TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Reviews WesternAnimation / Fievels American Tails

Go To

•••
DarkChirano Since: May, 2013
04/17/2025 16:01:51
•••

A surprisingly decent and even somewhat intelligent forgotten series...though it has its issues.

For context, I didn’t watch this series in its initial release (though I’ve done some research regarding the context behind it). I actually first heard about this series from a review Marzgurl once did on it. So when I came across this series, I decided to give it a watch. All 13 episodes, over a period of time.

My impression upon finishing the whole thing? Pretty cute and wholesome- but not without flaws.

Let’s start off with the good stuff. First off, Fievel and Tiger actually keep their original voices from the movies (along with Cathy Cadavini as Tanya from the second movie). That may sound like a low bar- but in the years following this show, it’s surprisingly rare to have a Don Bluth main hero, even an adult one, retain their original actor. Philip Glasser still sounds pretty believable in the role of Fievel, always sounds interested/genuine, and I never thought there was a bad line delivery from him. (The now late) Dom Deluise as Tiger sounds the same, too. While Deluise tripping over himself can get a little annoying, he still fits the role regardless, and does deliver some conviction whenever he has to be serious.

The other VA’s, while replacements, actually fit the spirit of the original actors as well. Papa Mousekewitz and Cat R Waul are nearly identical to their original performances despite some small differences, while Dan Castellaneta goes in a different yet still acceptable direction as Chula.

The show itself can be humorous at times. Not stand-up comedian quality, of course, but I did find myself genuinely laughing at some stuff- especially episode 6 (“The Legend of Mouse Hollow”)’s ending with Cat R Waul and Chula. Speaking of, those two outright steal the show every scene they’re in, far more than any other character. The two villains just bounce off each other at the same quality that Fievel and Tiger do. I have heard that Chula is different between the second movie (which I haven’t seen as of this review, though I know some details and have seen some footage) and this show, being wilier and deliberately underhanded in the former while more bumbling and dim here. However, I honestly don’t mind in this case. It really lets him play off his boss’ false poshness.

Another merit to this show is how wholesome it is. Complications arise, of course, and it’s not exactly a breeze for the heroes, but it just leaves you feeling good at the end of it. The show also has the characters think intelligently where possible, or portraying it in that context, and always thinking about other people’s feelings. True, it’s no Batman the Animated Series, and there are misunderstandings, but it’s still admirable to have most of the cast try and balance their intelligence with what they think is right. Out of the good guys, in fact, Papa Mousekewitz was low-key one of the more interesting and nuanced characters in this series, equalling his portrayal in the first movie. He’s a good, caring, flexible dad willing to fully consider everything, and will encourage his family, but he’s not a total pushover and will put his foot down if there is really no other way. At the same time, he’s not always right, and is willing to admit to such folley.

Some other good characters in the show include Sweet William (voiced by Kenneth Mars in a way very different from Grandpa Longneck or King Triton), Aunt Sophie, and Clint Mousewood. ...Yes, really on those last two. Real talk- when I first saw that Marzgurl review many years ago, I was low-key antsy about the Baby Yasha and Aunt Sophie episodes (“Babysitting Blues” and “Aunt Sophie’s Visit”, respectively), as the way it was quickly described (plus from those titles), they were the most boring way to do these plotlines. Come to the point I actually watched this show, though, no- some neat character stuff is done with these two episodes (not even with who you think in the former case), with Aunt Sophie’s episode being a highlight in terms of story due to how surprisingly enjoyable she was. The series really hits its stride midway, from Episode 6 (the other highlight of the show even beyond the scene I mentioned) to Episode 12 (8’s just OK), and delivers a reasonable (though unintended) finale to this cast of characters’ story chronologically.

Now for the negative. The animation...yeah, there’s no getting around it. Unfortunately, the animation lacks in a specific way moreso than other Saturday morning cartoons, even by the standards of the early 90s. The characters look fine when they’re standing still or making small movements, and they actually appear similar to how they did in past media. It’s when they start moving very fast, though, that the quality wildly starts to vary. Sometimes, it’s OK, but other times...oh dear. The lowlight is the beginning of the otherwise great “That’s What Friends are For”, where the characters and background are not moving correctly. There's also some times where a character's face is either explicitly happy or sad, but their tone in voice is the opposite. It’s clear that the original animators from the movies didn’t work on this and/or the budget went to getting the American Tail license & American actors for this Canadian Nelvana co-production- but not having them move much. It never gets as bad as a DIC show, and despite the major issue with episode 12's beginning, there’s still nothing quite as glitchy as the missing backgrounds from Captain N...but as stated, it gets dangerously close at times.

In addition, the series can be a little repetitive with certain plot points and moments, as though the creative team couldn’t or were disallowed to think up the 13 minimum plots for a series set in the Old West. That moment with Cat R Waul and Chula from episode 6’s ending? It happens again midway through episode 8, but lacking the spontaneous energy of the first time. There’s a specific plot point in the first four episodes where Papa Mousekewitz goes off to find Fievel or something related to him. While that’s a further merit to Papa’s character in being a good dad, it can cause a bad first impression and some deja vu when it keeps happening. That said, the idea is slowly moved away from over the course of the first four episodes, only coming back near the end of the series. In general, there is some repetition of scenes and ideas mere episodes away from each other.

All in all, Fievel’s American Tails is a decent series. Not the best, but still enjoyable. I wish this show would have gotten a second season at least, for a decently-length series. Sadly, with the strong competition this show faced from competitors at the time, it didn’t get such back then. In addition, certain complications mean that an authentic follow-up to this show and franchise might never happen- with Phillip Glaser and even Thomas Dekker now being older among other actors, Dom Deluise and Kenneth Mars resting in peace, the DTV movies rewinding back to before Fievel Goes West and some dialogue making certain things ambiguous, topped off with how quickly this show was repeating itself even then. Oh well. Maybe this show’s sunset was another’s dawn.


Leave a Comment:

Top