An American Tail Family Double Feature DVD: Review By SpaceCowboy

I haven't seen the American Tail movies since VHS was still around. Thanks to this little package I got the chance to see both again at a very affordable price. Universal's Family Double Feature series went out unnoticed and undemanding in the market.

First in 2005 was the Babe double feature, in 2009 Beethoven got it's double feature release, and in 2010 An American Tail made it's way onto the shelves. The Pig, the Dog, and the Mouse. This being the first of this series that I purchased this will be the first I review.

The DVD is set up like any other in a standard keep case. Similar if not exact to those white cases the earliest Disney DVDs were released in as part of the Gold Collection.

The cover shows a very large Fievel taking up most of the foreground with some of the cast from the first film in the background. At the top the title "An American Tail" is seen with Steven Speilberg's and Don Bluth's names floating around it; at the bottom "Also Includes An American Tail: Fievel Goes West." On the left side of the cover "family double feature" is typed out on a blue strip.

The spine is basic. Part of the same blue strip that was on the front cover with a windowed picture of Fievel, the title of the first film, and "family double feature" typed out long the side.

The back has two very poor summaries of the films and pictures from the first American Tail. Both films' credits are in yellow text at the bottom which isn't very visible since the background has shades of yellow as well. In the Bonus Features box the only things listed are "Sing-Along-Songs" and "Interactive Fun." To go more in depth, here is the full list of features:

Side A - An American Tail

- How Do I Find Things?

- Fievel and Tiger's Duo Dance

- Counting with Digit

- Rewease the Secwet Weapon Game

- Somewhere Out There Sing-Along

- Theatrical Trailer

Side B - An American Tail: Fievel Goes West

- How Do I Find Things?

- Wild West Roundup

- Way Out West Sing-Along

- Theatrical Trailer

Both sides of the disc begin with a preview of the tenth Land Before Time movie, The Great Longneck Migration. The first in the Land Before Time series being a Don Bluth film as well. After the preview the menu comes and the movie will actually play automatically after a minute or two. Not that I recommend waiting just for the movie to play, but it's good to keep in mind if you lose the remote as much as I do.

All the bonus features are listed on the back of the DVD case aside from the trailers and "How Do I Find Things?" which can barely be counted as features. "How Do I Find Things?" is a tutorial on both sides of the disc on how to operate through a DVD menu with the remote which is redundant seeing how it can't be accessed without knowing how to already navigate through the menus.

The Sing-Alongs are pretty self explanatory. The games are each unique and with the no Commentary, Featurette, or Deleted Scenes, this is the bulk of the features.

"Fievel and Tiger's Duo Dance" is a matching game in which you are given five objects to choose from and you must choose one of the objects to match with another. Example: You must match an item with a bowling bowl. One of the answers to choose from is a bowling pin which is related bowling. Match five rounds of items you get a Sing-Along version of the Duo Dance.

"Counting with Digit" This game involves looking through 15 or so assorted coins with different shapes and colors on them and answering the correct the number of coins to which each question asks for. Example: How many red squares are there? As you progress the questions get more difficult. If all nine questions are answered correctly a montage of clips from the movie plays.

"Rewease the Secwet Weapon" is a searching game. A list of items to look for pops up on the screen. Each item must be found in order as listed from top to bottom. Once you know what to look for click the magnify glass icon at the bottom of the screen. A screen of items pops up and just use your remote to point to the item on the list. Simple enough. There are two rounds of this with three or four items per round to look for. The Prize: more movie clips!

Finally, "Wild West Roundup" In this game three clips are shown from the movie. For each clip questions will be asked in which there are three answers to choose from. For answering all the questions right the prize is a montage of clips form the movie.

I can't tell you how much two movies on one disc excites me and I can't tell you much much it annoys me when the two movies hog their own side of the disc. I like these double feature sets for the convenience and extra space I get to save on my shelf, but it just rubs me the wrong way to open up the case and see a disc with smudges and scratches on it.

To my knowledge these movies are re-released versions of the previous American Tail DVDs so there is nothing new here and it actually makes sense as to why they each take up their own side and share similar features.

Both movies share the same specifications. Both are in the 1:33:1 full frame aspect ratio. There's a choice of watching the films in either English 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS and even in Spanish 5.1 Dolby and French 5.1 Dolby. Subtitles can also be turned on for English, Spanish and French.

As for the movies themselves they both entertain yet are very different in tone, pacing and humor. I certainly enjoy them so I will be hanging onto this DVD for quite a while.

Hope you enjoyed my review. Thumbs it up if you liked it and please leave me a comment below telling me what you thought or if you have any questions. Thanks for reading!

-- John H., the Space Cowboy