Voice cast
Phillip Glasser as Fievel Mousekewitz. While "Fievel" is a generally accepted spelling of his name, and appears as such in the end credits, the opening credits spell it as "Feivel", the more common transliteration of the Yiddish name (פֿײַװל Fayvl) (Cf. Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz and Feivel Gruberger). The main protagonist, he is the only son of Papa and Mama Mousekewitz. A high-spirited, daring yet naïve Russian-Jewish mouse, Fievel becomes a frightened child when he is separated from his family. The strength and the encouragement from his new American friends from Henri to Tony and Bridget give him the fortitude to reach his goal in reuniting with his family while starting a new life in America. Feivel was the name of Steven Spielberg's grandfather, whose stories as an immigrant influenced the film. However, many English-speaking writers have come to adopt the spelling Fievel, especially for this character; this spelling was used on the film's poster, in promotional materials and tie-in merchandise, and in the title of the sequel An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. His last name is a play on the Russian-Jewish last name "Moskowitz", the name of the human occupants of the house his family is living under at the beginning of the film.
John Finnegan as Warren T. Rat, a small Havana Brown who disguises himself as a giant rat. He is the leader of the Mott Street Maulers, an all-cat gang which terrorizes the mice of New York City. Conniving and a schemer, he misleads the impressionable Fievel at one point. Later on, he gets his comeuppance when Fievel discovers and later exposes him as a cat to the Mouse community. He is accompanied everywhere by his accountant Digit, a small English-accented cockroach.
Amy Green as Tanya Mousekewitz (singing voice provided by Betsy Cathcart), Fievel's older sister, whom he mutually adores. Optimistic and cheerful, less daring but more obedient than her brother, she alone believes (correctly) that he survived being washed overboard en route to the United States. She is given the American name "Tillie" at the immigration point at Castle Garden.
Nehemiah Persoff as Papa Mousekewitz, the head of the Mousekewitz family who plays the violin and tells stories to his children.
Erica Yohn as Mama Mousekewitz, Fievel's mother. Countering Papa's dreamy idealism, she is a level-headed pragmatist, besides being stricter with their offspring than he is. She also has a fear of flying.
Pat Musick as Tony Toponi, a streetwise teenage mouse of Italian descent. His "tough guy" attitude suits his New York surroundings. The name "Toponi" is a play on "topo", the Italian word for "mouse". He hits it off with Fievel, acting as a surrogate big brother to the younger mouse, whom he calls "Fillie". In a subplot, he falls in love with Bridget.
Dom DeLuise as Tiger, the most physically imposing member of the Mott Street Maulers, for whom he serves as an enforcer, and often is the brunt of their cruel jokes. Although not especially intelligent, Tiger is very friendly, and his warm nature endears him to mice and birds. He is mostly vegetarian, aside from the occasional bit of fish. Tiger becomes Fievel's best friend. He enjoys card games like poker and gin rummy, despite being terrible at them.
Christopher Plummer as Henri le Pigeon, a pigeon of French descent, who oversees construction of the Statue of Liberty.
Cathianne Blore as Bridget, an attractive, elegant Irish-born mouse and Tony's love interest. Her parents were slain and devoured by the Mott Street Maulers, making her an advocate in speaking out against the cats. Kind, passionate yet soft-spoken, she acts as a surrogate big sister to Fievel.
Neil Ross as Honest John, a local Irish-born mouse politician who knows every voting mouse in New York City. An ambulance-chasing drunkard, he takes advantage of voters' concerns to increase his political prestige. John is a caricature of real-life Tammany Hall boss John Kelly (also nicknamed "Honest John") and other 19th-century New York City politicians.
Madeline Kahn as Gussie Mausheimer, a German-born mouse considered the richest in New York City, who rallies the mice into fighting back against the cats. Despite being against cats, she later accepts Tiger for helping reunite Fievel with his family.
Will Ryan as Digit, Warren's British cockroach accountant who has a fondness for counting money but is plagued by frequent electrical charges in his antennae whenever he gets nervous or excited.
Hal Smith as Moe, a fat rat who runs the local sweatshop. Fievel is sold to him by Warren.
Dan Kuenster as Jake, Warren's burly aide-de-camp. Among the Mott Street Maulers, he alone enjoys listening to his leader's violin music. Jake catches Fievel after a chase through the sewers. After Tiger takes pity on Fievel and sets him free, Jake and his fellow Maulers pursue the young mouse to the Chelsea Pier, only to face the "Giant Mouse of Minsk".
