Shostka, Russia

Shostka, Russia was the former home of the Mousekewitz family. It is where Fievel and Tanya grew up as children. Shostka is a real city, which is now in northern Ukraine but was part of the Russian Empire in the 1880's.

An American Tail
Shostka, Russia is only seen in An American Tail, at the beginning of the film, sometime in December 1885. It seems to be a quaint, snowy town. The home of the Moskowitz family is accompanied by the home of the Mousekewitz family just underneath the floorboards. It can be presumed the Moskowitzes are human versions of the Mousekewitzes. However, their home is quickly destroyed when the Cossacks and Cat Cossacks attack the village in an anti-Semitic/anti-mouse pogrom, reducing at least a significant section of the city to burning ruins. This draws upon events that happened in real life.