Don Bluth's inherently weak narrative abilities combined with Spielberg sentimentality makes for a very poor combination. One can't deny the big impact this movie had on my childhood. Fievel is just such an adorable character and his plight to find his family is so emotional that you can't help but like the movie. You also can't deny the lasting power of the theme song "Somewhere Out There", however poorly sung Fievel's version is. An American Tail is one of Don Bluth's more successful movies, so obviously it does a few things right. However there are two things wrong with this movie. One, the songs are weak and seem out of place, except for maybe the theme song. Two, the villain is terrible and never seems menacing. The movie is dark throughout, both in terms of color and in atmosphere. It seems Don Bluth wanted to inject a level of seriousness into an already emotional tale by adding in themes of suffering and revolution in Russia, all of which are nothing but window dressing but may still suitably upset younger kids. When held up against a certain other mouse movie by Don Bluth, The Secret of Nimh, An American Tail has no magic or sparkle. The scene with the fish crunching on cockroaches may churn stomachs, and the giant mechanical cat scene is just a bit too much to swallow. However, this is as good a Don Bluth film as any, and if you have to check it out, watch this one and skip its charmless sequel. At any rate, Dom Deluise still makes a fine character, whether it's Jeremy the crow or Tiger the cat, and is worth the price of a viewing alone.

An American Tail is probably one of the finest American non-Disney films. It was a Don Bluth Studios film (the third, I believe) and was the first cartoon directed by Steven Speilberg, who gave the little boy mouse the Yiddish name of his own immigrant father, Feivel.

A James Horner score rounds the film off nicely. The hit song, Somewhere Out There originated with this cartoon.

The film follows the fortunes of a Russian Jewish family, the Mousekewitzes. Fleeing persecution in their own country, they emigrate to America, where they face the hazards of the early 20th century immigrant--con men, sweatshops, random name changes at Ellis Island. On the journey, in one of the film's most dramatic scenes, Feivel is lost overboard. The plot centers on Feivel's quest to be reunited with his family, and the effort of the mice to free themselves from the local gang of bullying cats.

One tip: send the kids to use the bathroom before seeing this film. Storms at sea, pouring buckets, waterfalls, rain: water effects abound in this film.

So do wonderful little animated touches...the flashing fish on the deck of the ship...the face Fievel makes as he escapes from the cats' sewer...the expressions on the members of the German band after each interruption...the accountant cockroach's counting style...Honest John's dripping whiskey burning holes in the floor. This is a film that bears repeated viewing!

It has its flaws, of course. There's just a touch too much gag-me-with-a-flag patriotism for my taste. Occasional scenes sink into childishness. Tiger (Dom Deluise) was just a bit over the top.

But if you can watch it without laughing, crying, and generally adoring Feivel, you're tougher than I am.