An American Tail is an animated film produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, and directed by Don Bluth, originally released in movie theatres on November 21, 1986.
The film starts off on Hanukkah in 1885, opening in the village of Shostka, Russia, and it shows the story of the life of a family of Jewish-Russian mice who emigrate to escape a pogrom after their village is destroyed by Cossack raiders. Believing in the American dream they head to New York City because "there are no cats in America." Once there, they immediately discover that there are indeed cats in America and plenty of them, and begin living in a typical late 19th century immigrant manner: working in a sweatshop, living in horrible conditions, and submitting to a feline protection racket as an alternative to being eaten.
The film follows Fievel Mousekewitz (his first name comes from that of Steven Spielberg's grandfather), who is separated from his family during a storm as the boat approaches America; the movie chronicles Fievel's search for his family, and his struggle against the cats, including their money hungry leader, Warren T. Rat, a cat who disguises himself as a rat. The mice must call upon the strength of their legends from the Old Country, in particular the Giant Mouse of Minsk, to rout the cats onto a boat bound for a far-off country and make a better life for themselves.
