Meaning & Story
The name of the young mouse protagonist in Don Bluth's animated film An American Tail (1986) — an Americanized spelling of Fivel, a Yiddish name meaning five, given because the character was born on November 5.
Fievel is a name that carries the warmth of an entire immigrant family's journey across the ocean in its syllables. The little mouse who sailed to America in a matchbox, who got separated from his family and somehow found his way back to them — Fievel is one of animation's most moving heroes, entirely small and overwhelmingly brave. For a small pet with a big heart, particularly a mouse, a small terrier, or any animal who seems to have arrived from somewhere far away and been absolutely determined to find where they belong, Fievel is deeply moving.