Out of the Vault: An American Tail and The Treasure of Manhattan Island | Revisiting the Immigrant Story, Indigenous Representation, and the “American Dream”

Cartoon Revolution

Even if you have watched An American Tail, you’ve probably never watch its straight-to-video sequel, “The Treasure of Manhattan Island”, and you know what? That’s okay! Think of this episode as our pitch to you, our listeners, as to why these films are worth taking “out of the vault” for another look.

In this episode, Sonya and Deidra dive into "An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island" to discuss its narrative treasures, offering unique additions to the "American Dream" once again through its plucky and inspiring mousy characters making their way in a cat-riddled world of oppression and prejudice. Sound familiar? Probably. How has the "American Dream" aged today? How have narratives on immigrant struggle and Indigenous identity matured over the years? Why is telling these complicated stories through animated animals worthwhile? Let's discuss!

As always, give us a follow on IG and Threads @cartoonrevolution.pod, Twitter @cartoonrev_pod and TikTok @cartoonrevolution to share your thoughts <3

Sources:

Origin of the “model minority” term, NYT 1966: http://inside.sfuhs.org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter14/modelminority.pdf

Can Stereotypes Ever Be Good?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFXmyNUaXFo

Rush Hour: An Unexpected Image of Black and Asian Solidarity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT7yzz5DRG0