An American Tail is a children's film franchise based on the 1986 animated feature film of the same name directed by Don Bluth and produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios/Amblin Entertainment.
The franchise follows the adventures of Fievel Mousekewitz, a Russian-Jewish mouse immigrant to the United States in 1885. The franchise opened up several attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida including "Fievel's Playland" and "An American Tail Show".
Following the two films produced with Spielberg's involvement, Universal Pictures continued the franchise with two direct-to-video sequels, ' and '. All four American Tail films were released on a combination pack DVD released on June 13, 2017.
An American Tail is the original 1986 film which follows Fievel and his family as they immigrate from Russia to the United States and how he subsequently gets lost and aims to reunite with them.
' is a 1991 western sequel to An American Tail. This film has been exhibited four times at the Jimmy Stewart Museum since 2015, a dedication to the late James Stewart in his final role.
' is a 1998 direct-to-video sequel not involved with Amblin Entertainment and is noted for exploring darker themes unlike the past films. Released in the United States in February 2000.
' is a 1999 direct-to-video sequel not involved by Amblin Entertainment, released in the United States in July 2000. The film series was subsequently discontinued and moved on to work on direct-to-video sequels based on Balto.
Fievel's American Tails is a 1992 spin-off TV series and continuation of An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. This series remained abandoned after the release of the direct-to-video sequels until NBCUniversal regained rights to the series in 2020 and was available on Peacock until its removal in 2025.
The character of Fievel Mousekewitz was named after the Yiddish name of Steven Spielberg's grandfather, Philip Posner. Fievel also served as the mascot for Amblimation, Spielberg's short-lived animation studio, and was featured in its production logo.
"Somewhere Out There" (1986): Created as the main theme of An American Tail, the rock and roll ballad version performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram was included in the movie during the end-titles sequence. The song is notable for winning two Academy Awards at the 30th award show, one for Song of the Year and the other for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. It was also nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Rondstadt and Ingram. It also earned attention for its nominations for Best Original Song at the 44th Golden Globe Awards and the 59th Academy Awards, respectively.
"Dreams to Dream" (1991): Created as the main theme of An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, the rock ballad version was performed by Linda Ronstadt and debuted during the end-titles sequence of the movie. The song was noted for having a troubled production history. Anita Baker was initially slated to perform the song before dropping out and being replaced by Ronstadt, only for the latter to reject the offer to include her recording in the film. Replaced by Céline Dion, the single was completed and produced for the movie, before producers later requested that Ronstadt's vocal performance be reinserted into the song. Despite its conflicted production, the finished single earned a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and was on the short-list for the nominations for Academy Award for Best Original Song though it didn't earn a nomination for the latter.
An American Tail Theatre is a discontinued live stage show based on An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, running at various Universal Parks & Resorts theme parks from 1990 to 1992.
Fievel's Playland is a playground based on An American Tail and ', to make guests feel like the size of a mouse on oversized objects, and ride on a 200-foot water slide. It ran at Hollywood from 1989 to 1997, and in Florida from July 5, 1992, to January 16, 2023.