Fievel Mousekewitz

Fievel Mousekewitz
Background information
Feature films	An American Tail An American Tail: Fievel Goes West An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster All Dogs Go to Heaven (cameo) A Troll in Central Park (on a movie poster)
Television programs	Fievel's American Tails
Video games	An American Tail: Fievel Goes West An American Tail: Animated Movie Book An American Tail: Fievel's Gold Rush
Park attractions	Fievel's Playland
Animators	John Pomeroy Len Simon
Voice	Phillip Glasser Thomas Dekker
Designer	Don Bluth
Inspiration	Steven Spielberg's grandfather Fliorello Flea from Tiny Toon Adventures
Character information
Full name	Fievel Mousekewitz
Other names	Philly Zelozelos (pronounced Chulu-Chulus) Rembrandt
Personality	Mischievous, sensitive, adventurous, kind, sweet, cute, outgoing, heroic, clever, curious, energetic, valiant, loyal, encouraging, headstrong, selfless, high-spirited, confident, playful, innocent, resourceful, imaginative, empathetic, well-mannered, emotional, brave, outspoken, loving, honest, daring, naive, courteous, friendly, dependable, unconventional, understanding, charitable, generous, brotherly, open-minded, protective, courageous Formerly: Depressive, fearful, unconfident, reckless
Appearance	Small and slender brown mouse, red shirt, blue pants, Russian kasket cap, barefoot
Age	7 (1st film) between 12-14 (2nd film, Fievel's American Tails) 8-9 (3rd and 4th direct to video sequels)
Gender	Male ♂
Alignment	Good
Goal	To get rid of the cats (except Tiger) find his family.
Home	Shostka, Belorussia, Russian Empire (formerly) New York City (currently) Green River, Utah
Relatives	Papa Mousekewitz (father) Mama Mousekewitz (mother) Tanya Mousekewitz (big sister) Yasha Mousekewitz (baby sister) Grandma Mousekewitz (grandmother) Grandpa Mousekewitz (grandfather) Great Grandpa Mousekewitz (great-grandfather) Sophie Mousekewitz (aunt)
Allies	Tiger (best friend), Tony Toponi (second best friend), Bridget, Henri, Honest John, Gussie Mausheimer, Cholena (love interest), Wylie Burp, Dr. Dithering, Nellie Brie
Enemies	Warren T. Rat, Moe, Mott Street Maulers, Cat R. Waul, Hawk, Scorpion, T.R Chula, the Cactus Cat Gang, Scuttlebutt, Chief McBrusque, Mr. Grasping, Toplofty and O'bloat, Madame Mousey, Twitch, Manhattan Monster, Beetles, The Bullying Orphans
Likes	Adventures, annoying cats (except Tiger), exploring, playing, having fun, Cholena, helping out, swiss cheese ice cream, The Brothers Karamazov, butterflies with big golden wings and blue and green tips, taunting his enemies, his family and friends, spending time with Tony and Tiger, religion, fairness, justice, equality
Dislikes	Danger, being lost, sweatshops, cats chasing and picking on him, hawk picking on him, cruelness, mistreatment, judgment, prejudice, oppression, violence, unfairness, injustice, sexism, racism, discrimination
Weapons	Torch
Fate	Fievel reunites with his family and he and Tanya ride Henri to see the finished statue of Liberty.
Quote	"You know, I thought all cats were supposed to be mean." "Never say never, Papa."

Fievel "Philly" Mousekewitz (born 1878) is the main protagonist of the American Tail series. He is a member of the Mousekewitz family and a fearless and cute male anthro mouse who rarely gives up when he has a problem. Fievel is voiced by Phillip Glasser in the first two films and the TV series, and is voiced by Thomas Dekker in the other sequels. 

Background

Physical Appearance

Fievel is usually dressed in a red shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He is usually seen wearing his blue trademark hat, which is somewhat big for him. His attire has only changed during An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. In the aforementioned film, Fievel wears a yellow bandana around his neck and his blue hat can be altered into a white cowboy hat. It remains as that until the very end of the movie, when Fievel has finished a talk with Wylie Burp. Physically he has dark brown fur with light brown fur on his face, chest, and stomach. The exact shades of his fur differ somewhat from film to film. The film where Fievel gets the biggest redesign is Fievel Goes West, where his head his rounder, he has blue eyes and pink pads on the bottom of his feet. He is older in this film too.

Personality

Fievel is heroic.

Role in Films

An American Tail

He is first seen in his home in Shostka, Russia. He receives his trademark hat as a Hanukkah (a religious holiday) present from his father. At first, Fievel claims that the hat is too big, but his mother says that he'll grow. His father then proceeds to tell them a story of the giant Mouse of Minsk: a mouse that was as tall as a tree and had a tail that was a mile long. The talk soon changes to the States: a promised land where, supposedly, the streets are paved with cheese, there are mouse holes in every wall, there are bread crumbs all over the house floors, a person can say whatever they want to say and there are no cats. Mama Mousekewitz tries to get Papa to not say "cat" (for fear that they will hear them), but it is too late; Cossacks soon attack the village, along with their pets- Cossack Cats (or "Cat-sacks"). For the sake of his family, Fievel goes to try to scare the cats away; however, his attempts are not very successful. Nevertheless, the Cat-sacks soon leave the village (albeit, in shambles). Deciding that they have no other choice, the Mousekewitz family gathers up their things and leaves for a boat bound for the States in Hamburg, Germany.

Fievel's questions during the walk onto the boat end up annoying most of the other mice that are trying to get onboard, as well as the band performing there, prompting Fievel's father to say "this is the last time I take you to America". Waving goodbye to his homeland, Fievel and his family begin their ride over to the States. On the trip, Fievel shows his curious ways by asking his father about fish and their distinct types. Shortly afterward, he is seen dancing during the beginning of the song "There Are No Cats In America". Later that evening, Fievel goes to explore the ship; however, a monstrous wave sweeps him overboard, separating him from his family.

He is later seen in a bottle that is washed onto the shores of the Statue of Liberty (how he ended up there is never explained). He soon meets Henri, a French pigeon who is helping to build the Statue of Liberty. Henri nurses Fievel back to health and, through the song "Never Say Never", restores Fievel's resolve to find his family. Advised by Henri, Fievel is flown over to the mouse version of Castle Garden (aptly named "Mouse Garden") to find his family.

However, upon arrival, he meets Warren T. Rat: a conman and (secretly) the leader of the Mott Street Maulers- a dangerous gang of cats. After (presumably) becoming immigrated to the States, Fievel makes friends with Warren T, under the pretense that he is being taken to his family.

Fievel realizes far too late, however, that Warren T. was lying to him. Fievel is cast into slavery in a sweatshop run by a fat rat named Moe (that, ironically, is a short distance below his family's new tailoring shop/home). Later that night, Fievel teams up with a street-wise Italian mouse named Tony Toponi and the rest of the orphans working for Moe in an escape made by creating a ladder out of bed blankets that are flung out the window.

Fievel, being the first to escape, quickly runs off, deciding to search for his parents the next morning. His efforts appear to reach fruition when he hears a violin playing from a third-story window in a human apartment complex; alas, it is only a photograph, as Fievel sadly discovers. Fievel is soon seen by two humans, who begin to throw things at him, ending up with Fievel jumping out of the window and eventually landing into a bucket, the contents of which are sent down the street.

Fievel once again runs into Tony, who decides to help Fievel find his family. Ironically, Fievel misses his family again when he walks on a passage over them at a local market. While at the market, Fievel and Tony meet Bridget, a beautiful young Irish mouse who is trying to rally her fellow mice against the cats. During the attempted rally, Tony and Bridget accidentally kiss and fall in love (partly due to Fievel's work); Fievel, however, doesn't quite understand the concept of love (being young as he is). Fievel, of course, is confused as to why everyone is scared of cats even though (supposedly) there are no cats in America. However, the belief of a world without cats is brought to an end when the Mott Street Maulers attack the local market in a scene that is somewhat identical to the scene where Fievel's house was destroyed; Fievel, himself, nearly gets eaten, but he manages to get out of the mouth of the cat that tried to eat him. After the destruction, Fievel regroups with Tony and Bridget. Bridget then decides to help Fievel and suggests that Fievel should meet Honest John, a local politician, as he knows every mouse in the city. Following his new friends, Fievel once again misses his parents at the market.

At a wake for Mickey O'Hare, Fievel ends up as part of the resistance against the cats when Gussie Mausheimer declares an alliance between the uptown mice and the downtown mice. They plan a rally at Mausheimer Park the next day to discuss plans to take care of the cats. Bridget asks Honest John if he knows the Mousekewitzes. Sadly, Honest John only knows every voting mouse in the city, which proves to be another fruitless end in Fievel's quest.

Later that night, Fievel sings a long-range duet of "Somewhere Out There" with Tanya. He then goes to sleep in preparation for the rally.

Fievel and Tony end up an hour late to the meeting at Chelsea Pier, which leaves Tony extremely annoyed (as he had promised Bridget he'd be on time), as Fievel (supposedly) was supposed to keep an eye on the clock, (which might not have been a good idea, since he can't tell time). On the way over to the pier, Fievel hears what sounds like violin playing coming from the sewers.

Thinking his family is down in the sewers, he slips through the sewer grate, following the music. He doesn't find his family: what he does find, however, is the Maulers' Hideout and the Mott Street Maulers, themselves. He also finds Warren T. Rat, who isn't a rat, but, in reality, a cat! Unfortunately, Fievel gets spotted by Warren T, who orders that Fievel is captured. Though Fievel gets out of the sewers, he is soon captured and thrown in a cage. He is watched over by a large and somewhat goofy cat named Tiger. Fievel quickly finds that Tiger is not like the other cats: He's a vegetarian, he likes mice (but not as food), he's separated from his family like Fievel (for years) and he is very nice. They quickly become friends and sing the song A Duo. However, an alarm soon goes off, waking up the Mott Street Maulers and getting Tiger fired (which, from his perspective, is a good thing). Fievel escapes in the confusion caused and heads for the pier.

Fievel rushes for the pier with the cats in hot pursuit; however, unbeknownst to him, he brought the cats in an hour early (according to Gussie's plan). Soon, the entire warehouse is awake and Fievel reveals Warren T.'s deceit to everyone. Soon realizing that the secret weapon is stuck, Fievel grabs a flame (after losing his hat) and uses it to sever the rope that is keeping the weapon from activating. Fievel releases the weapon but is temporarily knocked out when a piece of metal knocks him in the head. Later, the dock catches fire, forcing Fievel (now awake) to flee from the flames.

He ends up in Orphan Alley, where a group of orphans, after hearing his story, tell him to give up on finding his family. Fievel then becomes depressed, saying that he'll "never find his family". The next morning, however, Fievel hears his father's violin, knowing that the bullies were lying. Listening to it, he is led back to his family, where he shares a tender moment with them. He also regains his hat, which finally fits.

He is last seen (in this movie) riding Henri with Tanya over America. He wonders if he will get to see all of America, with Henri responding that, someday, he will. He is last seen waving goodbye to the golden Statue of Liberty with Tanya.

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West

In the second film, the young mouse becomes an Old West hero after his family are tricked into moving out West by the villain known as Mr. Cat R. Waul. Meanwhile, Fievel waves goodbye to Tiger and gets on the train with his family. His friend Tiger is chased by dogs and tries to get on the train (that Fievel, Tanya, Yasha, Papa, Mama, Tony, Bridget are on) that crosses the bridge over the river; however Tiger falls off the bridge and falls into the river and is later fished out. Fievel is once again separated from his family, thrown off the train after overhearing Waul's plan, but he soon joins forces with Tiger and Sheriff Burp to take down Cat R Waul and his gang before they can turn the mice into mouseburgers. In this film (the second one chronologically but the 4th canonically), Fievel's personality is much more cheerful than in the first film, and he is very courageous. Between the films he has apparently taken a keen interest in cowboys, but over the course of the film he realizes that he can be a hero just by being himself.

An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island

Fievel is first seen with Tanya after having woken up from a good night's sleep. He mentions that he dreamed the Mousekewitzes moved out west and he became a famous gunslinger. Though Tanya doubts this could happen, Fievel says, "Well, it seemed real to me."

In the rest of the movie, Fievel befriends a group of Native American mice (in particular, the cute and lovely daughter of the Chief, Cholena) and aids them against the cruel antics of a gang of rich sweatshop owners, who are also making Fievel's father's life miserable along with many of their workers in their pursuit of money and power. Throughout the film, Fievel must struggle with guilt over what the other European mice have put Native American mice through, and though he's not able to redeem his fellow Europeans, he shows the tribe that at least they aren't all bad.

An American Tail: The Mystery Of The Night Monster

In The Mystery Of The Night Monster, Fievel becomes ensnared in a mystery involving a supposed monster that is kidnapping mice, however this monster is soon revealed to be a mechanical device created by the villainous Madame Mousey - a miniature French poodle with a hatred of all things rodent. Unlike the other movies where he is courageous, in this film Fievel battles his fears and suffers nightmares due to the supposed monster. It takes the help of a gorgeous news reporter named Nellie Brie to help him conquer his fears.

Other Appearances

Fievel appears as a cameo on Charlie B. Barkin and Itchy Itchiford's picture in the extended version of All Dogs Go to Heaven.

Gallery

Fievel in An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island

I knew there are cats in America.

Presents, what about presents?

Fievel dancing with Cholena

Fievel escapes from Moe's Sweatshop

Fievel appears as a mascot for Amblimation

Fievel is tired from An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.

Fievel is undressed.

Fievel jumps out of the bathtub

Fievels pants fall down.

Fievels furry rear end is exposed as he looks in the drain.

Trivia

• Character animation supervised by John Pomeroy.
• Jeremy Schoenberg, R.J Williams and Gabriel Damon were all originally considered to voice Fievel in the first film.
• "Feivel" is the correct Yiddish spelling. His name is still spelled that way in the opening credits of the first movie, some of the storyboards, and in most foreign releases. It was thought that the spelling might confuse Americans.
• Fievel is named after Steven Spielberg's grandfather.
• Fievel was voiced by Phillip Glasser in every appearance up until the direct-to-video sequels, where he is voiced by Thomas Dekker.