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An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island
Common Sense says
- G
- 2004
- 80 minutes
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island is another adventure of Fievel the mouse and his immigrant family. This action-adventure has a strong message about tolerance and equality for all but also has quite a few suspenseful scenes and a lot of cartoon violence, including some disturbing scenes of police beating up protesters, which may be too scary for some young viewers. There also are some pretty dated ethnic stereotypes of various immigrants and Native Americans.
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What's the story?
The Mouskewitzes and friends are finding that the American dream isn't all they thought it would be. Papa (Nehemiah Persoff) is tired from working multiple jobs and is sick of being discriminated against at his factory job. And Tony (Pat Musick) finds his dreams of getting rich are slow in coming, especially when he gets on the bad side of the evil factory boss, Mr. Grasping (Ron Perlman). When Fievel (Thomas Dekkar) and Tony discover a secret treasure map that leads them underneath Manhattan, they're sure their luck is about to change. But when the adventurers find a secret society of Native American mice hiding under the city, they learn the greatest treasure you can find is the freedom to hope and dream.
Is it any good?
Fans of Indiana Jones will definitely recognize and appreciate the scenes of Fievel and Tony navigating the underground world of Manhattan in this sometimes fun adventure tale. But, unlike previous American Tail adventures, this dreary flick is short on hope and long on injustice. There are too many near misses for Tony and Fievel, and Mr. Grasping and his police thugs are just too brutal -- seeing them viciously beat a protester with a baton, even if it is in silhouette, feels excessive. Fievel's cheery enthusiasm isn't enough to outweigh the gloom that pervades the entire movie.
Also, though there are definitely some inspiring scenes of Papa rallying everyone to fight against injustice, it's hard to overlook the dated and cringe-inducing stereotypes used to depict the Native American mice. Stick with the original An American Tail and skip this one.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the American dream. What is the American dream and why is reality much different for Fievel, his family, and their friends?
Do you think the Native American mice made a good choice to hide underground? Why, or why not?
Which American Tail adventure is your favorite? Why?
Movie details
- On DVD or streaming: January 20, 2004
- Cast: Dom DeLuise, Lacey Chabert, Thomas Dekker
- Director: Larry Latham
- Studio: Universal Studios
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Run time: 80 minutes
- MPAA rating: G
For kids who love animal tales
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.