Moe's Sweatshop

Moe's Sweatshop is a location in New York City in America. It is where Fievel Mousekewitz, Tony Toponi and the other mice are forced to work as imprisoned slaves. They receive fifty cents a day technically, meaning it isn't true slavery, but the money all goes into Warren's pocket so it might as well be. It is located within a human sweatshop, as we see the feet of human women working at sewing machines. After Warren T. Rat deceives Fievel about finding his family, he is tricked and sold to Moe. In the movie, at night, both Fievel and Tony escaped from the shop by tying blankets together. Also, one of the Orphan bullies escaped.

The sweatshop only appears in An American Tail. Also it appeared in An American Tail: The Storybook with deleted scenes. In the novelization, it is shown how Fievel and Tony met in the shop as they were carrying clothes to be sewn, and they develop a friendship as Tony starts to view Fievel as a little brother. Fievel works at the shop for a few days before one night they escape, by tying Moe to a chair with extra fabric and then going out the window like in the film.

There was originally to be a music number during the sweatshop scene, but it was deleted. It is one place where Universal's budget cuts to the film during production unfortunately leave a lot to be desired, as it goes by very quickly, makes Tony and Fievel's friendship begin abruptly, and makes it seem like Fievel was only there for a few hours.

There is a possible allusion to Moe's Sweatshop in the final An American Tail film, An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster. It is mentioned that reporter Nellie Brie went undercover in a sweatshop and then escaped to write a tell-all news article about it, resulting in the imprisonment of the owner. Whether or not it was Moe's sweatshop isn't mentioned,but it is one possibility.

The human sweatshop

Jobs

All slaves including Fievel and Tony have to make clothes and cleaning. In the storybook Fievel learns to sew clothes, and Tony cuts fabric.