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 | cat | 

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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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fievel au Far West

Box Office

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was James Stewart's final film before his death on July 2, 1997 at the age of 89.

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Goofs

At one point in the movie, T.R. Chula is chasing Fieval and singing a taunting, masochistic version of the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song. The song was first published in the form most commonly used today (with water spout, etc.) in 1962, and it's earliest publication was in 1947. It's not likely the song was sung circa 1885, when the movie was set.

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Quotes

[Fievel catches up with Tanya after she sang her song to the cats]
Fievel: Tanya, let's get out of here!
Tanya Mousekewitz: [dramatically] I must stay. My public needs me.
Fievel: I can't leave you here; it's dangerous!
[Tanya writes Fievel a note and leaves]
Fievel: [reads slowly] 'Thank you for your adulation'?
[minus Fievel, the whole picture goes black, Fievel is doomed]
Fievel: Tanya!

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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

In a televised airing of the movie on Universal Kids, the following scenes are edited: The scene when Fievel fights the Cactus Cat Gang in his fantasy, the scene goes from his voice over right to the bullet of the gun turning into the cap of his cap gun, therefore, leaving out the part where he takes down the gang by shooting them and Wylie Burp congratulating him. The scene where Cat R. Waul tries to find someone to entertain his gang of cats, and he lands on a fork springing him to where a couple is dining out and lands back on the stage, so the part where the fat lady is rubbing him into the cleavage of her bare breasts is cut out.

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Connections

Featured in MarzGurl Reviews: MarzGurl Discusses an American Tail: Fievel Goes West (2012)

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Soundtracks

Rawhide
Written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington
Performed by The Blues Brothers

User Reviews

In some ways better, in some ways worse than the original.

I wasn't a huge fan of the original 'An American Tail', but with my curiosity for animated films, I took a look at the sequel, the film I'm reviewing now.

All the voice actors are back, the music, the animation looks pretty damn similar too, but one thing is gone, the director. Don Bluth was replaced by Simon Wells, in his directorial debut. As someone who finds Simon Wells' films to be enjoyable but not top notch (especially in the writing department), this is exactly what we get here.

Many people will complain that there are very few plot similarities to the original, this is true, the film's plot is nothing like the original, which I thought was a good thing in my opinion.

The characters I found to be much more memorable compared to the original, including the villain, played by John Cleese. Dom DeLuise returns as tiger and is much more funny and less annoying than in the original. Feivel the mouse continues to have a lack of a real character but I still thought he was an improvement to the original, possibly because of his maturing voice actor.

The film does not contain nearly the same dark elements as the original, but in my opinion, is more funnier and more fun. The songs are either catchy or not at all, the films signature song 'Dreams to Dream', is as good or possibly better as the original's 'Somewhere out there'. The score by James Horner is a treat, just like the original.

All real complaints come from the writing, there are small plot holes, a pointless subplot revolving around Feival's sister Tanya, and sometimes the plot seems a little too convenient.

Kids will probably like the film, fans of the original may or may not, I personally rate it lower than the original, but by not too much.