What's all this 'Billy' stuff?
Why were they calling "Billy" for a while in the film? I never understood that part...
shareIt's "Philly" (I'm guessing it's short for "Philip," possibly a nod to Fievel's voice Philip Glasser) and it's a nickname Tony gives Fievel because of how hard it is to say "Fievel."
Basically, Don Bluth didn't think that people would like the name "Fievel" because it sounded too foreign and hard to pronounce, so he and Spielberg came up with a compromise where he'd be given a more American nickname; similarly, Tanya would be given an Americanized name by the immigration office, "Tilly."
Needless to say, "Fievel" stuck in people's heads more than "Philly." The nickname thing is indeed confusing.
Thank you.
shareAlso (and I'm realizing I'm posting this months later, but...), immigrants' names were changed for easier American pronunciation all the time. My grandma was a first-generation American. Her mother named her something European that sounded a little like "Bee-tee." The man who made out the birth certificate wrote, "Beatrice."
shareThere's also a bit part when the humans are going through immigration, and when one of them says his name, "Smovoloni Bovariski" (Or something to that effect)
The guy replies, "Okay, Mister....Smith."
I heard the, "O.K., Mr. -- Smith," and it struck me as odd because the way he said it seemed like a punch-line or at least slight confusion. The reason I was confused is because I missed the dialogue just before that.
Thanks!