Review of An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) by Patrick F — 25 Sep 2010
Produced by Steven Spielberg (but not directed by Don Bluth), AN AMERICAN TAIL: FIEVEL GOES WEST has its moments of humor and fun, but like most sequels, it falls in the shadow of its predecessor. It's not a bad movie by any means, but anyone expecting it to be the equivalent of the original are bound to be disappointed.
This second "tail", in which the Mousekewitzes migrate from New York to the wild west so that Fievel can be a cowboy, is much more frantically paced and played mainly as a cartoon. The change in approach also sacrifices much of the qualities that made the original so emotionally engaging and rich with depth.
As such, FIEVEL GOES WEST is not as memorable, nor as impacting--anyone looking for subtle nods to the American Dream will be hardpressed to find any of them here. That and the threat the Mousekewitzes face just isn't as ominous.
Even so, there are positives to be had; John Cleese and Jimmy Stewart (in his last role ever) steal every scene they're in as supporting characters (although they are less memorable than the ones from the original), and it's gratifying to have Tiger get more screen time (on the flipside, this movie doesn't do much to expand on his relationship with Fievel).
The ending song, "Dreams to Dream" is a lovely way to close the movie too.
This review of An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) was written by Patrick F on 25 Sep 2010.
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West has generally received positive reviews.
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