Pebble and the Penguin* are the only feature-length Don Bluth films not owned by The Walt Disney Company, although Disney still owns international rights for *The Pebble and the Penguin* under 20th Century Studios.
* Originally, the concept consisted of an all-animal world, like Disney's *Robin Hood* (1973), but Don Bluth suggested featuring an animal world existing as a hidden society from the human world, like Disney's *The Rescuers* (1977). After viewing the film, Steven Spielberg agreed. Don also worked on both these films during his time working at the Disney Company.
* In designing the look of the film and its characters, Don Bluth worked with Amblin Entertainment and the Sears marketing department (Sears had a major marketing push on the main character). He decided to make a stylistic shift from the more angular "modern style" of animation of the time to a style similar to Disney animation from the 1940s, where the characters have a more soft and cuddly feel. This proved successful, and at release many critics praised the "old fashioned style" of the film's look and feel. This was during a period when the market for nostalgia was particularly strong among baby boomers, who at this time were seeking products for their young children, and only three years before the beginning of the Disney Renaissance for the studio Bluth once worked for.
* This was Universal Pictures' first animated feature film since *Pinocchio in Outer Space* (1965).
* The DVD and Blu-Rayjacket front cover shows Fievel's sister Tanya as she appears in the sequel.
* Final film of Johnny Guarnieri.
* Fievel became the mascot for Spielberg's Amblimation animation production company, appearing in its production logo until the studio's dissolution in 1997.
* This is Amblin Entertainment's first animated film.
* This is the first Amblin Entertainment film to be rated G by the MPAA.
* The film was jointly produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The success of the movie along with that of The Land Before Time (1988) spurred Steven Spielberg to open an animation branch of the business called "Amblimation".
* With a runtime of 81 minutes, it is the longest film in the franchise.
* When the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray, it had a few redubs that caused a bit of backlash from fans. However, the British DVD release has the original dub.
* This is the first animated film to star Dom DeLuise that takes place in New York. The second film would be *Oliver & Company* (1988). Interestingly the two films take place about 100 years apart. *An American Tail* took place in 1885 while *Oliver and Company* takes place between 1986 and 1988.
* James Horner's first score for an animated film.
* This is the first Amblin Entertainment's animated film to be rated G by the MPAA.

## Connections

### Followed by

* *An American Tail: Fievel Goes West* (1991)
* *Fievel's Adventures in the West* (TV Series 1992)
* *An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island* (Video 1998)
* *An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster* (Video 1999)

### Edited from

* *The Secret of N-I-M-H* (1982) - A shot of a cat lunging towards the camera during the market attack is recycled from Don Bluth's previous film.

### Edited into

* *An American Tail: Fievel Goes West* (1991) - Right after the final battle, all of the mice claim victory, there is some recycled animation from the first movie in the background.

### References

* *Duck Soup* (1933) - Warren T. Rat says "Who are you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?", a direct quote from this movie
* *Blazing Saddles* (1974) - Madeline Kahn recycled the dialect she used for Lili von Schtupp as the voice of Gussie.
* *The Godfather Part II* (1974) - The scene where Fievel sees the Statue of Liberty parallels the similar shot where Vito as a child sees the statue from Ellis Island.
* *The Rescuers* (1977) - The design for the chairman of the Rescue Aid Society was reused for Fievel's father in this 1986 title.
* *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom* (1984) - the last minute hat retrieval is copied

### Referenced in

* *Babar: The Movie* (1989) - The giant elephant they built at the end is a reference to the "Giant Mouse of Minsk"
* *Final Cut* (1989) - Poster seen in video store.
* *We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story* (1993) - Fievel appears with the Amblimation logo.
* *An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island* (Video 1998) - Tony's relationship with Bridget is suggested by Fievel's expression he gave Tony, as it is silenced due to dialogue constraint.
* *SpongeBob SquarePants: Welcome to the Chum Bucket/Frankendoodle* (TV Episode 2002) - "This Grill Is Not a Home" serves as a reference to "Somewhere Out There".