Rating: 
Summary: A true classic
Review: Wow. This is one of those animated movies you won't soon forget. With a wonderful score by James Horner, great story, and admirable characters, this is right up there with Disney's best. Basic plot: Boy gets separated from his family on their way to America by boat (in the early 1900s?) and must find his way back to them. On his journey, he meets new friends and enemies in one grand adventure in New York. Oh, did I mention the main character and his family are mice? Anyway, it's a good movie. Watch it and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: "Somewhere Out There..."
Review: "Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight," there must be a better non-Disney-animated film. NAAAAAAAAH! An American Tail is animator and director Don Bluth's best work to date. The story of a young Russian mouse being swept out to sea while on a voyage with his family to America still holds up very well, even (GASP!) 15 years after the film's theatrical debut. (Wow, I'm getting old!) Fortunately the young mouse, whose name is Fievel, washes up alive and well on New York Harbor. From there, he sets off on a journey to find his family. But it may be more difficult than he anticipated once he comes across the "two-faced" villain Warren T. Rat (voiced to perfection by John Finnegan) and the city's many other dangers that could threaten his quest. As stated before, An American Tail is very nicely animated, and the incredible soundtrack, composed by James Horner, gives the movie a timeless quality that is one of the reasons why it stands the test of time. Each character is also perfectly voiced. Just to name a few of these talents, Philip Glasser is the voice of Fievel, Dom DeLuise is Tiger the cat, Amy Green is Fievel's sister, Tanya, and as mentioned before, John Finnegan is Warren T. Rat. The songs are also brilliantly performed, the best of which is the classic "Somewhere Out There," beautifully sung during the film by Fievel and Tanya, and again during the end credits by Linda Ronstadt. All in all, An American Tail is an enduring and heartwarming film that will be embraced by everyone who's young at heart. And so it is to these people that I highly recommend this film. And if you enjoy it, I also recommend viewing the sequel, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. It's every bit as good.
Rating:
Summary: An American Tail
Review: AAT is one of the best animated movies from the 1980's, and also a Don Bluth masterpiece.
Many animated movies is getting too blended with CGI, and it failed like in Pocahontas, but AAT is nicely animated without any use of a computer.
Rating:
Summary: All I can say is...wow.
Review: For those who think An American Tail is just a kids movie, they are most definately wrong. I was proven wrong when we watched it in my Sophomore History class, and it caught my full attention in the first five minutes.
Don Bluth creates an animation masterpiece that rivals some of Disney's best films, and James Horner provides us with a heartwarming score.
The story revolves around little Fievel Mousekewitz, a Russian immigrant who comes to America near the turn of the century (1885). He gets sent overboard the steamboat during a storm, and he sets off alone in New York, determined to find the family he lost.
With unforgettable characters, catchy songs; including the award-winning 'Somewhere Out There', An American Tail will capture your mind and heart and will be enjoyed for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: "Somewhere Out There..."
Review: "Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight," there must be a better non-Disney-animated film. NAAAAAAAAH! An American Tail is animator and director Don Bluth's best work to date. The story of a young Russian mouse being swept out to sea while on a voyage with his family to America still holds up very well, even (GASP!) 15 years after the film's theatrical debut. (Wow, I'm getting old!) Fortunately the young mouse, whose name is Fievel, washes up alive and well on New York Harbor. From there, he sets off on a journey to find his family. But it may be more difficult than he anticipated once he comes across the "two-faced" villain Warren T. Rat (voiced to perfection by John Finnegan) and the city's many other dangers that could threaten his quest. As stated before, An American Tail is very nicely animated, and the incredible soundtrack, composed by James Horner, gives the movie a timeless quality that is one of the reasons why it stands the test of time. Each character is also perfectly voiced. Just to name a few of these talents, Philip Glasser is the voice of Fievel, Dom DeLuise is Tiger the cat, Amy Green is Fievel's sister, Tanya, and as mentioned before, John Finnegan is Warren T. Rat. The songs are also brilliantly performed, the best of which is the classic "Somewhere Out There," beautifully sung during the film by Fievel and Tanya, and again during the end credits by Linda Ronstadt. All in all, An American Tail is an enduring and heartwarming film that will be embraced by everyone who's young at heart. And so it is to these people that I highly recommend this film. And if you enjoy it, I also recommend viewing the sequel, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. It's every bit as good.
Rating: 
Summary: When will they ever learn...
Review: I have waited a long time for An American Tail to be released on dvd and I was very discouraged when I finally found it in a movie store. I actually love the movie itself and give it 5 stars but I awarded it's dvd release 1 star for a particular reason. For some reason whoever makes the choice for the format of the movie has this blind man's perspective that "kid's" movies should be released in a standard 4:3 ratio. This company did the same with The Land Before Time as well. Universal did the same to a clever movie called Big Fat Liar. Standard format was originally invented on videotape movie releases because everyone who owned a TV back when marketing videos began owned a square almost equal lateral set. No other type of TV screen existed back then. Now a days HDTV and widescreen plasma monitors are the new standard and cope with it folks they are here to stay. I actually prefer the widescreen format. One reason is because that is exactly how it is supposed to look...panoramic, professional and sophisticated. If you saw a comparison of one frame of a movie (let's say from the opening scene of the Live action movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, there is an awesome panoramic view of Manhattan, NY with the World Trade Center, Empire State Building, Ect.)Take that same frame and view it in standard and it loses so much pizzazz and scenery that I can hardly call it the same movie. I read another review on this website about another movie and the author said it best. It's like trying to read a book with the last chapter torn out of it. Has anyone noticed the trend of commercials on TV having those black bars on the top and bottom of the screen? That is evidence that widescreen is here to stay. Has anyone ever watched a full frame 4:3 format movie on a widescreen TV? Didn't like it did you? The picture looked really crappy and distorted didn't it? I have heard there are ways to manipulate the settings on these screens to change a stretched out 4:3 movie to a normal 4:3 shape but then those evil black bars that everyone seems to hate so much come back but this time on the left and right sides of the screen! And after time on a plasma screen those evil black bars can cause permanent damage to that area of the screen. At any rate buy An American Tail on DVD, it is no different than the VHS copy your child has under the couch next to the moldy bologna sandwich in the living room but at least you can watch it on your dvd player instead of on a scratchy noisy VCR. Enjoy! This was a review written by a member of the Non-Existing Widescreen DVD Coalition. Ask Hollywood to bring Night Of The Comet to dvd and any other title you wish you had.
Rating: 
Summary: A Slighly Altered "Tail"
Review: Since I have already written a review back in spring of 2001 that touches on the brilliance of this animated treasure, this review will focus primarily on the newly released DVD of the film. I for one, was certainly thrilled to learn that Universal was finally giving Fievel the coveted DVD treatment, and anticipated its release on the format each day since. Yes, features are scarce, and yes, the film is presented in full frame only, but the way I see it, having An American Tail on DVD at all is a milestone for me, since it is a title I have yearned for since the early days of the format. Do not get me wrong, I am a VERY strong supporter of original aspect ratio on home video, but An American Tail is not exactly a film that cries out for the anamorphic widescreen treatment. In this case, its omission does not really detract from the experience. But then again, maybe I am being slightly biased about this film, having seen it once as child, loved it, and becoming hooked on it ever since. As far as the picture quality is concerned, aside from the image being full frame, I was actually rather impressed. I was not expecting the image to be quite so crisp and clear. There were a few more speckles of film dirt then I thought should have been there, but for a film nearing twenty years old, it was still a good deal better than I was expecting. Clarity was most definitely improved over the VHS versions, and colors were strong and nice-looking. The sound is also pretty great. I listened to the DTS 5.1 soundtrack on my surround system, and it is, without a doubt, the best I have ever heard this film. However, those of you who have seen American Tail numerous times over (as I have) are bound to notice changes in some of the dialogue as compared to past video releases. In teh opening titles, for example, as we approach the Mousewitz home, laughter is now heard inside the humans' cottage where, on the VHS release, all that can be heard is James Horner's soundtrack. Also, new or never-before-heard of dialogue have been spliced into the film throughtout. Th emost noteable instances of this are during the scenes when Fievel is trapped in a birdcage, crying, just before he meets Tiger. Also, when the cats are being anchored up onto the ship headed for Hong Kong, Warren T. now utters an additional line from offscreen, which I will leave you to discover. Anyone who has seen the film a good many times is bound to notice these changes. While this altered/re-dubbed dialogue does not neccesarily hurt the film, it is still fair to question why these changes were needed. Perhaps Universal felt the need to offer something new to DVD buyers who would be purchasing this film again? There is no sense in correcting something that was never broken to begin with. Be that as it may, the changes do not take away from one's enjoyment of the film, or certainly not mine, at least. Bottom line, American Tail lovers who are not particularly picky about aspect ratio should find this DVD well worth acquring . Like I said, I am big on widescreen myself, but in this case, found the movie too irresistable to turn down, especially at its low list price. Full frame and re-recorded dialogue aside, An American Tail is still the classic that it was nearly 20 years ago. So buy it before you are stuck trying to find an out-of-print copy "somwhere out there."
Rating:
Summary: All I can say is...wow.
Review: For those who say American Tail is a kids movie, they are most definately wrong. Don Bluth creates an animation masterpiece along with James Horner's wonderful score.
An American Tail revolves around Fievel Mousekewitz, a young Russian immigrant who has come to America for a better life and to find his family.
The animation is astounding for a 1986 film, and the award-winning 'Somewhere Out There' is nice enough. Definately a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: My Favourite Movie of All Time
Review: I first saw this film when i was three years old. Since then I've seen it at least 200 times. My VHS is worn out in several spots, but since I've memorized all the dialouge, I simply repeat it over the static and fuzz. I still love this movie fifteen years later. It is heartwarming, hilarious, interesting, and beautifully animated. Not always historically accurate, but what little kid cares about that ?
Rating:
Summary: A kids' movie with a PLOT!!! How shocking!!!
Review: Unlike the typical Disney animated fare that runs far too saccharine for my tastes, An American Tail delivers. It's a feel good movie within a complex plot that does not leave me, a non-parent (with small nieces and nephews to care for) wishing for more popcorn and a good book.
I disagree with the crop-circle reviewer below; this is not a scary movie for smalls. My two and a half year old nephew was entranced by the bad cats and rats as well as the good creatures. He, unlike certain reviewers, has realized what fantasy is and how entertaining a good thrill can be. (He also likes Finding Nemo, with its large bodycount, The Nightmare before Christmas, and Shreck, with its scary scenes.)
As a child psychologist, I think An American Tail has a lot to offer a child - an allegorical look at a painful and sometimes scary part of American and world History, a way to relate to ancestors who immigrated under less than ideal circumstances, a representation of a warm and loving family going through hardship and adversity. And it's well done, the animation is sharp and clean, the music and the dialogue are entertaining and nothing will give you a cavity. This is one of the best childrens' films I've come across in a long time.
|
