An American Tail

Continuity mistake: At the beginning when Papa walks toward Tanya with a present hidden behind his back, notice how her hands pull apart from one another between shots. (00:03:50)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: In the opening scene where Tanya and Fievel receive their Hanukkah gifts, Papa can be seen tying on a new headscarf for Tanya in front of a mirror. When Tanya turns around to admire it in the following shot, Papa's hands are still working but his reflection isn't visible in the mirror. (00:03:50)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: At the beginning when Tanya is looking into a mirror admiring her new orange headscarf, she turns completely around towards the dining room between shots. (00:03:55)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: When Papa is about to give Fievel a new blue hat, he starts off by holding it above the bill with his left hand. But from the next angle, he's seen holding it below the bill instead. (00:04:10)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: In the initial scene where Papa is handing out Hanukkah gifts, he gives Fievel a family heirloom: his blue hat. But as Papa drops the hat onto Fievel's head, the direction of its bill changes between shots. (00:04:15)

ryguy_1983

An American Tail mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Papa's story is interrupted by the Cossack cats, some of the tableware gets knocked over and broken. But seconds later, in the shot where Fievel runs outdoors with a pot and spoon, all of the broken items reappear intact. (00:05:45 - 00:06:25)

ryguy_1983

An American Tail mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Fievel emerges from beneath a tea kettle cover and collapses onto the snow, Mama walks over and scolds him. A moment later, Fievel's feet are suddenly missing their pads. (00:07:20)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: When the mice are scaling a rope towards the ship bound for America, Fievel - holding onto Papa's tail - stumbles a second time and points out a smokestack coming from the funnel. But at some point between shots, Fievel loses his grip on Papa's tail. (00:08:35)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: When Fievel is curiously wandering around below the ship's deck he discovers three barrels of herring, each one of which is specifically marked for breakfast, lunch and dinner (dinner being closest to the staircase). A little while later, Fievel is being tossed around on a bar of soap that carries him back to the barrels of herring. But when he lands on the dinner barrel, it's now marked as breakfast instead. (00:10:15 - 00:16:00)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: Between the overhead and underwater views of an apple falling into a barrel of herring, the barrel's wooden cover completely changes shape. It's missing a large triangular-shaped section in the shot where Papa makes his appearance. (00:10:25)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: As Fievel is gazing into the barrel of herring, an apple core falls in. The apple casts no reflection as it falls into the water, whereas Fievel's shadow is visible. (00:10:25)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: During "There Are No Cats in America" Papa finishes singing his piece, holding a blue hat in his right hand. But the hat vanishes between shots, right before the first chorus begins. (00:12:10)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: In the opening verse of "There Are No Cats in America," Papa finishes telling his story and an elderly mouse faints, dropping her sewing needles and yarn to the floor. But when the chorus begins in the following shot, she's suddenly holding them again. (00:12:10)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: During the storm, two mice are shown playing a game of chess on a board which floats back and forth with the ship's motion. After the first mouse makes his move, it drifts across to player two. However, in the very next shot two things occur: the board's color changes from black & red to black & white, and the square pattern arrangement changes to that of a checkerboard (which means a black square is placed at the lower right hand edge of each player's side). (00:14:35)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: When a hot coal rolls along the floor towards Papa, he lifts his tail in response. But when the shot changes, his tail is suddenly at rest again. (00:15:00)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: When Fievel is standing beneath the stove near a hot piece of coal, his hands are placed on his backside. But in the next shot he's seen reaching for his backside just before being burned by the coal. (00:15:15)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: During the storm, Fievel makes his way to the staircase and climbs a rope onto the fourth step. Suddenly a torrent of water rushes in from the deck above, forcing him to take cover. When Fievel emerges to look at some washed-up fish down on the floor below, the rope is nowhere to be seen - but it soon reappears a few shots later when Papa chases after him. (00:16:05)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: During the storm, Fievel crawls to the edge of the step he's on and watches two fish flop around below deck. Keep an eye on his blue hat. At first it's in his left hand, but between shots the hat somehow jumps below the step he's on - from which he pulls it out with his right hand and places it back on his head. (00:16:10)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: During the storm, Fievel gets carried off on a bar of soap. Upon making his way to the staircase he's seen five steps down below the swinging door, ducking for cover as a wave crashes into the lower deck seconds later. But after the wave passes by, he looks up at the swinging door from the sixth step instead - having not moved from his place through it all. (00:16:15)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: When Fievel sits on the Statue of Liberty's torch, his right hand repositions itself between frames. First it's between his feet, then the outside of his left leg. (00:20:40)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: When Fievel is first heading down the storm drain, as he believes his father is playing his violin, he leaves his hat on the surface, but a few seconds later he is seen holding the hat as he gets closer to the gang of cats.

More mistakes in An American Tail

Gussie: We awe going to have a wawwy.
Honest John: A wawwy? What's a wawwy?
Gussie: You know. A wawwy. A wawge gathewing of mice fow a weason.
Honest John: Oh. A rally.
Gussie: That's what I said. A wawwy.

More quotes from An American Tail

Trivia: Fievel was named after Steven Spielberg's grandfather.

More trivia for An American Tail

Question: Why didn't Tiger go with Fievel after he released him from the cage and Warren T. Rat threw him out of the Maulers?

Answer: Warren T. grabbed Tiger and told him he was fired.Tiger did eventually leave some time after that though.

More questions & answers from An American Tail

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