And everything he gets emotional about, you would get emotional about, too, especially at this age in these situations.
He's not super bright, but he is super imaginative. NC (vo): He's extremely vulnerable, but he doesn't complain. (And the last scene is with Fievel giving up on finding his family)įievel: (sad) This is my home now. Tony Toponi: Stick with me, okay? (Fievel hugs him) Hey, hey, hey, HEY! What, were you engaged or something? (The second scene is with Fievel interacting with Tony Toponi) Mama Mousekewitz: (sternly) Then never do that again! Mama Mousekewitz: Angel, are you alright? The first scene is Mama checking to see if Fievel is alright) (Cut to three scenes of Fievel being a "real kid". Fievel, for a cartoon mouse, feels like a real little kid. (Cut to images of Kevin McCallister from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Preston Waters from Blank Check, Alex O'Connell from The Mummy Returns, and a young Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace ) They're either too self-reliant to the point where they feel phony and unrealistic, or they're so whiny and helpless, they become phenomenally obnoxious. NC (vo): I know it sounds odd, like obviously, we're not supposed to find the lead annoying, but.really think about kids in kids films. who I will admit, I was shocked all these years later.is not annoying. NC (vo): We're introduced to little Fievel. (We hear a brief chuckle from NC, before we are shown dozens of footage of the film's main character, Fievel Mousekewitz) NC (vo): These are the Mousekewitzs, a family so poor, literally a rag and a hand-me-down hat are presents.įievel: (struggling to fit his new hat) It's too big! Mama Mousekewitz: Enough already! They'll never get to sleep. NC (vo): We open in Russia in 1885, as per animated film logic, all animals living with humans must live as puns of those humans. (The film opens in Shostka, Russia, where the Mousekewitzes, a Russian-Jewish family of mice, live below a human family named Moskowitz) NC: So get ready for some scary imagery and and tough love, because.80s movies! This is American Tail. So I want to take a look at what makes this a visual, emotional, and technical wonder almost 35 years later. And while, yes, that is the plot, there's a lot more commentary going on about American immigration in the late 19th century that kids would never pick up on. While many do love this film, it's often seen as a simple kids story about a child finding his family. (The single cover for the song " Somewhere Out There" is shown, followed by other singles from the movies Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Pocahontas ) And, well, Disney had to look cleaner and more polished because other productions were capturing the Disney feel more than Disney was, and with less money. (Posters of The Great Mouse Detective and The Rescuers Down Under are shown) Emotional pop songs with big singers now had to be in every animated movie, as well as work their way into the story.
I don't think it's a coincidence that a mouse movie was made during and shortly after this. (We are shown an image of Fievel at Universal Studios that kicks out an image of Mickey Mouse at Disneyland while Doug does a funny voice) "Hey, kids! We got a cute mouse-cot, too!" (Speaks normally) Many argue this was the first film that scarred Disney so much, it forced them to up their game and begin their animated Renaissance. NC (vo): Produced by Steven Spielberg in 1986 with the budget of $9 million, three million smaller than most Disney films at the time, An American Tail grossed over 100 million. (The title screen is shown as clips of the movie then play) was, funny enough, from a former Disney animator, Don Bluth. Some did well, some floundered, but the one that hands down gave Disney its biggest scare. NC (vo): A lot of films from other animated studios popped up, taking advantage of a market that Disney didn't seem to be satisfying. (Cut to posters of The Transformers: The Movie, The Chipmunk Adventure, All Dogs Go to Heaven, The Last Unicorn, The Land Before Time, Little Nemo, and An American Tail ) (A scene in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is superimposed on the top right) NC (vo): One of the toughest times for Disney was through the 80s, when things got so bad, their high-budget film Black Cauldron lost out to The Care Bears Movie. (We are shown posters for The Black Cauldron and The Care Bears Movie ) It's no question that Disney has been, and still is, the king of American animation, but that didn't come without a lot of ups and downs. (We are shown the Nostalgia Critic opening, Then after the opening, we cut to NC in his room)