An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) User Reviews

In some ways better, in some ways worse than the original.

[VelvetOctopusProductions · 7/10 · 8 September 2011]

I wasn't a huge fan of the original 'An American Tail', but with my curiosity for animated films, I took a look at the sequel, the film I'm reviewing now.

All the voice actors are back, the music, the animation looks pretty damn similar too, but one thing is gone, the director. Don Bluth was replaced by Simon Wells, in his directorial debut. As someone who finds Simon Wells' films to be enjoyable but not top notch (especially in the writing department), this is exactly what we get here.

Many people will complain that there are very few plot similarities to the original, this is true, the film's plot is nothing like the original, which I thought was a good thing in my opinion.

The characters I found to be much more memorable compared to the original, including the villain, played by John Cleese. Dom DeLuise returns as tiger and is much more funny and less annoying than in the original. Feivel the mouse continues to have a lack of a real character but I still thought he was an improvement to the original, possibly because of his maturing voice actor.

The film does not contain nearly the same dark elements as the original, but in my opinion, is more funnier and more fun. The songs are either catchy or not at all, the films signature song 'Dreams to Dream', is as good or possibly better as the original's 'Somewhere out there'. The score by James Horner is a treat, just like the original.

All real complaints come from the writing, there are small plot holes, a pointless subplot revolving around Feival's sister Tanya, and sometimes the plot seems a little too convenient.

Kids will probably like the film, fans of the original may or may not, I personally rate it lower than the original, but by not too much.

A very surprising improvement

[datautisticgamer-74853 · 7/10 · 28 June 2018]

As with yet another boring day without school or early activities, I made the decision to view a Blu-ray copy of this film that, as with its prequel, was brought to me as a gift from my loving brother. I made it my choice since I had An American Tail in mind from the previous day, and so viewing this today would make some of the continuity more memorable. So why do I think this movie is an improvement, if slightly?

I found that the story was a tad more engaging in this film. Sure, it doesn't have the epic prospects of immigration or dealing with topics such as cultural appropriation, but I found no glaring writing errors or problems with continuity. It continues to offer some great action and passable jokes (aside from Wylie's occasional crudity), and that's good enough for at least me. It does have Native stereotypes, continues to have abrupt cutaways, and has some rather questionable lines regarding a god vs. dog transformation, so while it's more polished, it continues to have some issues. Given the 5-year gap, the animation was overall upgraded, which is unfortunately more than can be said of many other animated movie sequels. It continues to make the action appear menacing and keep it cartoony enough to make the gags more than worthy of a few chuckles. The environments, owing to the more light-hearted nature of this film, are generally more vibrant. Sure, it isn't eye candy or overall blowout like in Beauty and the Beast, but it offers little distractions from what is meant to be seen. I feel like the characters are a bit of the same, though, since both Mama and Papa Mousekewitz don't have much importance other than being Fievel's social guides, Yasha is still not that meaningful aside from a visual diversion, and Fievel is still bold and at times foolish. I also felt like parts of the film focused way more on Tiger than on Fievel, but since they took time to develop his previously hollow character, I felt fine with Tiger being the de facto lead in the latter half. The new characters are less developed than they are just fun to witness, like Waul and Chula. Probably my choice for biggest improvement, however, would be the music. In the first An American Tail, I found the numbers somewhat tolerable, but mostly approaching gritting with how high the voices went. Here, I found Tanya's voice to be actually really beautiful, and the other songs were delightful to hear in general. Granted, they're still not that memorable, but they're easier to hear compared to the previous songs (including the previous version of Somewhere Out There).

If you were a fan of the first movie, it's pretty much a coin flip. You'll either appreciate its new direction, slightly more polished writing, and better character development for Tiger, or you'll dislike its light-hearted turn and its removal of Bridget and Tony. For casual movie-goers, it could pretty much go the same way as well. Families will likely enjoy this movie more because of its humor, more vibrant animation, and catchy songs. Sure, its story isn't as fundamentally composite, but when the viewing experience is fun, it feels as though it doesn't need to be. It beats out many other animation sequels and even some films Don Bluth himself actually contributed to, so it makes a nice alternative for those who want to start a Bluth collection but are afraid of having to ask for the worst of his movies. If parents can get by the same drinking, smoking, and sporadic crudity, then the family could very well have a blast watching this movie.

In some ways, better and worse than the original

[Laitue_Gonflable · 6/10 · 1 November 2003]

For whatever reason, The American Tail films were two of the films I was brought up on. I still own both of them on video and still watch them from time to time. In most ways, this sequel is worse than the original. The brief story of Feivel being separated and lost from his family again is really underplayed in comparison to the first one, which revolved purely around this plot. In Feivel Goes West it's almost as though the family are a bit blasé about losing their only son. It's also hard to top the musical score of the first one. There is a repeat singing of "Somewhere Out There" that is rudely cut short but without the whole song, it doesn't have the same warming effect. The feature song of this film, "Dreams to Dream" is very beautiful, however it and the other songs of FGW can't match up to those of AAT.

Despite these flaws, there is quite a lot more to enjoy in this film. If you're a fan of westerns as I am, you will enjoy an animated take on the theme, particularly the very enjoyably cartoonist showdown at the end. Secondly, the voice cast of FGW is far superior to that of AAT. Not content with Dom DeLuise as the loveable cat Tiger, they add to that cast for the sequel the likes of John Cleese, Amy Irving, Jon Lovitz and none other than the great James Stewart himself playing the sheriff of a one-horse western town. They're all impeccably cast and pull off a wonderful job.

All this said and done, is the sequel better or worse? I have to say I think it's completely equal. Still the same level of childish fun and heartwarming moments, wonderful voice talents and great musical score. Definitely worth showing your kids. ***1/2 / *****

A worthy sequel to a great classic

[rapt0r_claw-1 · 19 July 2004]

Fievel, the cute little mouse from An American Tail, is going west for Fievel Goes West. This is one of very few sequels that really deserve the title of the original classics. Fievel Goes West may not have as many touching moments as the original, but that's because it's more of a fast-paced western comedy rather than a heartwarming, sometimes tragic tale (tail?) as An American Tail was.

A by-product of the comedic approach is the look of the movie. Instead of the dark, dull, forbidding color scheme of the first movie, the sequel is supposed to be bright, funny, and altogether welcoming. Thus, you get bright sunshine (sometimes a bit too bright from the characters' point of view) and varied color. The animation hasn't changed all too much, unlike The Land Before Time's sequels for video. The animation retains a bit of Don Bluth's touch, though still a bit different. Altogether, the animation is just about as good as it could be in 1991.

The film as a whole is a gem, but the one thing truly, wonderfully beautiful thing about Fievel Goes West is James Horner's immortal soundtrack. The songs are just as good as An American Tail, which is saying a lot; besides, you have a brutally edited reprise of "Somewhere Out There" from the first film, sung by Tanya. Speaking of Tanya, she's voiced by someone different, presumably to allow for her great singing. For proof, all you need to do is listen to "Dreams To Dream". Great though the aspiring singer is, the end credits rendition of the song by the crazy Lindstradt lady is beautiful.

In Fievel Goes West, our title protagonist is lost on the way to Green River, where he will supposedly find a new lease on life with his family and lots of other hopeful mice. But the dream is shattered when Fievel explores the train, and finds a bunch of cats and a huge spider, led by the smooth talking Cat R. Waul, plotting to befriend the mice before turning them into mouse-burgers by means of a mysterious "better mousetrap"! But Fievel is found out, and the spider knocks him off the train, leaving him hopelessly lost in the desert. I thought they might have made up something different, not the whole mouse-gets-lost-must-return-to-family routine. I couldn't help feeling they'd done that before. However, Dom DeLuise returns for a bigger part alongside the legendary canine sheriff Wylie Burp.

So, overall, what of this sequel? Well, it certainly does the original justice. Yes, it does lack the heart of the original, but having less heart than An American Tail does in no way mean being heartless. Don Bluth might not have had a hand in this, but Fievel Goes West lives up to Bluth's classic story of a little mouse called Fievel.

Animation-9/10; Story-7/10; Plot-7/10; Comedy-8.5/10 = Overall-8/10

Yeehaw

[matthewssilverhammer · 6/10 · 12 July 2019]

I can TOTALLY see why I liked this more than the first as a kid; it's funnier, brighter, faster, more action-packed and the chaotically entertaining Tiger is given way more. It's also nowhere near as powerful or beautiful as the first; all the strong racial metaphors and immigrant sympathy is gone. Nonetheless, it's simple, cartoon-y fun that holds up...at least with nostalgia, anyway.

A lovely plot killed by lack of story.

[mig28lx · 6/10 · 18 September 2000]

Well, this is one of those films that seems about a step-and-a-half away from being truly great. You have undeniable star power in John Cleese, James Stewart, and Don Bluth regular Dom deLuis. You have a handful of snappy tunes. You have bright colors and technically brilliant animation. Yet I watched it and came away from it thinking, "There was something wrong with this flick. What was it?" After due deliberations, the answer came to me: the writing.

The script is little more than a clothesline on which to hang a series of visual gags and opportunities for Cleese to give his character a few Pythonian scenes. It takes a promising premise for an entertaining sequel and burdens it with instantly forgettable songs (snappy though they were) and an insufferably cute protagonist. It's great for kids, don't get me wrong. If you're childless, however, save it for video and watch it for the quality of the animation. While astounding, it can't make up for the lack of story.

One of the few good non-Disney cartoons from the 80's and 90's.

[TOMNEL · 7/10 · 20 January 2007]

Feivel Mouskewitz and his family (along with a thousand other mice) are moving to a new land, promised to them by a cat, where cats and mice work together and are equals. Feivel is attacked on the train to get there and gets lost in the desert, along with his cat friend Tiger, both not knowing each one is close. The animation on this film is really great, and the songs are even better than in the first American Tail movie. Many voices are provided by celebrities, including John Cleese, Dom Deluise, Amy Irving and the irreplaceable Jimmy Stewart. So I'd recommend you watch this, because this is one of the very few non-Disney animated films that turned out well, and had great music.

My rating: *** out of ****. 74 mins. Rated G.

Cleese, Stewart, DeLuise, all good...

[Cephyran · 7/10 · 20 September 2003]

As far as animated movies go, this is one I enjoyed. The American Tail story takes on a classic western feel as Fievel and his family journey into the heart of the west. The real quality comes from John Cleese as the slimy conniving cat, and the late great James Stewart as Wylie Burp, the reserved town sheriff in the form of a bedraggled dog. A lot of the fun is the dynamic action humor of the last quarter. But, the big comedic boost for these movies is Dom DeLuise, who is just great as the overweight loveable cat. He's one of the reasons to see this.

Better than the original

[MovieAddict2016 · 9/10 · 21 August 2005]

I enjoyed the original "American Tail" movie because of its appeal towards adults as well as children (it uses mice and cats as a metaphor for the Jews and Germans during WWII, with immigrants fleeing to the US). However the dark edge of the movie was a bit too much for me and I felt as a children's tale it was probably a bit too scary.

Don Bluth returned in '91 to film the sequel to his last hit, this one a satire of the westerns. Fievel the mischievous mouse returns as his parents are shipping off to Green River to escape the cats, led by Cat R. Wall (voiced by John Cleese).

Along the way a spider (voiced by Jon Lovitz) tries to kill Fievel and he falls off the train, into the desert, where he pines for his feline friend from the first film (voiced by Dom DeLuise).

Eventually Fievel finds his way out of the desert and finds a dog-sheriff (voiced by Jimmy Stewart) who decides to help train him so that he can fight off Cat R. Wall, who has moved out west to spread his reign of terror.

I enjoy this movie more than the first one because it's not as dark (something I just have a problem with in a kid's movie). The satire isn't as strong and the whole WWII edge is lost but it still retains the cats vs. mice, which is a nice element.

The animation in my opinion is more classical and the musical sequences are more lively. The voice talents are far more impressive and I love Jimmy Stewart and John Cleese in this movie - talk about great casting! Overall this is better than the original and it surprises me that more people don't actually know about it. As a nice little family adventure film it's pretty entertaining and in terms of animation it represents everything Don Bluth is known for.

Its shortness might actually have been a good idea.

[GiraffeDoor · 6/10 · 16 October 2021]

Not that it isn't a logical next step but this has nothing of sensual, poignant, thoughtful charm of the original.

Thankfully Fivel is found again before too long so it's not that much of a rehash and the Far West setting is vividly realized.

Over all it feels more like Hannah barbera than Jon Bluth but there is a fair bit of fun along the way, especially Tanya finding a chance to sing. She is really really cute.

A thoroughly confused sequel that lacks focus or spiritual or tonal consistency with its predecessor.

[IonicBreezeMachine · 4/10 · 2 May 2021]

After the Mousekewitz family are driven from their New York home by a gang of cats led by gang leader Cat R. Waul (John Cleese), the family embarks on a journey westward in search of better opportunities after being convinced by a supposedly western mouse's pitch. On the journey west, Fievel (Phillip Glasser), the Mousekewitz' son learns that the western pitch is a ruse by Cat R. Waul and his gang to lure mice into building his town, Green River, and eventually turning them into mouseburgers. Fievel is separated from his family and must make his way on foot to save the mice. Elsewhere: Tiger (Dom Deluise), Fievel's cat friend tries to come westward as well and finds himself chased by dogs and captured by Native American mice who mistake him for a god, and Fievel's sister Tanya (Cathy Cavadini) finally gets her chance to sing in front of an audience when Cat R. Waul is impressed by her voice and gives her the opportunity to perform.

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West began development in 1988 with franchise creator, David Kirschner putting the film into pre-production after having completed Child's Play. Unlike the first film Steven Spielberg while credited as producer was not involved in the same capacity as the first one as he was preoccupied with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Hook. The movie unlike the first American Tail is very much a comedy and doesn't go for pathos like the first one, that by itself is a strange enough decision, but when taking into account the writer was Flint Dille whose previous credits include serving as story editor on Saturday Morning Cartoon shows like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and the Garbage Pail Kids animated series that was banned from airing in the 80s who in their right mind thought this was the best approach to making a comedy sequel to a well beloved mostly serious predecessor!? The film was the inaugural release of Spielberg's Amblimation, a studio formed by Spielberg for the animation staff of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? After Richard Williams' studio shuttered. The movie also serves as the directorial debut for Roger Rabbit supervising animators, Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells, and there's some good animation on display, but it's in service of a chaotic atonal mess of a movie.

From the get go the movie just doesn't feel like An American Tail, it's loud, it's zippy, and it has a snarky self-awareness and reference happy approach that's more distracting than funny. The film is structured in both design and animation almost like something you'd expect from a slapstick heavy Looney Tunes cartoon and maybe it would've worked had this not presented itself as a sequel to An American Tail and instead been it's own independent property, but even then that's doubtful because with the film's references to things like Gunsmoke, Shane, and I think The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance since there is a prominent supporting role by Jimmy Stewart (in his last performance) as.... Wylie Burp (groan). During the late 80s and early 90s there was a sort of revival of comedic westerns with things like Back to the Future part III and City Slickers and maybe during development of those films that inspired direction for this film, but I can't say for certain. Either way, the movie captures a lot of visuals associated with the western genre with appropriate landmarks, costuming, and other iconography, but it doesn't really do anything with its setting that justifies it, it just occasionally references these things and that's where the joke begins and ends. One of the more confusing (albeit memorable) sequences involves Fievel traveling by tumbleweed to the town of Green River while the desert creatures all sing the theme song to the TV show Rawhide.....that's the joke.

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is a showcase for some above average animation, but without a story with stakes or investment or even comedy that works the film is pretty to look at with not much going on underneath the surface.

Excellent sequel for all ages that will warm your heart!

[Catherine_Grace_Zeh · 9/10 · 26 July 2006]

If you ask me, this is an excellent sequel for all ages that will warm your heart! When Tiger (voice of Dom DeLuise) got dumped, I wanted to cry. Although some of the characters were diabolical, I liked everybody. Well, it's hard to say which character was my favorite. If I had to choose, I'd probably choose Tiger, although the mice were good too. The music was good, everyone was cast perfectly, and the direction was flawless. In conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent sequel for all ages that will warm your heart to anyone who hasn't seen it. You're in for a real treat and a good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with someone close to you, and watch it.

Fievel in the old west

[DogePelis2015 · 6/10 · 5 June 2021]

It is an animated sequel that could have been released direct to VHS and DVD; it has good animation and the soundtrack is decent; it can be seen on a boring afternoon with nothing better to do.

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West

[jboothmillard · 2/10 · 15 June 2005]

When I was a kid I used to like the original first American Tail film, but then they started making straight-to-video sequels. This sequel is the only one I have seen, why did they have to make s sequel, at least as rubbish as this. Young Fievel Mousekevitz the mouse gets lost again (for a little while) and then decides to try and get rid of all the cats from the West part of America, where the story left off. The only parts I can remember of this film were the parts with Tiger the cat and John Cleese as the voice of the villain. Apparently there was also the voices of Jon Lovitz, and, in his last film before his death, Rear Window and It's a Wonderful star James Stewart. They are meant to be the reason for the film earning a second star. Pretty poor!

my favorite movie ever

[todd2u · 8 June 2002]

This is my absolutely most favorite cartoon movie ever. it has action, romance, adventure, and gun slinging. The music was really good. I loved every minute of this movie. I'm a big fan. I've loved this movie since I was in 1st grade,( thats when it came out into theaters). I recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good cartoon movie. This one is a classic. You wont be disappointed.

The Further Adventures of The Mousekewitz Family

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 30 October 2007]

The resourceful and irrepressible Fievel Mouse, voice by Phillip Glasser, not finding the big city life in America all it was cracked up to be decides to leave the family in the Bronx and head west. His head is filled with dime novel adventures as were many human kids in the 19th century of many western characters. In this case it's that famous legendary lawman, Wylie Burp given voice by another legend, James Stewart.

As in the first An American Tail, Fievel Goes West is an utterly charming animated film that will appeal to both children and those reliving their childhoods. The west is just as wild as those novels make it out to be and young Fievel finds that his cat friend Tiger who sounds a lot like Dom DeLuise has gone west also.

But not all cats are good, especially to the mouse community. Evil cat, John Cleese is planning a huge mouse massacre and a feast of mouse burgers for his feline cohorts.

Will the evil Cleese succeed in his plan. Kids of all age, rent this film and find out.

Not really American Tail

[thedecimator1337 · 6/10 · 14 October 2017]

I'll start with a disclaimer: I'm biased, and I want to like this movie. However, it does fall short in many ways. The first American Tail had this Russian Jewish mouse family that emigrated to America in the East because calamitous reasons. A minor nitpick, but the premise of going West... wouldn't it have been shorter to go across the Pacific instead of circling round the world? This is easily overlooked, though, so moving on: the two biggest shortcomings of this movie are pacing and depth. At times, the movie moves too fast to be emotional, and its transitions are so jarring it's hard to get into it. It lacks the emotional and intellectual depth of the first movie altogether, the former in no small part due to the pacing issues and the latter because its moral is summed up in the standard "belief in oneself" hollow metaphorical cookie. As for the mouse family itself, the movie seems to have forgotten that everyone but the parents are Russian immigrants and Jewish besides. I'd like to know when Fievel stopped being Russian and immediately picked up Western cowboy mannerisms. A little too quick. I don't really care, but another minor nitpick is that the detail of the family being Jewish never pops up again. The animation is very different from the first movie, and it shows. Fievel no longer moves like a drunkard, but now moves like a sharp and witty action hero. There are many sections in which you can tell the animators had fun, at least, but there are some gags that probably don't fit (minor spoiler: dogfish). In short, this movie doesn't feel like the original hardly at all. Its patriotic themes are almost completely absent, being switched out in favour of a Western aesthetic. The returning characters are very different. Tiger is now clumsy in comical fashion (which is only occasionally funny), doesn't quite feel or move like the original. Even Fievel's friends Tony and Bridget are reduced to momentary cameos and play no part in the plot. However, Tanya is given much more character development, which was one of the brightest parts of the movie. Instead of a background character like in the first movie, she became a tritagonist of sorts, likable and memorable. Overall, it's an okay (by which I mean barely passable) movie in its own right. Its musical numbers (one of which is Tanya's) are somewhat memorable, pretty catchy, pleasant to listen to. Its characters are (mostly) okay, the plot is relatively original by American Tail standards. But in general, the movie suffers from being unimaginative and shallow. It inherits a good name and it does well for having these flaws, but it is not something you'll watch very often. Many won't rewatch it at all, most of all if they were hardcore fans of the original. Again, though, standing alone, it is actually not that bad as a movie. And upon further consideration, I will raise the movie a star's rating for its magnificent soundtrack (The Girl You Left Behind, Way Out West, and Rawhide are worthy of honourable mention).

Dream to Dream about watching this movie again. It's just that fun.

[ironhorse_iv · 6/10 · 10 March 2013]

American Tail was slow, dark and depressing. This sequel movie though, while not as emotional, was so much more entertaining for me. It was fun to watch. The movie starts out in the Bronx, the Mousekewitz family find that conditions are not as ideal as they had hoped, as they are still struggling with life. They always being attacks by cats. After one such attack, the Mousekewitz family decide to try their luck out west. While on the west-bound train, Fievel (Phillip Glasser) wanders into the livestock cart to find out a gang of cats lead by Cat R. Waul (John Cleese) is planning something evil for them. Cat R. Waul is a devious but ingenious feline criminal. He pretended to be the champion of a brave new world where cats and mice would co-exist while secretly plotting to use them as slave labor. Then finally killed them off after they outlived their usefulness to him in building a town in the Old West call Green River. After being discovered, Fievel is thrown from the train by Cat R. Waul's hench spider, T.R. Chula (Jon Lovitz), landing the mouse in the middle of the desert. On the way to Green River, he meets up with old friend Tiger the Cat (Don DeLuise) and somebody that might him on the way, Sheriff Wylie Burp (James Stewart). This movie would mark the last movie for James Stewart, and somewhat a tribute to him for such Western roles as the How the West was won, and The Man who shot Liberty Valance. I like all the western tribute in the film, from having The Searcher's Monument Valley type background to naming one of their new characters Miss Kitty as a Gunsmoke show reference. Still, the mocking of Native American with the Indian mice is just ridiculous stupid and wrong. Now the three of them must become western law men, and try to rescue the town mice before it's too late. Surprising, not a lot of people know this, but Don Bluth was not involved in this film as Spielberg and him had a falling out on the direction of the film. Still it's nice to see it is possible to make a sequel to a Don Bluth movie without completely screwing the original over. I have extremely fond memories of this movie from my childhood, but growing up, I notice some faults. I think some moments in the movie are too fast paced like the animators didn't really always see ahead of how it would look like. Like when Tiger hides in the sign, he jumps down and lands on the ground a second after the dog disappears, which is insane. The animation isn't that great, but it's better than most sequel animations. Don't get me started on the other American Tails films after this. The colors are bright. The special effects are nice, the train action was intense. The film plot doesn't get you very emotionally invested in what's happening, especially compared to the first movie. It's pretty so so. While the original is more like an artwork movie, this one is closer to being a cartoon movie. It's a notch down, but still worth all the praises. I adored the singing of the film better than the original. There wasn't that annoying child voice singing in the film, but more beautiful quality singing adult sounding voice. I loved watching the Dreams to Dream sequence with Fievel's sister Tanya. They sure sexed up Tanya's image a lot from the first movie and probably turned a legion of males into furries. James Horner's score is breath taking as well. It's give you that huge Western feel to the film. I forgotten just how funny this movie was for me as a kid. Nothing beats the lazy eye sequence. Don Deluise is just funny as hell, anything he says in the film just makes me laugh. I'm glad they could bring the original cast back for the most part but whole thing, the plot, the characters, etc. seemed a lot more childish. Somehow I've always enjoyed this one more than its predecessor. I can easily admit the first movie is the superior one, but this one always did a better job of putting a smile on my face

Perfect for the kids...

[moviemanMA · 9/10 · 11 July 2005]

When I look back on my childhood, I think of fond, fuzzy memories, often linked with good movies. The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, really any animated movie will do, especially Disney. For some reason, these movies capture what it means to be a kid, to have fun. What we have hear is one of those funny, heartwarming treasures that will light up a child's face when he or she sees it.

In An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Fievel Mousekewitz and his family are tricked into leaving the big city in the hopes of finding freedom "way out west". Little do they know that the evil feline Cat R. Waul (John Cleese) is behind this. With the help of his friend Tiger (Dom DeLuise) and sheriff Wiley Burp (Jimmy Stewart), this trio will try and take down Cat R. Waul and his gang of villainous cats.

This well animated sequel to An American Tail is one that will bring a smile to anyones face. Clever humor that appeals to little kids is found throughout. This movie is one that will become an instant classic in your collection. It can be passed down from generation to generation. Granted, this isn't a movie that will be watched late at night by you and your buddies. This movie does what it's supposed to do, entertain the little ones. Your children will have you rewinding over and over again (thank God for DVD's!).

Not my favourite

[rebeljenn · 2/10 · 9 November 2005]

Review of An American Tale (Gone Western): I didn't like the first and original film based on the same characters. This one certainly did less for me. I remember being bored out of my mind while watching this (as a child). Maybe adults will find it cute, but I didn't like it at all, and I was in my early teens when I saw it.

Review of An American Tale: I could never get into this film as a child, and I had trouble relating to the characters. It was a sad story, but the sadness just seemed to make me cringe-especially when the mice started to sing about it. I just couldn't get into this film.

These were not my favourite Disney films. I'd recommend Bambi, Lady and The Tramp, and some of the others.

A sequel worth watching

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 10 February 2010]

Let me just start by saying I absolutely love "An American Tail", and still consider it one of Don Bluth's better movies. It is dark yes, but it is very poignant and heart warming as well. I never fail to tear up during the song "Somewhere Out There", marvel at the beautiful animation or while the story is admittedly slow it is a beautiful and engrossing one. This sequel is a perfect example of a sequel that is worth watching. In most ways it isn't quite as good as the original, though there are one or two improvements along the way too. It has its flaws, but it is better than the dreadful "Secret of NIMH 2:Timmy To The Rescue" and the mediocre-but-watchable "All Dogs Go To Heaven 2". Also it is one of the better animated sequels out there, and considering how disappointing some of them have been that is saying a lot.

My only real problems with the film are that the plot is a little too episodic, and that the film is too short, if anything it could've done with being 5-10 minutes longer. These aside, I liked the fact the story is cheerier and more fast paced. The animation is not that bad at all, it is colourful and well drawn on the whole, and the editing was above decent. Also the musical numbers are very good here. No, not as good as the ones in the original, and even if they did that is an extremely hard task to come by considering how stunning the music in the original was. "Dreams to Dream" says it all, that song alone pretty much equals the greatness of "Somewhere Out There". "The Girl I Left Behind" is another standout I just loved how upbeat it was. And I would also like to remark that I thought the singing was better here than it was in the original. One of the minor flaws I had with the first film was that I did not like Phillip Glasser's singing voice, I just found it whiny and out of tune. Back to the sequel, Cathy Cavadini does a great job both voicing and singing Tanya, and Linda Ronstadt completely blew me away with her rendition of "Dreams to Dream".

What made the movie though was the voice acting. There was some truly inspired casting, and all involved did wonderfully. Phillip Glasser is still sweet and likable as Fieval, and Dom DeLuise is absolutely hilarious as Tiger and I loved it that Tiger has more to do here. There is one part when he falls into the sea and he comes eye to eye with a fish, and he says rather flatly "Dogfish". John Cleese clearly relishes his role as the villain Cat R. Waul, a villain I preferred over Warren T.Rat, he could be sinister yet funny as well. But the biggest surprise was Jimmy Stewart as Wylie Burp, Stewart was a great actor, evident in films like "Vertigo", "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Rear Window", all classics in my opinion, and he proves once more how talented he was voicing a smaller but wholly relevant character and making the most of witty and sardonic lines. Overall, while not quite as good as the beautiful original, it is a sequel worth watching and was much better than I thought it would be. 8/10 Bethany Cox

had to comment on the (tail)? thingy

[rb_inc · 5/10 · 8 January 2013]

what?. . . isn't it obvious?

sure its a mouse sure it got a tail but from Russia? or lets say at its time both 1st and 2nd part Russia(USSR)

for me its pure subliminal propaganda not even subliminal as its the main title but that area the USA did a lot to put the soviets(Russia) in a dark corner and plant them selfs as the almighty freedom lover when most people don't even know what freedom means i find it disturbing to see the title saying "an American Tail" as if Russia is the tail of America (main char of this film is a USSR(Russian)citizen in a mouse suit) historically USA don't even reach the toes of Russia very insulting title and so obvious (an American TAIL)<- Original title why not (an American TALE) this is the reason why i write this "review" very disturbing if u ask me and im not even Russian nor American. note to the professor check out the movies from 85-95 its everywhere anti Russian propaganda by America/Hollywood have this in mind before u jugde an American movie

in the end its a good cartoon any child would appreciate it no doubh :) Thanks for reading Much Love!

Fievel Cheers Up

[poetryinmotionpictures · 26 August 2011]

Let me get this out of the way - I hate An American Tail (the original) - I think it is a gloomy, morose and overly sentimental piece of tripe. What's more, you try getting a child to watch this trek into unhappiness and gooey emotions... it's not going to happen! Fievel Goes West on the other hand is a much lighter affair, with more cheer and one or two really lovable characters the kids will want to watch and adults won't want to smear the screen with chocolate because of. It is a little two dimensional (no pun intended) and it is also a little episodic and disjointed in places, but it recovers well and bounces back for a great finale. In short, if the kids have been good then let them watch Fievel Goes West (if they've been naughty then you could always punish them by making them watch An American Tail). I have always enjoyed this film and it continues to lighten the day.

Going West

[chefz2 · 8/10 · 2 April 2009]

Some folks complain that this movie doesn't equal to the original and they are right. It isn't as heart-warming, it isn't as dark and the voice and animation style is noticeably different. It relies heavily on sight gags and less on plot.

That being said, I find very little wrong about those issues. I have a very hard time really pining down a solid plot for the first movie to begin with, since it's just a series of a scenes featuring Fievel just barely missing chances to re-unite with his family. In the second movie, he has a more pointed mission: to successfully warn/protect the mice from yet another self-appointed "sophisticate".

The original movie was good and gave kids a glimpse into an important part of our history (immigration) but the theme was too slow and depressing to carry the full weight of two movies.

The second movie, in addition to snappy animation and clever gags, brought on another 19th century mind-set, the prospect of the west and a future of not only being in America, but being a PART of America itself.

Overall, despite this movie's differences from the original, it is still charming and a great deal higher in quality than other sequels.

And let's be honest, what little boy doesn't dream about fighting alongside his hero?

One of the Best Animated Sequels of All Time!

[hilemandavid · 10/10 · 1 October 2017]

YAHOO! Great Sequel, boys! Bluth might not be involved in this, but this is one of those rare sequels that manage to be slightly better than the original. It rightfully deserved it's release in theaters, along with Beauty and the Beast. It's got many good things from the original, like the return of the oh-so-adorable Phil Glasser returns as Fievel! And we got new things in store. Like John Marwood Cleese, Monty Pythoneer, and voice of Cat R. Waul. And James Stewart, famous actor of the 1960's. Not to mention that they've upgraded Tanya Mousekewitz to... *cue Wanna B Ur Lovr by Weird Al* *Record scratch, music cuts off* D-d-d... Sorry. Where did I leave off? Oh. Tanya's upgrade. Right. Ahem. She had got herself a little plastic surgery? 'Cause she looks gorgeous in this look! Absolutely beautiful! I mean, she ought to go find a beauty competition, because it's marvelous! Even her makeover doesn't change her! And she's really got her voice! I mean... who voiced her? Jodi Benson? (Cathy Cavadini is the right answer.) If you've seen Disney's 1989 film The Little Mermaid, you can see that Tanya and Ariel have quite a bit in common. The film paved the way for DreamWorks Animation, and films like Shrek, The Prince of Egypt - one of my all-time favorite animated movies - , The Road to El Dorado, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon. These films owe it to this fantastic sequel to an already fantastic film. I have seen it on Netflix, but I would want to buy it, and take it with me anywhere I go! It is that good! Adorable, beautiful, well-voice-acted, nicely drawn, well done, Spielberg!