This is a list of the various continuity errors and inconsistencies that occur in the franchise. Some may be described as goofs by the animators, others might be flat-out retcons. The sequels in the An American Tail franchise were all handled by different writers, thus its only natural for there to be continuity errors and conflicts within the canon of the series.
An American Tail
- Yasha's Disappearance: About half way through the film, the youngest Mousekewitz sibling Yasha seems to disappear. This might be explained by the fact that her family are in potentially dangerous situations for the second half (building and controlling the Giant Mouse of Minsk, riding on Tiger, and flying on pigeons), but no real explanation is given.
- Disappearing Cheese: In the scene where Tony Toponi trips a mouse trap to get the cheese, and tosses it because it has gone stale, it simply disappears from the frame.
- Bridget's Shoes: Bridget is one of the only mice in the series who is seen wearing shoes, however it is inconsistent and they appear and disappear from scene to scene.
- Warren T Rat's Size: Warren's size varies throughout the film, particularly when compared to Fievel and Digit, who are almost the same height in scenes where they appear together. When standing next to Moe, a rat, he is dwarfed. Yet he becomes bigger when not wearing his rat disguise, the same size as the rest of the cats.
Fievel Goes West
- Tanya's Age: In An American Tail, Tanya is close in age to Fievel. In An American Tail: The Storybook, it is mentioned that Fievel is seven years old, while Tanya is a year older, making her 8. However, by the time of Fievel Goes West she is much older, and her An American Tail Trading Card states that she is 16 years old, and it is very unlikely that Fievel is 15.
- Yasha's Age: Even disregarding the conflicting canon on Tanya's age, it is clear that in the time between the first film and Fievel Goes West, enough time has passed that Yasha should no longer be an infant.
Fievel's American Tails
- Cat R. Waul's Schemes: Several times, such as in The Legend of Mouse Hollow, Tanya, as well as the rest of the town, seem to have forgotten about Cat R. Waul's scheme to kill every mouse in Green River while sparing Tanya in Fievel Goes West, and continue to trust him. Fievel never trusts Waul, but never reminds others of Waul's scheme in Fievel Goes West again either.
- Chula's Characterization: Chula is a very different character in the series, no longer as sadistic or psychotic. In That's What Friends Are For, Tiger and Fievel befriend him separately, as if forgetting the time Chula tried to cook Fievel over a candle and eat him in Fievel Goes West.
- Wylie Burp's Whereabouts: Wylie Burp is missing from the series, and it is not explained what happened to him nor is he even mentioned.
- Fievel's Hat: At the end of Fievel Goes West, Fievel turns his hat back into its original shape from a cowboy hat because he is ready to start being himself. But in Fievel's American Tails, he is always seen in a cowboy hat.
- Tiger's Characterization: By the end of Fievel Goes West, Tiger had found his courage, won back Miss Kitty, and it is implied Wylie passed his torch to him and he became sheriff. But in Fievel's American Tails he is back to being a coward, is unemployed living in a discarded wagon, and Miss Kitty has left him.
The Treasure of Manhattan Island and Mystery of the Night Monster
- Back in New York: Perhaps the most infamous continuity error in the whole franchise, the direct-to-video films inexplicably take place in New York and disregard the events of Fievel Goes West. The Treasure of Manhattan Island alludes to this by Fievel stating he had a dream where the family moved west, perhaps implying that the film was all just a dream. Some fans explain this by saying the two direct-to-video sequels take place before Fievel Goes West, but it seems the creators of those movies wanted to retcon the first sequel.
- Bridget's Whereabouts: Bridget, Tony's love interest in the first movie, is nowhere to be seen, and is rarely ever mentioned. Instead Tony develops an unrequited crush on Cholena. Fans have theorized why Bridget is missing, but no explanation is offered in the films themselves. However, Fievel and later Tanya regarding Tony's ogling reaction towards Cholena can be evidenced, though.
- Despite Bridget being completely absent from the later sequels, Tony's further flirtations has been kaput starting film 4. As for Cholena, she is explicitly dismissed from canon.
- Fievel's Characterization: Fievel has always been portrayed as brave to a fault, often getting himself into trouble because of it. But in The Mystery of the Night Monster, Fievel is fearful and plagued by nightmares, which is very unlike him.
- Daily Nibbler Calendar: Reed Daley's calendar on the wall of his office at the Daily Nibbler always reads September 19th even though several days go by in the course of the film.
- Inconsistencies Between Both Films: The two direct to video films are similar in most respects; same voice actors, generally same character models, the Mousekwitz family lives in the same house, Bridget is missing in both; they seem at first glance to take place in the same universe. However there are some key differences that aren't easily explained. The absence of the Lenape mice in Mystery of the Night Monster actually can be easily explained by their still living underground in exile, of course. But, the Cheese Factory is never mentioned again; Tony evidently doesn't work there and we don't know if Papa still works there. Some have taken a brief comment by Papa that Nellie's undercover report which resulted in some sweat shop owners being arrested to mean that Nellie took down the evil Cheese Factory owners, but this is vague and can't be verified by canon. Tiger's position as Chief of Police at the end of The Treasure of Manhattan Island is promptly forgotten in the next film, and is probably the biggest inconsistency between the two films that can't be logically explained (maybe he quit, but we don't know). The two films may have been written to be at least somewhat self-contained.
Other Works (games, music, etc)
An American Tail: A Musical Adventure With Fievel and Friends
- Diddy Diddy Dum Dum: The track Diddy Diddy Dum Dum (Fievel's Little Song) is riddled with continuity errors, stating that Fievel was made fun of for having a funny accent (never implied in the movies), that Papa was a tailor (he's a violin maker; although there are hints in the first film that he briefly was a tailor when he first came to America), and that Russia is west of Prussia (it was actually to the east).
An American Tail: The Computer Adventures of Fievel and His Friends
- The Mousekewitz's Home in Fievel Goes West: The film itself is never clear in what area of New York the Mousekewitz family is living in at the beginning of the film. This DOS game states that they live in Brooklyn, while the trading cards say they live on Hester Street. A clear case of conflicting canon.
- Sophia Kitty: The game gives Miss Kitty a first name that appears in no other An American Tail media. While fans have accepted this as her real name as a result, other aspects of the game are clearly non-canon, meaning this is probably unofficial.
An American Tail Trading Cards
- Conflicting Dates: The Hester Street card claims the Mousekewitz family settled in New York in 1881 (five years too early), while the Statue of Liberty card claims the statue was finished in 1885 (a year too early). While the first film opens in 1885, it is Hanukkah, a holiday in December, meaning the rest of the film couldn't possibly have taken place that year.
- Tanya's Love Interest: Tanya's card states that she has "love for a certain young mouse". This error may be based on an older version of the script that appears in the Fievel Goes West comic book as well, where Tanya falls in love with a boy mouse named Willie. He seems to have been cut from the final film.