An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)
Go west, young Fievel.
Brief Backstory
Because of the success of An American Tail, it was no shock that a sequel would follow. Fievel Goes West suffered a brutal competition against Beauty and the Beast (released the same day as well!) and that Don Bluth didn’t show up. Obviously the show had to go on and Fievel Goes West was given favorable reviews particularly by viewers, making it a sleeper classic for the early 1990s in a time where Disney gangbanged the competition.
Story
Under false beliefs of a better life by the evil Cat R. Waul and being victims to an assault from the Cactus Cat gang, Fievel and his family head out west to Green River. Only Fievel knows that Cat R. Waul and the other cats plan to have the westward bound mice murdered for food later onwards, and brings Tiger to Wylie Burp to be trained as a deputy.
Random Facts
Don Bluth didn’t work on this one, likely because he was against creating sequels.
Shortly after this movie, Fievel’s American Tails came out and lasted for a single season of 13 episodes, which isn’t exactly one of the better series to come out in the early 90s.
One of the cats named “One-Eye” (the one chasing Fievel) bears a resemblance to the Sheriff of Nottingham from Disney’s Robin Hood and Rooster Cogburn with one of his eyes covered. As a whole though, most of the cats look similar to ones you’d see in the Aristocats.
Final movie with James Stewart – yes the very same that starred in Shenandoah, Winchester ’73, Vertigo, and Bend of the River. He passed away later in the 90s.
There’s a lot of merchandise involving this movie. The same can be said for the first.
Tanya getting sniped with food at her for singing “Somewhere out There” in the beginning is actually a meta reference to people sick of hearing that song. Apparently Frozen 2 didn’t do that and I’m not sure why.
A part of the Rick and Morty episode “Pickle Rick” took inspiration from the sewer scene in Fievel goes West.
The sandwich scene always made me hungry as a child much like the Bare Necessities from the Jungle Book.
Tiger getting trained to be a dog may have been inspired by Yoda’s training in the Empire Strikes Back.
Random Opinions
Tiger hates spiders. So do I. Nasty fucking creatures.
According to my sister, Fievel goes West was one of my favorites when I was younger though I’m not exactly sure how the hell I got into seeing this nearly 30 years ago. This probably got me into westerns as I got older and my preference for living in Missouri.
Cat R. Waul’s plan is quite the clever one. He basically leads the mice to him and the cats this way to not have to keep chasing them.
Papa Mousekewitz should’ve kept his mouth shut to keep those cats from knowing where he and the family were.
Glad to see there’s other cats that aren’t serial killers. Tiger was the only one who wasn’t in the original.
I know some may disagree with me but Fievel Goes West can be just as emotional and dark as the first movie.
Pros
- Story isn’t a retread of the first movie. Fievel gets broken away by his family again, but that’s about it.
- Great animation, especially compared to the first.
- Voicework is great with memorable voices like James Stewart and John Cleese.
- Phenomenal scene where the cats evict the mice.
- Better blend of comedy and drama compared to the first.
- Cat R. Waul is more memorable than Warren T. Rat.
Cons
- Fievel seems way too full of himself in so many parts. Apparently he didn’t learn anything from the last quest.
Rating: 8/10 – Great
Equivalent quality to the first. Enjoyed the first? Check this out. It’s no Empire Strikes Back or even Rescuers Down Under, but it’s still a classic.
One response to “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West”
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I haven’t seen An American Tail: Fivel Goes West for a very long time. If you’re a big fan of westerns. I have a ton of requests on some good ones you might like. Once Upon a Time in The West, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Unforgiven, Tombstone, 3:10 to Yuma 2007, True Grit 2010, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight & The Revenant.
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