Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4411 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-12-26
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 149 minutes

Synopsis
Features the animated films An American Tail and its sequel, An American Tail 2 - Fievel Goes West. An American Tail follows the humorous and dramatic adventures of Fievel, a little boy mouse who travels from Russia to America with his family to seek a new life, free of cat persecution. An American Tail 2 - Fievel Goes West finds Fievel travelling West to become a lawman beside his hero, Wylie Burp. But Fievel soon realises that the evil Cat R. Waul has lured him West in order to turn the settlers into mouse-burgers.

Customer Reviews

My favourite childhood films on DVD at last
My Dad taped over my two copies of these films and i was distraught. These two films collectively raised me, and they absolutely rock. Buy them for kids, adults, or kidults (myself). You will enjoy them from start to finish. One of the last remaining drawn animation greats.

Was thrilled with the speedy delivery and such good value for this product
Was thrilled with this product, such good value for money and. The speedy delivery was a surprise too

Two great animated films that Disney didn't make
Disney has long dominated animated films aimed at kids, but the two films contained in this DVD package are both examples of the fact that it is not just Disney that can produce fantastic kid's films.

The first, An American Tale, is the story of a Jewish-Russian family of mice called the Mouskewitz's, who emigrate from Russia to America in 1885. They do so to avoid the persecution of the Tsarist cats, with the dream that "there are no cats in America, and the streets are paved with cheese." However, on the unsettled boat journey to this new, promising land (New York, to be precise), their son, Fievel, ends up being separated from his family, drifting off in a bottle at sea. Nonetheless, he still ends up in New York, America, where he endeavours to reunite with his lost family. But along the way, both Fievel and his family discover that the land of America is not quite what they had dreamed of to say the least. Along his adventure's path, Fievel encounters new friends, such as Tiger, a vegetarian cat, and Tony, a street-smart, Italian-American mouse. He also encounters plenty of foes that make his family-finding a great deal more difficult.

The film is beautifully animated, contains fantastic songs, and is genuinely exciting and heart-warming in equal measure. It also contains a great cast of voice actors including Madeline Kahn, Christopher Plummer and the late Dom DeLuise having a great time as Tiger. The film is also more than palatable for adults to enjoy with their children, as there are plenty of nods to more adult themes (they are subtle enough for children to not really notice), such as immigration, The American Dream, and gangsters.

The second film, An American Tale: Fievel Goes West, follows on from where the first film left off. The Mousekewitz family have been settled as Americans in New York for only a short time, until they are once again uprooted with the promise by more mouse-hungry cats. This time however, it is out in the west that they are to make their dreams come true. They are promised a better life where cats, mice and dogs all live in peace, and led there via train across America by an apparently benevolent cat named Cat. R. Waul. But are things all that they seem out in this strangely welcoming land?

It may have a similar story arc to its precursor, but Fievel goes west is still a great children's film. Another similarity to the original is that it contains a great voice cast, even more recognisable than before, featuring John Cleese, Amy Irving, Jon Lovitz, Dom DeLuise (reprising his role as Tiger from the first film), and a nice turn from Jimmy Stewart (in his last ever film role) as western hero Whyle. E. Burp. As with the first film, the animation is still brilliant, albeit in a more modern, economic way. There is still plenty for adults to enjoy, with the wide array of references from Western films. James Horner is still behind the music, which means there are more stellar tunes to enjoy. The main difference between this sequel and the original is that there is more humour in the second installment. It still stands up well as a great kid's film that adults can enjoy.

All in all, two very worthy additions to your children's DVD collection. Having watched these when I was a child and enjoying them so much, I can confidently say that your children will too. These are two well-made films that can be enjoyed again and again. So ignore the massively inferior sequels and go for this double-film set, while it is still at this great price!