#TonyGeiss

[adamwatchesmovies]

An American Tail (1986)

I can see why many have fond memories of An American Tail.  There are things to like, but this is not Don Bluth at the top of his game.

As he and his family immigrate from Russia to the United States to escape persecution, Fievel Mouskewitz (Phillip Glasser) becomes separated from his family. In the land of freedom - where they say there are no cats - Fievel searches for his family, encountering all sorts of outlandish characters along the way.

Despite their young age, children can understand complex emotions. They enjoy being challenged by characters or stories that feel real. You are not doing them any favors by utilizing broadly painted stereotypes or clichés in your stories while excusing the fact that it’s a movie ��just for kids”. For this reason, I should applaud An American Tail and its moments of darkness and honesty... but the movie goes too far. It's depressing. Fievel isn’t an adult looking for his family. He’s a little kid. So little he hardly understands what’s going on around him. He is thrown from one dangerous situation to another while his family believes him dead. There are few instances of fun but overall, it’s gloomy. Constantly being teased as the young mouse and his beloved father (voiced by Nehemiah Persoff) nearly find each other but somehow end up going in opposite directions doesn't help. Look at the cover of the movie/the poster. It looks like a fun adventure, but children, particularly little children - will find this too intense.

There's not much here to adults either, unless you're looking at it through rose-tinted glasses. A thorough analysis does An American Tail no favors. Fievel is not an interesting character. He has no personality because he’s a little kid. Other characters tell him what to do or bring him to the next step in his journey. Remove the young mouse, and the events that unfold would almost go unchanged.

Call this last one a nitpick, but the plot of this animated film is contrived and muddy. I understand the Jewish mice are running away from Russia (a parallel to the humans attempting to escape the Cossacks), but the fact their tormentors being cats doesn’t really make sense. Cats don't chase mice because of their religious beliefs or personal grudges… they just want to eat them! I understand this is an animated movie about talking animals. It’s important to have them all be visually distinct. The message of “mouse good, cats bad” is an easy to grasp. Wouldn’t it have been just effective and much more grounded in reality if the Mousekewitz were persecuted by rats instead? This personal issue, combined with several big coincidences throughout, shows the writing just isn't on the level it should be.

Despite these issues, I wouldn't call An American Tail bad. The animation is smooth, the characters well-drawn, and their designs distinct. The backgrounds are beautifully detailed. There are many inspired sequences. It's a mixed bag but if you remember enjoying it as a kid and you know your children can handle it, then yeah, go ahead. If you missed out back in the day, there's no need to feel bad about it. (On VHS, September 17, 2015)

[hifisociety]

The Land Before Time // #1988 // Director #DonBluth // Writer #StuKrieger #JudyFreudberg #TonyGeiss // #vhs

[babaalexander]

Great Birthday Wishes to all Authors Born November 16 Adventurous Miriam Anne Holt Peter Viertel (1920-2007) Tony Geiss (1924-2011) Joan Lindsay (1896-1984) George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) Paula Vogel Jean Fritz (1915-2017) Michael Arlen (1895-1956) Juozas Grusas (1901-1986) Colin Thiele (1920-2006) Jessica Quinn Hugo Dittberner Aoife Cooksey Corey Lupton Tahir Shah Jamie Babbit Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) Craig Arnold (1967-2009) William Marsden (1754-1836) Bonnie Greer Jose Saramago (1922-2010) Nikolai Erdman (1900-1970) Dennis Kelly Allison Anders Nicholas Moore (1918-1986) Andrea Barrett Sheryl Wudunn Guo Moruo (1892-1978) Robin McKinley #AdventurousMiriam #AnneHolt #PeterViertel (1920-2007) #TonyGeiss (1924-2011) #JoanLindsay (1896-1984) #GeorgeSKaufman (1889-1961) #PaulaVogel #JeanFritz (1915-2017) #MichaelArlen (1895-1956) #JuozasGrusas (1901-1986) #ColinThiele (1920-2006) #JessicaQuinn #HugoDittberner #AoifeCooksey #CoreyLupton #TahirShah #JamieBabbit #ChinuaAchebe (1930-2013) #CraigArnold (1967-2009) #WilliamMarsden (1754-1836) #BonnieGreer #JoseSaramago (1922-2010) #NikolaiErdman (1900-1970) #DennisKelly #AllisonAnders #NicholasMoore (1918-1986) #AndreaBarrett #SherylWudunn #GuoMoruo (1892-1978) #RobinMcKinley

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Land Before Time (1988)

Whenever revisiting a beloved childhood movie, you're always cautious in case it doesn't hold up. The Land Before Time does. In fact, I think I like it even better now than I did then.

Set during the age of dinosaurs, the film follows an orphaned “longneck” named Littlefoot (voiced by Gabriel Damon). When he is separated from his family after an earthquake, Littlefoot and several other dinosaur children must find their own way to “The Great Valley”, a land untouched by famine and hidden from the many predators of the savage world.

Although the story features cute characters, its tone is often somber. There are many moments of deep sadness even before the kids begin wondering how come none of the dinosaurs they see on-screen are still around today... Children will understand the danger of the adventure. They'll mostly grasp the depth of the emotions felt by Littlefoot as he contemplates his loneliness but older audiences will understand it better.

While the friendly dinosaurs band together and have some laughs along the way, director Don Bluth subtly sneaks in themes of love, faith and looking beyond society’s prejudices. Littlefoot has never seen the Great Valley. He's only been told about it from the mother he can no longer see but he perseveres nonetheless, believing that his belief in the valley itself is a key to finding it. There are numerous conversations between the dinosaurs about the different species not supposed to interact with each other. Separated from their parents, they choose to disregard what their parents have told them and form a new type of herd. Only by doing this can they ensure their survival.

Despite ideas that could make for a complicated story, it's relatively straightforward (and only lasts 69 minutes). You can choose to dig deeper into the characters or simply admire the picture for its visuals. For animators, there are impressive sequences that use shadows and foreshortening, particularly during the first act. More casual fans of moving pictures will be drawn to the lush, lively and varied backgrounds, environments, and flora. The details in every scene create the feel of a time and place teeming with life - along with added re-watch value. As for the characters, they’ve been given some humanoid features but only in the faces. For the most part, they remain relatively faithful to the creatures they’re based upon; not simply human children in a different skin.

Adding to the atmosphere is the film's excellent foley work and sound editing. The cries of insects, the bellows of prehistoric reptiles in the distance transport you to this world that's familiar but alien. It can get frightening and intense but it’s easy to picture children of any and every generation falling for The Land Before Time in the same way they did with Bambi. Littlefoot and his friends Petrie (Will Ryan), Cera (Candace Hutson), Ducky (Judith Barsi), and Spike have endearing personalities. There are laughs and effective character-based moments too. The character arcs of Littlefoot and Cera, for example, pack an emotional punch. Don’t even get me on the song that plays during the end credits, it’s so bittersweet it'll have your heart melting like a candy bar in the summer sun.

The Land Before Time holds up. Young dino-fanatics won't be able to let it go and for the parents, it's a quick watch. While you're sitting there with the young ones, you might even discover something that'll fly right over everyone else's heads. (On DVD, January 23, 2015)