AN AMERICAN TAIL. Directed by Don Bluth; written by Judy Freuberg and Tony Giess; produced by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy for Universal. Animated. Rated G.
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An American Tail is weak in storyline, but strong in endearingly animated characters. Director/coproducer Bluth managed to score high in both areas with his first movie, The Secret of N.I.M.H.
An American Tail isn't as good, and it could have been, with a little smoother editing and closer attention to character development. (Yes, this is important, even if the characters are cartoons.) But it still will briefly amuse and perhaps even touch its young audience and their parents. It won't linger long in their memories, however.
The story is set in the late 1800's and focuses on a family of Russian immigrant mice. Like this year's earlier Great Mouse Detective, An American Tail creates a sub-society of animals which looks and acts a lot like its human counterpart. So on the boat to America, we have Russian, Irish and Italian mice, all dreaming of a better life in the New World. Where, they are sure, the streets are paved with cheese and there are no cats.
Of course, they find out differently soon after they land, but enthusiasm for their new home is undimmed. The almost-completed Statue of Liberty is a shining symbol that everything is possible in America.
Children old enough to be curious about history can learn a lot, not directly from An American Tail but from asking questions later. The only problem is that they will probably be either bored or confused by poorly-paced and jerky plot while in the theatre.
Younger children will be charmed by the animals and won't be bothered by such technical considerations. And the characters are quite charming and inventive. The center of the action is Fievel, a plucky but naive young mouse who gets separated from his family during the voyage over.
The various colorful animals he meets—some menacing, but others sympathetic and helpful—are well-drawn and well-acted. The most original is an electric cockroach, the most villainous is a cat who pretends to be a mouse and collects "protection" money.
An American Tail certainly deserves an A+ in citizenship, for good intentions and an E effort. It's just too bad about that C in continuity.
December 10, 1986