An American Tail

1986
U
1h 20m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

59K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,469

725

Phillip Glasser in An American Tail (1986)

Animal Adventure Hand-Drawn Animation Urban Adventure Adventure Animation Comedy Drama Family Musical

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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

59K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,469

725

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 6 wins & 7 nominations total

Photos180

+ 172

Top cast21

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Dom DeLuise

Tiger
(voice)

Christopher Plummer

Henri
(voice)

Erica Yohn

Mama Mousekewitz
(voice)

Nehemiah Persoff

Papa Mousekewitz
(voice)

Amy Green

Tanya Mousekewitz
(voice)

Phillip Glasser

Fievel Mousekewitz
(voice)

John Finnegan

Warren T. Rat
(voice)

Will Ryan

Digit
(voice)

Hal Smith

Moe
(voice)

Pat Musick

Tony Toponi
(voice)

Cathianne Blore

Bridget
(voice)

Neil Ross

Honest John
(voice)

Madeline Kahn

Gussie Mausheimer
(voice)

Alitzah

Tanya
(singing voice)
(uncredited)

Betsy Cathcart

Tanya Mousekewitz
(singing voice)
(uncredited)

Johnny Guarnieri

Italian Singer Mouse
(voice)
(uncredited)

Warren Hays

Irish Singer Mouse
(voice)
(uncredited)

T. Daniel Hofstedt

No Cats in America Chorus
(voice)
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Fievel was the name of Steven Spielberg's grandfather.

Goofs
In the cat's lair Tiger mentions to Fievel that he is a fan of broccoli. The film is set in the 1885-1886 time frame. Both broccoli and cauliflower were unknown in the United States then. In fact, both vegetables were not commercially grown in the United States until Italian immigrants started commercially growing both vegetables in California in the 1920s.

Quotes
Honest John: [At the wake of Mickey O'Hare] Poor lad. So young. He never had a chance to vote. Well, he'll vote from now on. I'll make sure of that.
[Writes Mickey's name on a notebook under "Ghost Votes"]

Crazy credits
The first half of the end credits feature period engravings of what New York City looked like in the 1880s.

Alternate versions
The 2006 DVD release includes a remastered 5.1 soundtrack, both in Dolby Digital and DTS. It also has some dialogue changes compared to the original, most noticeably: Extra dialogue that was recorded but never used, and different voices for the orphans towards the end of the film (adults instead of kids - these are actually the original voices, which were replaced by children after the scene was animated).

Connections
Edited from The Secret of N-I-M-H (1982)

Soundtracks
There Are No Cats in America
Music by James Horner and Barry Mann
Lyrics by Cynthia Weil
Performed by Nehemiah Persoff, Johnny Guarnieri, and Warren Hays

User reviews115

Review

Featured review

A celebration of the American Dream

As a non-American who has heard so often of The American Dream, I saw this movie as a celebration of that dream. The flight of the poor and oppressed (and Jewish?) from Europe to the proposed Land of Freedom and Wealth (There are no cats in America and the streets are paved with cheese?) to find more poverty and oppression (workhouses, cats and workhouse tout Warren T. Rat), but with the opportunity to do something about it that they did not have in the old country.

The song "Somewhere Out There" is quite perfectly matched with Fyvel and his family searching for each other, and the version heard in the movie is rather more expressive than the released single.

It is not necessarily fun for the whole family. Children will find it fun. Adults will find it interesting, not so much in fun as in pride and awareness, at least if they are Americans .