Flushed Away (2006)

Movie · 2006 · Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family · 1h 25m · PG · English

Curator score: 4.1/10 (545.4K ratings)

Someone's going down

Overview

London high-society mouse, Roddy is flushed down the toilet by Sid, a common sewer rat. Hang on for a madcap adventure deep in the sewer bowels of Ratropolis, where Roddy meets the resourceful Rita, the rodent-hating Toad and his faithful thugs, Spike and Whitey.

Ratings

Director

David Bowers, Sam Fell

Production

DreamWorks Animation, Aardman

Cast

Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Bill Nighy, Andy Serkis, Shane Richie, Kathy Burke, David Suchet, Miriam Margolyes, Rachel Rawlinson, Susan Duerden, Miles Richardson, John Motson, Douglas Weston, Roger Blake, Christopher Fairbank, Paul Shardlow, Conrad Vernon, Jonathan Kydd

Curator Review

Verdict

A lively, very British CGI adventure with strong voice work, fast gags, and inventive sewer-world design. It’s not top-tier animated storytelling, but it has enough energy, charm, and visual wit to make it an easy family watch for the right audience.

Best for

  • kids and families who like brisk adventure comedies
  • viewers who enjoy British humor and playful class satire
  • fans of colorful, high-energy early CGI animation
  • people looking for an underdog road-trip story with lots of slapstick

Skip if

  • you want the emotional depth of the best Pixar or Disney films
  • you dislike frantic pacing and broad cartoon comedy
  • you’re not interested in British cultural jokes and accents
  • you prefer animation with more polished character animation or cleaner storytelling

Overview

Flushed Away is a scrappy, good-natured adventure that gets by on momentum, design, and personality. The sewer setting is imaginative, the action is constantly moving, and the film keeps finding new ways to turn a simple chase story into a comic set piece.

Worth noting

Its biggest strength is tone: it’s cheeky, fast, and very aware of its own silliness without becoming cynical. The voice cast helps a lot, and the movie’s class-clash humor gives it a little extra bite beyond standard family fare.

Bottom line

It doesn’t quite reach the emotional or visual finesse of the very best animated features from its era, and some jokes land harder than others. But if you’re in the mood for a lively, distinctly British animated caper, it’s an easy recommendation.

Top Letterboxd reviews

mia lee vicino (3★) · 4228 likes

worst part of movie is rat is hot every time :(

mia lee vicino (3.5★) · 2994 likes

past me: roddy 😍 present me, a college educated intellectual: rita 😍 everyone: hey could you maybe stop crushing on animated rats

James (Schaffrillas) (3.5★) · 2701 likes

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost really let themselves go

Jay (3★) · 2412 likes

what really transcends this from other animated comedies is the joke that england are capable of reaching a world cup final

George Long (3★) · 2217 likes

Ratatouille for British people.

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Topics

animated adventure, family comedy, British humor, slapstick, road movie, class satire, early CGI animation, urban fantasy, fast-paced, whimsical

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