Flushed Away

Two weeks ago a new animated feature came out and since it didn't appear to have been made by Tim Burton and feature rotting corpses I thought it would be pretty safe to take my four year old. I was also happy to see that this new movie came from the creative minds at Aardman Animations the studio that created 'Wallace and Gromit' and 'Chicken Run.' Although the comedy of 'Flushed Away' is aimed at older audiences we were glad we went.

The Plot

'Flushed Away' tells the story of Roddy (Hugh Jackman, voice) a posh rat who lives a pampered life as the pet of a wealthy family living in the upper class Kensington section of London. When the family leaves for a trip Roddy is left alone with the run of the house. Just as he thinks he has it made a rough sewer rat, Sid (Shane Richie, voice) bursts onto the scene and decides he is now in charge of the house and that Roddy is going to be his butler. This obviously doesn't sit well with Roddy so he plots to rid himself of Sid by sending him on a one way trip down the toilet. Sid is far too clever for such a plan and turns the tables on Roddy flushing him down into the unknown world of London's sewers.

Upon arrival in the sewers Roddy is surprised to find a city of rats that nearly duplicates topside London. Here he searches to find someone who can aid him in returning to the surface. He eventually finds Rita (Kate Winslet, voice), a boat captain who is running from a group of gangsters headed by 'The Toad' (Sir Ian McKellen, voice) who wants to rid the sewers of rats so that he and his fellow amphibians might take over. Soon the two are set off on a mad dash to escape the grips of Toad's gang and save themselves and the rest of the rats from destruction. Will they succeed or does Toad's evil plan wipe out the rat city? Buy a ticket and find out.

My Experience

Having really enjoyed 'Chicken Run' and 'Wallace & Gromit, Curse of the Were-Rabbit' we were expecting good things from 'Flushed Away' and we weren't disappointed. Like all Aardman films the story line was very good for an animated feature. Aardman is noted for their humor and 'Flushed Away' didn't disappoint. Much of the jokes are aimed at an older audience, teenagers and above, so my son didn't get a lot of the double entendre. And as Aardman is based in the UK it isn't surprising that much of the comedy was very British. This appeals to me as I like the dry sarcastic note of British comedy but some of it went over my wife's head. The fact that the theme of the film lends itself to bathroom humor amused my four year old as I'm sure it would most kids of that age.

The animation was quite good, as you would expect with the latest pairing of Aardman and Dreamworks. This is the same combination that made 'Chicken Run' and 'Wallace & Gromit, Curse of the Were-Rabbit' such huge box office hits. Unlike 'Wallace & Gromit' which is noted for its stop motion effect, 'Flushed Away' is done exclusively with CGI (computer generated images) and has a feel that combines the unique, gritty atmosphere of Aardman films with the slick animation for which Dreamworks is noted.

Although 'Flushed Away' is primarily a comedy there was enough action to keep the audience glued to the screen. The voice acting was, not surprisingly, quite good. With an all star cast featuring Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, and Sir Ian McKellen the characters are brought to life in a way that makes each seem less cartoonish and more a part of this subterranean world.

Overall, I would say that flushed away was a very entertaining film.

Rating: Rated PG for crude humor and some language.

Running Time: 84 min

Cast

Hugh Jackman .... Roddy
(X-Men, Van Helsing, The Prestige)

Kate Winslet .... Rita
(Titanic, All the King's Men, Little Children)

Ian McKellen .... The Toad
(Lord of the Rings, X-Men, The Da Vinci Code)

Jean Reno .... Le Frog
(Flyboys, The Da Vinci Code, Hotel Rwanda)

Bill Nighy .... Whitey
(Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Underworld: Evolution)

Andy Serkis .... Spike
(Lord of the Rings, The Prestige, King Kong)

Shane Richie .... Sid

Kathy Burke .... Rita's Mum

David Suchet .... Rita's Dad

Miriam Margolyes .... Rita's Grandma

Rachel Rawlinson .... Tabitha

Susan Duerden .... Mother

Miles Richardson .... Father

John Motson .... Football Commentator

Douglas Weston .... Newspaper Seller