Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Andy Serkis

The story of an uptown rat that gets flushed down the toilet from his penthouse apartment, ending in the sewers of London, where he has to learn a whole new and different way of life.

Flixster Users

68% liked it

225,109 ratings

Critics

72% liked it

127 critics

PG, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: David Bowers, Sam Fell

Release Date: November 3, 2006

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: February 20, 2007

Stats: 13,650 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating

Flixster Reviews (13,650)


  • October 26, 2009
    While I am not entirely sure why the creators of Wallace and Gromit decided to go from claymation to computer animated film, because they pretty much kept the look of their beloved figures, the result is pretty much the same: a fast, funny adventure film for kids or those young a...( read more)t heart. Adults might get a kick from spotting the movie references and the fun action sequences, but they may find the plot to be a tad too predictable and full of stereotypes. Kids should have a blast with the funny characters and lovely sets. In the end it's the details that save the film from mediocrity, the singing snails, the newspaper tagline in the end, stuff like that. Enjoyable for what it is.
  • August 11, 2009
    Funny and cute.
  • March 1, 2009
    Flushed Away is OK. Enough to keep you watching. The story is not that special. I didn't realize which actors are providing the voices, which is fine.
  • October 11, 2008
    Hillariously entertaining, Flushed Away is one of the best animated family films in the last few years, with enough references to other films to almost call it a spoof.

    Great characterization and some great creative ideas.
  • August 8, 2008
    Rita: "It's impossible!
    Roddy: England is winning! ANYTHING's possible!"

    Animated features are a dime a dozen, and a good chunk of them aren't as concerned with quality as they are with making sure kiddies around the world flock to see them. Luckily, there is a re...( read more)stricted group of films like Flushed Away that hasn't forgotten that animated endeavours can be as funny and entertaining as live-action films. It's a zippy little film that does just the trick in engaging families as the onset of winter looms before us.

    Photobucket

    Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, voices Roddy, a rat who's lived a comfortable life as a rich little London girl's pet. But with no other pets around, Roddy's world is also a lonely one - that is, until a slob of a sewer rat named Sid (voiced by Shane "Alfie" Richie) crawls up from the pipes below. Unfortunately for Roddy, Sid claims his new digs all for himself and soon sends our heroic rodent on a trip down that good ol' porcelain bus known as the toilet.

    Thankfully, Roddy soon ends up in a grand sewer metropolis populated by rats. However, he also lands right in the middle of a clash between tugboat captain Rita (voiced bt Kate Winslet) and an amphibious antagonist known as The Toad (voiced by Sir Ian McKellen). Through a series of mishaps, Roddy and Rita end up together, on the run from The Toad and his henchmen, who want something that Rita possesses to complete their malicious plans. It's up to Roddy to decide whether he wants to go back home to his posh pad or stay behind and help get to the bottom of what The Toad is up to.

    Aardman Animation, those eccentrically brilliant minds behind Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run, join forces with DreamWorks Animation, returning to theatres with their first full-length computer animated family feature, Flushed Away. Simply put, this film is a delight. A winning work of humour and adventure ranking as one of the very best comedies I've personally seen in 2006. While that might rank as hyperbole, it's certainly the best animated film, besting Sony's Monster House, Pixar's Cars, Aussie production Happy Feet and DreamWorks' Over the Hedge by a good mile. Needless to say, it didn't make it into the final three at the Oscars.

    Granted, it doesn't quite reach the perfection of either of the studio's past two stop-motion masterpieces. The script (credited to five writers), while winning overall, isn't quite as sharp as it could be, a frazzled opening and a jittery scene between Roddy, Rita and Sid not working near as well as they probably should. But these problems are relatively minor, and while I would have liked the pacing to have been a bit tighter overall there is very little here for me to complain about.

    On the flip side, there is plenty about Flushed Away to make me stand up and cheer. The vocal work is, top to bottom, phenomenal. The actors are flat-out incredible, everyone delivering flesh-and-blood performances instead of just going through the motions. Heck, thanks to The Prestige, The Fountain and now this, Jackman has the wondrous distinction of appearing in three of the very best films of 2006, this effervescent pleasure a perfect conclusion to a wildly successful year.

    The film is is a fun, colourful, and fast-paced adventure, one that mixes non-stop gags and the occasional moment of excitement without ever looking down on the viewers or falling back too much on familiar territory. The filmmakers have provided a real treasure trove of terrific supporting characters (especially Andy Serkis and Bill Nighy as the voices of a "Laurel & Hardy"-like pair of rodent henchmen), snappy references (gotta love the Han Solo rat in The Toad's collection of frozen enemies), and running gags that never wear out their welcome. The actors obviously had a blast with their roles (with Ian McKellen and Jean Reno (as the mercenary Le Frog) as the most delightfully over-the-top of the bunch), and the animation style is definitely pleasing for the eyes.

    But just about everything here is wonderful. Better, the film is funny, brilliantly funny. Few films have made me laugh louder or longer than this one. The trademark Aardman wit and irreverence the studio is celebrated for is on fully display, the humour so multifaceted and omnipresent you probably have to see it multiple times just to come close to catching them all. Personally, I love the cadre of singing slugs flickering here and there throughout like a slimy Greek Chorus, and the fact none of them were a-salted can't help but make my heart soar.

    Yet they're just one exuberantly silly part of a near-brilliant whole. The film is alive with humour, satire, excitement and whimsy you just don't find in family entertainment. It has a distinctively British quality (the same Wallace & Gromit had) and, while maintaining the characteristic look of Aardman's past Claymation projects, it takes computer animation to an entirely different level making things look as unusual and as distinctive as anything you are ever likely to see. Which, come to think of it, sounds just like can't-miss entertainment to me, and Flushed Away certainly is that and then some. People who still think animation is just Pixar really need to discover Aardman, and this is the ideal place to start.

    Toad: "You find my pain amusing?
    Le Frog: I find everyone's pain amusing, except my own... I'm French!"
  • November 18, 2009
    Fun animated flick with typical English humor... and you gotta love the slugs. However, it belongs to the pile of animated garbage we get to see everyday, from Madagascar trying to reach the intelligence of Shrek to Wallace & Gromit making an attempt to be as groundbreaking as th...( read more)e original shorts. This film literally went down the toilet, so at least its plot was honest with itself.

    52/100
  • November 6, 2009
    Fun idea, characters needed more
  • October 15, 2009
    love the slugs!!!! good music :)
  • October 15, 2009
    Very good animation. I watched this with kids where I work. Though intended for kids it is watchable by older people also. There is even a Kafka reference! Not bad.
  • October 14, 2009
    Very entertaining...

Critic Reviews


December 15, 2006
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Like a mouse on a spinning wheel, it's a film that moves at a breakneck pace but ultimately goes nowhere. full review

November 5, 2006
Pete Hammond, Maxim

This computer animated time-waster is a bit too frenetic for its own good. full review

November 3, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Actually, a lot about the film is certified cool, from its whirly animation to the hordes of crunchy pop songs on the soundtrack. full review

November 3, 2006
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Flushed Away subsumes its British charm with an aggressive American pace and more obvious body-function humour, and the film shows evidence of an awkward fit between American and British sensibilities. full review

November 3, 2006
Kyle Smith, New York Post

How this thing got made in Hollywood is a mystery, but I laughed at most of it, especially the mean stereotypes about the French and the even meaner stereotype about England's soccer team. full review

November 3, 2006
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Little kids are sure to be bowled over by Roddy's reluctant heroism and Rita's resourcefulness, while the more grown up among us should appreciate the gleeful pokes at pop culture and Anglo-French rel... full review

November 3, 2006
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Kids will probably be in stinky-sewage heaven with the new computer-animated critter comedy Flushed Away, but even they may realize they're up the proverbial creek in a boat with a faulty motor. full review

November 3, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Flushed Away is this year's wittiest animated adventure saga. full review

November 2, 2006
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

The first computer-animated feature to come from Aardman Animations is filled with exuberant and infectious silliness.

View more Flushed Away reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • pavacri23
    February 24, 2008
    i saw like 3 times with a little friend i'm just sick of watch this kid movie
  • abl1990
    November 24, 2007
    Great movie I love itttttttt
  • sportboy
    September 27, 2007
    I have not watched it but it does look good
  • jade131992
    May 22, 2007
    its gr8
  • lmac813
    April 25, 2007
    It is such a good movie!!! It did not have any vulgarness to it, but all it had was a good message. It is really funny, and I recommend this movie to anyone! Plus those slugs were just too cute!
  • gabrielleveltre
    April 12, 2007
    i love flushed away
  • Emmalovesbunny1
    March 2, 2007
    It was Awsome!
  • jose7years
    January 29, 2007
    its a kid movie.it wasn't as good as some ppl say
  • dai2dark
    November 28, 2006
    I Saw This The Other Day it's Not All Bad However It's A Comedy And A Little More For Kids However I Enjoy It :D
  • charlottestewart999
    November 25, 2006
    wanna see it ,\looks funny

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Hairspray
    Hairspray (58%)
  • High School Musical 2
    High School Musical 2 (62%)
  • Ratatouille
    Ratatouille (72%)
  • Nanny McPhee
    Nanny McPhee (68%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Flushed Away : Watch Free on TV


Flushed Away Trivia


  • I have been through Neverland,lost my memory, almost died in a sinking ship, and fell in love with a guy who's been flushed away...who am i?   Answer »
  • in what movie did a rat get flush away  Answer »
  • In which movie does Hugh Jackman's character say 'No! I can't swim!'?  Answer »
  • what movie has mice getting flushed down the toilet?  Answer »

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin