An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)

A family of Emigre mice decide to move out to the West, unaware that they are falling into a trap perpetrated by a smooth-talking cat.

Directors:

Phil Nibbelink, Simon Wells

Writers:

Flint Dille (screenplay), Charles Swenson (story)

Stars:

James Stewart, John Cleese, Amy Irving

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Phillip Glasser	...	Fievel (voice)
James Stewart	...	Wylie (voice)
Erica Yohn	...	Mama (voice)
Cathy Cavadini	...	Tanya (voice)
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Papa (voice)
Dom DeLuise	...	Tiger (voice) (as Dom Deluise)
Amy Irving	...	Miss Kitty (voice)
John Cleese	...	Cat R. Waul (voice)
Jon Lovitz	...	Chula (voice)
Jack Angel	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Fausto Bara	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Vanna Bonta	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Philip L. Clarke	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Philip Clarke)
Jennifer Darling	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Annie Holliday	...	Additional Voices (voice)

Storyline

Some time after the Mousekewitz's have settled in America, they find that they are still having problems with the threat of cats. That makes them eager to try another home out in the west, where they are promised that mice and cats live in peace. Unfortunately, the one making this claim is an oily con artist named Cat R. Waul who is intent on his own sinister plan. Unaware of this, the Mousekewitz's begin their journey west, while their true cat friend, Tiger, follows intent on following his girlfriend gone in the same direction.

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Plot Keywords:

sequel | character name in title | good versus evil | card game | cartoon mouse | 

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Taglines:

Look out pardners, there's a new mouse in town!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Musical | Western

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

When asked what he thought of the sequel Don Bluth said that there were some good things about it but felt that the story line was too unbalanced.

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Goofs

When Fievel says "Let's go on that ride again!" after the can goes down the last waterfall, his voice is sped up.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Fievel: And then, the hero Wylie Burp, squinted across the dusty street. Hopelessly, surrounded by the Cactus Cat gang, he stood his ground, refusing to back down.

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Crazy Credits

Instead of showing the traditional Amblin logo (the one of Elliot going on the bicycle and flying up to the moon) the logo says, "Amblimation" and Fievel is pushing it, then he stands next to it and his hat falls down over his eyes.

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Alternate Versions

When it was released on DVD and Blu-ray in early 2017, the infamous penis doodle is cut from the film completely, as it was finally detected after all these years.

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Connections

Referenced in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: Rango (2011)

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Soundtracks

Dreams to Dream
Music by James Horner
Lyrics by Will Jennings
Performed by Cathy Cavadini
Arranged, orchestrated & conducted by David Campbell

User Reviews

A lovely plot killed by lack of story.

Well, this is one of those films that seems about a step-and-a-half away from being truly great. You have undeniable star power in John Cleese, James Stewart, and Don Bluth regular Dom deLuis. You have a handful of snappy tunes. You have bright colors and technically brilliant animation. Yet I watched it and came away from it thinking, "There was something wrong with this flick. What was it?" After due deliberations, the answer came to me: the writing.

The script is little more than a clothesline on which to hang a series of visual gags and opportunities for Cleese to give his character a few Pythonian scenes. It takes a promising premise for an entertaining sequel and burdens it with instantly forgettable songs (snappy though they were) and an insufferably cute protagonist. It's great for kids, don't get me wrong. If you're childless, however, save it for video and watch it for the quality of the animation. While astounding, it can't make up for the lack of story.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West

Filming Locations:

Amblimation - 207-211 The Vale, Acton, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,435,625, 24 November 1991

Gross USA:

$22,166,041

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,766,041

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Amblimation, Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1