Absolutely Fantastic

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Blistering performances.

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).

This movie bring me back to childhood! And is one of the reasons I fell in love with film making itself.This movie can be shared amongst generations to come, for it does not fall short of the American Dream, and what it takes to obtain it! For a cartoon, the characters are real life, the drama, personalities and more.The journey is what truly captures each viewer, for we all have a journey we seek, and attempt to conquer.Through diversity, a story is created, as well as an adventure to be shared. I spent times laughing, crying, and looking for my own adventure to discover growing up. And that is what makes this movie relatable, enjoyable, unforgettable.

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.

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