An American Tail: Fievel Goes West

When you're a cat-harassed, down-and-out mouse, holed up in the streets of New York, there's only one thing to do: head West, where prosperity beckons and cats and mice live in loving harmony. Or so the Mousekewitz family is led to believe by feline fiend Cat R Waul. Miles better than the overrated American Tail, this laugh-packed sequel boasts all the classic elements so often missing from modern cartoon features: a straightforward zip-zang-boom storyline, clearly etched characters with instantly identifiable flaws, tip-top voice-overs by well-chosen celebrities, and oodles of elasticated slapstick. There are moments of the goo which marred Don Bluth's original, but in general the sentimentality is kept to a minimum as Fievel and his fat-cat friend Tiger prepare to kick ass.