An American Tail

An American Tail

I have a vague memory of seeing this on Cartoon Network when I was very young, but I more than likely didn't finish it and had completely forgotten about it since then. So all I really knew going in was that it's an immigrant's story as told through mice, and also the "Somewhere Out There" sequence in that one episode of Community.

This is another one that I don't have a lot of thoughts on, it's just a fun journey with plenty of thrilling and intense moments that kids love because they can handle a lot more than modern studio executives think they can. Fievel is adorable and empathetic, feeling like a real curious kid that makes mistakes like any kid inevitably does. The characters he meets along the way range from being charming to annoying, but none of them are unbearable and they all serve some kind of purpose.

The visuals are incredibly impressive, especially considering this was made on half the budget of a standard Disney animated film at the time. The animation is rough but gorgeous, the backgrounds range from simple and abstract to detailed and breath-taking, and the perspective creates a larger than life quality that was unique to many of the Spielberg-produced films of the 1980's.

It's certainly not perfect. Some of the songs feel a bit rushed and there's a few too many cheesy moments (sorry), but what shines through is the genuine heart and the clear passion that went into making the project. Don Bluth is notoriously hit-and-miss as an artist, but this is the best example of his more accessible work (with Secret of NIMH being my personal favorite), and I think it was his partnership with Spielberg that helped make the whole thing possible.

Can it be too cutesy and corny? Absolutely. Do I still have "There are No Cats in America" in my head? Indeed I do. Is it worth checking out, especially for kids? Of course it is.