History WesternAnimation / AnAmericanTail

Saw a sequel five years later with ''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest Fievel Goes West]]'', a pastiche of classic westerns in which the Mousekewitz family, still dirt poor and at the mercy of ever-more-sophisticated cats, flee New York for a Wild Western town. The debut production of Spielberg's Creator/Amblimation studio (albeit featuring no involvement from Bluth), the film, unusually for its period, was a full-budgeted theatrical release boasting comparably fluid animation to its predecessor (despite its conspicuously LighterAndSofter tone). A [[ShortRunners short-lived]] TV series set within the same Western town (''WesternAnimation/FievelsAmericanTails'') aired the following year; both instalments featured a RoleReprise from Phillip Glasser as Fievel. Years later, two additional [[DirectToVideo DTV]] sequels (''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheTreasureOfManhattanIsland The Treasure of Manhattan Island]]'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheMysteryOfTheNightMonster Mystery of the Night Monster]]'') were produced; both films play fast and loose with the established continuity, and had no involvement from either Bluth or Spielberg. While the series (mostly) retains a surprisingly consistent cast by the standards of most '90s animated franchises, Creator/DomDeLuise (Tiger) and Creator/NehemiahPersoff (Papa Mousekewitz) are the sole actors to feature in all four films

Saw a sequel five years later with ''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest Fievel Goes West]]'', a pastiche of classic westerns in which the Mousekewitz family, still dirt poor and at the mercy of ever-more-sophisticated cats, flee New York for a Wild Western town. The debut production of Spielberg's Creator/Amblimation studio (albeit featuring no involvement from Bluth), the film, unusually for its period, was a full-budgeted theatrical release boasting comparably fluid animation to its predecessor (despite its conspicuously LighterAndSofter tone). A [[ShortRunners short-lived]] TV series set within the same Western town,(''WesternAnimation/FievelsAmericanTails''), aired the following year; both instalments featured a RoleReprise from Phillip Glasser as Fievel. Years later, two additional [[DirectToVideo DTV]] sequels (''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheTreasureOfManhattanIsland The Treasure of Manhattan Island]]'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheMysteryOfTheNightMonster Mystery of the Night Monster]]'') were produced; both films play fast and loose with the established continuity, and had no involvement from either Bluth or Spielberg. While the series (mostly) retains a surprisingly consistent cast by the standards of most '90s animated franchises, Creator/DomDeLuise (Tiger) and Creator/NehemiahPersoff (Papa Mousekewitz) are the sole actors to feature in all four films

Saw a sequel five years later with ''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest Fievel Goes West]]'', in which the Mousekewitz family, still dirt poor and at the mercy of ever-more-sophisticated cats, flee New York for the Wild West (made without Bluth's involvement, but with Spielberg still on board), and a [[ShortRunners short-lived]] TV series in the same setting (''WesternAnimation/FievelsAmericanTails''), and two additional [[DirectToVideo DTV]] sequels (''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheTreasureOfManhattanIsland The Treasure of Manhattan Island]]'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheMysteryOfTheNightMonster Mystery of the Night Monster]]'') that played fast and loose with the established continuity, and had no involvement from the original creators.

** The Statue of Liberty is a golden copper color. When the statue was first built, it really was that color slowly turning to the blue-green color it is today as a result of oxidization from weathering over subsequent decades.

** The Statue of Liberty is a golden copper color. When the statue was firt built, it really was that color slowly turning to the blue-green color it is today as a result of oxidization from weathering over subsequent decades.

* SewerGator: Used [[MouseWorld proportionally]] with a regular lizard. [[AlwaysABiggerFish It eats the cockroaches attacking Feivel, allowing him to escape.]] A large, creepy-looking fish is also seen in the sewer.

* ScarecrowSolution: The Giant Mouse of Minsk sees the mice use a giant (well, to them, anyway) mechanical mouse to terrify the cats into leaving them alone. [[spoiler:It's double suvberted at the end of the movie when try actually try to use it. The subversion comes from them having to stop the release of the Giant Mouse before it's ready, and soon as they stop it, the mice now have to release it. When they do, it starts falling apart and making horrific mechanical noises. The double subversion comes in the fact that this terrifies the cats even further than the Giant Mouse if it had worked properly, and the cats book it as fast as they can.]]

* ThatsAllFolks: Right before the credits, Fievel and Tanya wave to the audience and shout "Bye-bye!" before riding Henri out of view.

* AnachronismStew: The movie takes place in 1885-86.

* AnachronismStew: A group of children are shown reciting the Pledge of Allegiance which wouldn't be invented until 1892, and they add 'Under God', which wouldn't be added until 1951. And they have their hands over their hearts (They couldn't have had them using the original salute, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute which was co-opted by the Nazis in the 1930's and '40's]]). "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is played in the phonograph even if the song wasn't published until 1897. The majority of the movie takes place in 1885-86.

[[caption-width-right:300:[[{{Tagline}} ''Meet Fievel. In his search to find his family, he discovered America.'']]]]

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Tiger is the one cat among many who likes mice as people, not as food. He manages to convinceFievel that he's not going to eat him, and the two bond over being outcasts. In the second movie, Tiger also saves Fievel's life, and helps put a stop to the BigBad Cat R. Waul's plans against the rest of the cats.

* AnimalJingoism: Cats vs mice, though it's used as a metaphor for Orthodox Jews and Cossacks. But we're relatively confident that Jews weren't literally eaten by Cossacks who were multiple times their size.

* GratuitousFrench: Henri the pigeon, who builds and lives in the Statue of Liberty. When you take into account that the statue is a gift to the United States from the people of France, it makes sense.

* NiceHat: Fievel has one, a Russian Kasket cap, which becomes fairly significant to his identity. At the beginning of the film, Papa presents the hat to Fievel as a Hanukkah gift. He explains that it belonged to his father, and his father's father, meaning it originally belonged to Fievel's great-grandfather. If they have human lifespans (as is implied in the series), this would date the hat to the 1700's.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The Art/StatueOfLiberty's golden copper color in the film wasn't just artistic license; when the statue was first built it really was that color. It slowly oxidized to its current green color over subsequent decades.

Saw a sequel five years later with ''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest Fievel Goes West]]'', in which the Mousekewitz family, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome still dirt poor and at the mercy of ever-more-sophisticated cats]], flee New York for the Wild West (made without Bluth's involvement, but with Spielberg still on board), and a [[ShortRunners short-lived]] TV series in the same setting (''WesternAnimation/FievelsAmericanTails''), and two additional [[DirectToVideo DTV]] sequels (''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheTreasureOfManhattanIsland The Treasure of Manhattan Island]]'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheMysteryOfTheNightMonster Mystery of the Night Monster]]'') that played fast and loose with the established continuity, and had no involvement from the original creators.

* AwardBaitSong: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFp10zmArgg Somewhere Out There]]" in the first movie—particularly the duet between Music/LindaRonstadt and Music/JamesIngram. They tried to do it again in the sequels, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmQb_yE3eyk Dreams to Dream]]" from ''Fievel Goes West'' being the only other remotely successful attempt, as it also received a Linda Ronstadt cover.

* AwardBaitSong: "Somewhere Out There" is definitely one of the best-known examples, and probably the TropeCodifier—especially the Music/LindaRonstadt and Music/JamesIngram duet.

* AwardBaitSong: "Somewhere Out There" is definitely one of the best-known examples, and probably the TropeCodifier.

* AwardBaitSong: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFp10zmArgg Somewhere Out There]]" in the first movie. They tried to do it again in the sequels, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmQb_yE3eyk Dreams to Dream]]" from ''Fievel Goes West'' being the only other remotely successful attempt, as it also received a Linda Ronstadt cover.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: When an immigration officer at Ellis Island asks one of them his surname, he replies with a long Slavic name, to which the officer replies, "Okay, Mr... Smith". In reality, new immigrants did ''not'' have their names changed for them like that. While name changes did occur, this was always done by the immigrants themselves, and not until well after they had arrived.

* AssInALionSkin: Warren T. Rat [[spoiler: (actually a cat himself) dresses as a rat to fool the mice into buying into his protection racket against the cats.]]

* BigDamnReunion: Probably one of the most famous examples in animated films.
* BigGood: Gussie Mouseheimer, the rich mouse who wawees, er, ''rallies'' the mice of New York City to stand up to the cats.

%%* BreakTheCutie
* BreakUpMakeUpScenario: At the point where Fievel actually gives up his search for his family.
* CatStereotype: Tiger (orange) is the one good cat. In the first sequel his love interest is light grey.
* CentralTheme: The film is an allegory on the idealistic expectations vs harsh reality of immigrations for the Russians heading towards America.

* CrapsackWorld: Russia and New York are essentially portrayed as this. New York gets worse in the sequel.

%%* GrassIsGreener: [[WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries In America!]]

* GutFeeling: "I just have this feeling - like Fievel's alive!"

* HopeSpot: Fievel has these several times throughout the movie, only to have his hopes of finding his family dashed to pieces again and again.
** A special mention to each time Fievel hears a violin, believing it's his papa playing, only to discover it isn't the case... Well, until the very end.

* LostAtSea: Fievel gets washed overboard, and floats to New York in a bottle.

* WhatMeasureIsANonCute:Most of the cats are bullies, but Tiger is noticeably cute and looks like [[Film/TheWizardOfOz the Cowardly Lion]] and the cats who explicitly try to eat the protagonists are drawn as big, violent monsters. Digit the cockroach is just a pest and is kind of cute but the sewer roaches who menace Fievel are rendered as realistic BigCreepyCrawlies.

* AnimalJingoism: Cats vs mice; though it's used as a metaphor.

* BarefootCartoonAnimal: Most of the mouse characters.
** Warren too till near the climax where he's only in his night gown.
* BeastFable: They're not just mice. They're Russo-Jewish immigrants.
* BigApplesauce: Most of the films is set in New York City.

* PunBasedTitle: "Tale". "Tail". [[DontExplainTheJoke Get it?]]
** Most of the overseas translations weren't able to incorporate this trope, but the German version, ''Feivel Der Mauswanderer'', pulled it off (the word for emigrant is "auswanderer", so add an 'm' and it becomes a cute mouse pun).

* CatsAreMean: As stated elsewhere, Creator/DonBluth is probably a dog person. Although Tiger is a nice guy.
** Don Bluth said once in an interview that "We knew that if we were going to say "all cats are bad", [[AvertedTrope we wanted to have at least one "good" one...and that's Tiger."]]

* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: The cat characters.

* InformedJudaism: Fievel's Jewishness is barely touched upon really. If you weren't paying attention you might not even know that they are celebrating Hanukkah at the beginning of the first movie, or notice the Yiddish text on the briefly-seen memorial the family has for Fievel when they think he's dead. And their Jewish heritage is all but buried in the sequels.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Tiger

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: See FakeRussian in the Trivia tab.

* SettingOffSong: "Never Say Never" and "Way Out West."

* UnnamedParent: Fievel's parents are known only as "Mama" and "Papa". An episode of ''Fievel's American Tails'' in which Fievel's Aunt Sophie comes to visit gives Papa the name Bernard. That's ''if'' you count anything from the TV series as canon, because it even contradicts ''Fievel Goes West'' at times...

%%* DisneyVillainDeath: Well, sort of.

* MissedHimByThatMuch: Over, and over, and over. The movie even provides the page picture.
* MoodWhiplash: Just the song "There are No Cats in America", in which each character gives the tragic story of what the cats did to them in their individual homelands...but... but there are nooo cats in America!