Heartwarming tale of immigrant mouse has some peril.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
A village is burned, and cats attack mice (sometimes narrowly avoiding being eaten). Peril on a ship's deck results in a mouse being lost at sea and separated from his parents -- this scene could be very upsetting for young/sensitive kids. More close calls in the city, and Fievel is caught in a fire. Song lyrics mention mice being killed by cats. Funeral shows a dead mouse; Fievel's family believes he is dead (sad). The bad guy and his giant mechanical mouse could be scary to very little kids.
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Don't lose hope or faith; keep trying, and believe in happy endings. Family is the most important thing, and friends can help you when you need it. Sheds a light on some of the dire circumstances that emigres experienced in the late 19th century.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Fievel is hopeful and determined; he perseveres and never gives up. H meets many characters from different ethnic backgrounds who help him find his family. The bad guy is deceitful and manipulative, but he's clearly not a role model.
Educational Value
a little
Introduces the U.S. immigration experience of the late 1800s.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that An American Tail is a great introduction to the 19th-century U.S. immigration experience for young children. Although it's ultimately a feel-good story, the main character -- a young mouse named Fievel -- spends much of the film trying to find his family, whom he was separated from during a scary storm at sea. He faces many perils, including a fire, a near-drowning, and attacks from monstrous cats, during his journey, which may prove too much for the youngest viewers. Scenes of his family mourning his presumed death could also be upsetting for sensitive viewers, and there's a frightening mechanical mouse. Expect cigar smoking and a little bit of drinking; young mice share a kiss, and there are a couple of uses of "shut up," "runt," and the like. Messages focus on perseverance and the importance of family, and Fievel is a brave, optimistic character. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
An American Tail provides an educational and interesting view on immigration in the late 1800s. However, many parts in the movie and even the first song in the movie deal directly with different nations and cultures which younger children might struggle to understand. Many of the action scenes are dark and frightening, such as scenes including cats (which are represented as ruthless, wolf-like creatures), and the scene where the boat is attacked by the sea, which is personified as an old man. In terms of sexuality, a group of buxom pigeons show up during the second song. Later, an older mouse's hat loses a feather, which lands on her breast. When a male mouse reaches for the feather, his hand is slapped away. Finally, the character Honest John is shown drinking and noticeably drunk, and the movie's main villain smokes a cigar (which his cockroach side kick complains about). I rate this movie for older children, as younger kids wont understand most of the cultural context and the violent scenes might be to frightening for younger viewers.
Way too much peril and scary images for young kids
We were very unpleasantly surprised by this movie! It had a HUGE amount of peril and violence. The "cats" that are constantly chasing the lead character bark like wild dogs and the images are incredibly ferocious. Plus, the character is in peril and fleeing for his life for what felt like over half the movie. There were hardly any calm or down moments to the intensity. Not a good movie for kids younger than 8!
What's the Story?
In AN AMERICAN TAIL, Fievel Mousekewitz (voiced by Phillip Glasser) is a little Russian mouse who emigrates to the United States with his family after they're told that "there are no cats in America, and the streets are paved with cheese." But Fievel gets separated from his parents and sister and is forced to work in a sweatshop by the evil Warren T. Rat (a cat in disguise!). Fievel is resilient and courageous and finds friends (including a kind cat) who help him until he finds his family.
This is a heartwarming animated tale about the experience of immigrants coming to America. Told from the perspective of an adorable young mouse, An American Tail should engage kids in an important part of U.S. history. The voice performances are charming, and the songs -- particularly the mega-hit "Somewhere Out There" -- are catchy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the scary parts of An American Tail. What exactly makes a movie scary -- music, images, your own imagination? What makes some movies thrilling, and others too frightening? How much scary stuff can young kids handle?
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