An American Tail: The Treasure on Manhattan Island is a 1998 American animated film. Its position in the overall timeline of the franchise is sometime after the first film, as a line of dialogue in the opening retcons the second movie as taking place entirely within one of FIevel's dreams. It is the third film in the An American Tail series, and the first to receive a direct-to-video release. The film premiered in 1998. Thomas Dekker took over the role of Fievel Mousekewitz from Phillip Glasser, the original actor, who was already 20 years old by then. Four actors from the original film (Dom DeLuise, Erica Yohn, Nehemiah Persoff, and finally, Pat Musick) reprised their roles. Tony Toponi returns in this movie as part of the main cast (after his limited appearance on the second film and his absence from the short lived TV series), but ironically as an unmarried adolescent since Bridget couldn't make further appearances due to her voice actress, Cathianne Blore, was in bad health while battling cancer during the production of this film. One actress, Elaine Bilstad, died of heart failure one year after voicing the character, Cholena, which marks this her final character role. The subplots of this film were found "too inappropriate for the franchise", as regarded by Common Sense Media.
Plot[]
The story is set in New York City sometime after the first movie. Fievel and Tony decide to explore the abandoned Beach Pneumatic Transit system and stumble upon the remains of a dead mouse clutching a treasure map. The two of them bring the map to a British archaeologist named Dr. Dithering and his assistant Scuttlebutt. Dithering deciphers the map and learns that it leads to a treasure left behind by the Lenape, New York's pre-colonial inhabitants. Upon this discovery, Dithering organizes an expedition to find this treasure and brings Fievel, Tony, Scuttlebutt, and Fievel's feline friend Tigerinto the tunnel system beneath New York. The group survives several traps only to discover that the "treasure" the map had referred to was actually a village of Lenape mice buried deep underground. The Lenape welcome the visitors from the surface and reveal that they had retreated to their hidden village upon witnessing the treatment of the human Lenape by the European colonists. At Fievel's suggestion, the sachem Wulisso has his young daughter, Cholena, accompany the expedition back to the surface to observe the Europeans and learn whether or not it is safe for the Lenape to emerge from hiding.
Meanwhile, Fievel's father works at a cheese factory run by Mr. Grasping, Mr. Toplofty, and Mr. O'Bloat. The overworked, underpaid workers are beginning to grow resentful of their treatment at the factory, but they are intimidated into compliance by the NYPD, led by the brutal Chief McBrusque. Upon the expedition's return, Scuttlebutt (who is secretly on Grasping's payroll) reports the existence of the Lenape village to the factory owners, who see an opportunity to distract the workers from their grievances. Taking advantage of the anti-Native American sentiments among the populace, Grasping works the mice of New York into a frenzy and sends them out to capture Cholena and anyone aiding her. Fievel and Tony manage to save Cholena from the police, but Dr. Dithering is captured by the mob and taken to the butcher's shop for trial. Papa instructs Fievel, Tony, and Tanya to take Cholena back to her village while he and Tiger save Dithering.
At the butcher's shop, the crowd (at Scuttlebutt's prompting) declares Dithering guilty of aiding Indians and demand his execution. However, Tiger rescues him before the police could carry out the sentence, and Papa appears before the crowd and makes them realize that the factory owners are using fear to divide them. Seeing the crowd turning against them, the factory owners quickly make their escape and instruct McBrusque to wipe out the Lenape to prevent an alliance between them and the workers. However, Fievel, Tony, Tanya, and Cholena reach the village first and warn them of the impending attack. When the police, guided by Scuttlebutt, reach the village, they are ambushed by Fievel and the Lenape, who use produce to fend them off. Wulisso then instructs Fievel and his friends to use a gunpowder bomb to collapse the tunnel leading to the village. Fievel's group takes the bomb to a place in the tunnel near an underground river, but they are attacked by McBrusque and Scuttlebutt before they can set it off. Fievel manages to break free of McBrusque's grasp and sets off the bomb, flooding the tunnel and carrying McBrusque and Scuttlebutt to their deaths. Fievel is seemingly swept away too, but he emerges from the mud and shares a tearful reunion with Tony and Tanya.
Some time later, the factory workers have gone on strike and elect Papa to be the leader of their new union. The factory owners reluctantly agree to negotiate with the workers, though Grasping assures his partners that they will find a way to regain control as there are many ways to skin a cat. However, they retreat upon realizing that Grasping's metaphor had offended the new Chief of Police, Tiger. As the workers celebrate, Dr. Dithering gifts a telescope to Fievel and suggests he use it to look at a nearby statue. Following the doctor's suggestion, Fievel spots Wulisso and Cholena waving at him from the entrance to a secret passage.
Cast[]
- Thomas Dekker - Fievel Mousekewitz
- Lacey Chabert - Tanya Mousekewitz
- Nehemiah Persoff - Papa Mousekewitz
- Erica Yohn - Mama Mousekewitz
- Dom DeLuise - Tiger
- Pat Musick - Tony Toponi
- Elaine Bilstad - Cholena
- David Carradine - Chief Wulisso
- Rene Auberjonois - Dr. Dithering
- John Kassir - Scuttlebutt
- Sherman Howard - Police Chief McBrusque
- Ron Perlman - Mr. Grasping
- Tony Jay - Mr. Toplofty
- Richard Karron - Mr. O'Bloat
Uncredited[]
- Dave Mallow - Looper (additional voices)
Trivia[]
- This movie can be featured in Animated Friends.
Gallery[]
