Disney was not the only one making feature length animated movies as Don Bluth would gladly tell you. A Disney alum himself, Bluth directed An American Tail in 1986, a movie produced by Steven Spielberg's company, Amblin Entertainment. It was the tale of a young immigrant mouse that come to America to avoid the tyranny of cats everywhere and finds his new home more terrifying and more wonderful than he imagined.

Fievel Mousekewitz and his family are celebrating Hannukah back in Russia when war breaks out and the mice are left destitute. Papa packs them all--Mama, son Fievel, daughter Tanya and baby Yasha--onto a boat headed for New York to start a new life in the glorious land where there are no cats and "the streets are paved with cheese."

In the confusion of disembarking, Fievel falls overboard and his family assumes he's drowned. But the little mouse is alive and well, left to navigate the big city by himself. Fievel meets Warren T. Rat who despite his friendly reassurances sells Fievel to a sweatshop where other immigrant mice from all over Europe work night and day. He eventually escapes with the help of two friends, Tony and Bridget.

Meanwhile all the Mousekewitz family mourns the apparent death of their son, except for his sister Tanya, who believes Fievel is still alive. Papa and Mama have new problems to contend with because cats run the town and terrorize all the poor, immigrant mice.

Tony, Bridget and Fievel work on a plan to overthrow the tyranny of the cat gangs and discover in the process that Warren T. Rat is really a feline in disguise, victimizing thousands of mice with his exploitation. Fievel even makes frieds with a cowardly cat named Tiger who had previously work for Warren. After a massive fire, Fievel wakes up in an orphanage, pining for his family but Papa and the others are right next to him and celebrate the joyful reunion.

The little mouse's story charmed audiences all over the world and became the highest grossing, non-Disney animated movie at the time. An American Tail spawned a sequel a few years later, as well as a television series.