Released at the end of 1986 and being the first animation ever to be produced and presented by Steven Spielberg, An American Tail, the second feature film that ex-Disney animator Don Bluth had made since his departure from what is now Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1979, became the first non-Disney animated feature film to achieve real blockbuster success at the box office, a full 15 years before the release of DreamWorks' Shrek in 2001. It has earned its place not only in animation history, but in the home media library of any one young and old.

 

Now, there has been much debate regarding the audio changes, revisions, removals, additions, remixes, redubs, etc., that were made to the original Don Bluth American Tail film from 1986, beginning in 2003 or 2004 with the first DVD release of the first American Tail. The debate was reignited in 2014 with the release of the original Don Bluth American Tail on Blu-ray Disc, and could continue for time immemorial yet to come. The purpose of this petition is not to debate copyright or I.P. owners' rights -- legally you still had every right to make any changes, etc. to your classic or modern films as you please, especially after the fact. We do believe, however, that whoever owned the rights to the American Tail franchise, begun with one of the most successful and beloved animated films of the 1980s, still have a responsibility to preserve and restore the Don Bluth original film of An American Tail with its original 1986 theatrical audio -- unaltered, un-remixed, un-redubbed, etc. -- as well as Fievel Goes West and other things in the American Tail franchise, and make it or them accessible to a whole new or future generation or two in a way, on a level, and even a quality equal to those of the best Disney and Pixar classics. 

A lot of speculation still continues to run rampant as to the availability of suitable elements for even a proper restoration of An American Tail's original theatrical audio, especially in light of the fact that a lot of An American Tail's fans were still very upset way beyond crestfallen with the horrific way that you tampered with the original 1986 Dolby Stereo release audio for An American Tail when you put it out on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. According to TV Tropes, “background music and sound effects were changed or added, new voice-overs were inserted (which wasn’t the bad part, since they seem to have come from the original recording sessions), and the orphans who bully Fievel near the end had their voices re-dubbed for unknown reasons.”

 

Such digital destruction (such as the addition of cartoony sound effects and the redubbing of the voices of the bullying orphans who gave Fievel a very hard time towards the end of the film) still demonstrates such disrespect for animation of the period in which An American Tail was made, that many of us, and especially many fans of An American Tail itself will still find it even harder AND HARDER to believe, given the firm stance of Disney and such filmmakers as Spielberg and Star Wars creator George Lucas in the past on the preservation of films both animated as well as live action. But we still hold out hope that claims of the demise of any original audio elements for animation made before the CGI era have been exaggerated at best.

 

Assuming adequate source materials, audio and/or even visual wise, still do exist, our goal, as the undersigned, is to convince you that providing home video releases of An American Tail and its sequels, in the best quality possible, and especially in their original audio visual glory, whether 2.0 surround sound or up-mixed to 5.1 channels, need not be an either/or proposition. Even the original 2.0 stereo surround and the 5.1 surround sound mix of the original Don Bluth American Tail can co-exist without one audio mix option cancelling out the others. What is now Warner Bros. Discovery put out definitive releases of the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts on DVD and Blu-Ray as well as put out a definitive release of MGM and Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry shorts on Blu-Ray, for examples.

 

Outstanding animation on Blu-Ray releases like Looney Tunes' Platinum Collection as well as The Golden Collection release of MGM and Hanna Barbera's Tom and Jerry once prove that there can still be a balance between whoever own the rights to animated films or cartoons, film preservation and even fan service. The American Tail series deserves the same treatment, even if it were to be given, in the future, a definitive, first-class, fully-loaded special edition home media release on Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray, and even something along the possible lines of some kind of “Criterion Collection” for animation on home video—this time, on Blu-ray as well as 4K UHD Blu-ray, and with dazzling high definition clarity (and quality) as well as high dynamic color range for the 4K UHD releases, and even the purest and most faithfully reproduced digital sound imaginable on the planet, as well as being, not to mention, done at the highest possible level, even as something that, even for something like An American Tail and especially its 1991 sequel Fievel Goes West, might also contain the most comprehensive and most fully loaded collection of supplemental materials both new and archival (and not to mention, bonus materials not yet seen before) ever assembled (and by no means imaginable) for, and pertaining to the American Tail franchise, and not to mention, something that might not only be aimed at fans of An American Tail as well as kids and families in general, but also the collector, and especially in ways that even previous home media releases of the An American Tail franchise never really were before (especially with the first two American Tail films -- the Don Bluth original and its 1991 Amlbimation sequel Fievel Goes West -- as well as a fully loaded amount of bonus extra features, being housed in some Lord of the Rings-worthy four-disc set on DVD, Blu-ray, and/or 4K UHD Blu-ray disc, if optional.)

Anyway, to help clarify our request, even:

1) We asked that the original theatrical 1986 audio for Don Bluth's An American Tail be restored from the best elements available (including the 1987 laserdisc release, especially) using more modern methods and technology.

and

2) In the future, when you decide to re-release An American Tail and especially its 1991 sequel Fievel Goes West not only on Blu-ray, 4K UHD Blu-ray or any future home media format, but also on the big movie theater screens (and especially on IMAX screens) where An American Tail's Fievel himself briefly became a star in the first place, we asked that, in addition to high definition or 4K HDR visuals struck from the newly restored elements, the original unaltered, un-remixed and un-redubbed 1986 theatrical audio, especially remastered or struck from the newly restored audio source elements (especially when sourced from the 1987 laserdisc release of the film) be included alongside the 5.1 mix as well.

 

We, the undersigned, will like to thank you for giving us An American Tail (and especially its 1991 sequel Fievel Goes West), and for your attention in this matter.

Sincerely yours, and with regards,

The Undersigned