“Flushed Away” (Dreamworks)
Let’s Hear It For the Slugs
“Flushed Away” is yet another animated movie, in a year filled with animated movies. This one is more of the school of “Wallace and Gromit” than “Mickey Mouse” and so has that type of distinctive look to it. It also has a quirky sense of humor incorporated in its story. If there had not been so many animated movies out this year, and if this film had something that made it “special” then it might have been more noteworthy. As is it is an enjoyable movie that will entertain the kids.
The story concerns a rat named Roddy (voiced by Hugh Jackman). He lives the good life with a human family that dotes on him. One day while this family is away he is visited by another rat named Sid (Shane Ritchie). Sid is envious of Roddy’s good life and manages to flush him down the toilet.
Roddy ends up in a world beneath the sewer. There he meets a girl rat named Rita (Kate Winslet). The two become friends and she invites him to meet her family. Roddy is much impressed with this rollicking bunch and begins to realize how lonely his life is. But before he can get on with his life he has to take actions to negate the evil intentions of two frogs. One is named The Toad (Ian McKellan) and the other is Le Frog (Jean Reno).
Rita and Roddy team together to outwit the frogs and have quite an adventure in doing it. It is all kid pleasing and fun, with a chorus of slugs making the adventure even more enjoyable than it otherwise would be. The slugs are the most distinct personalities in the film and they sing and sway with fear and fun.
Jackman and Winslet add good voices to their characters, and the same is true of McKellan and Reno. With Jackman being such a talented singer it is wished that this had been a musical, or at least had a song or two for him to sing.
The movie is rated PG for some crude humor.
Children will enjoy this movie, and adults won’t be bored. That is a positive. Still it isn’t a classic in any way and that is what you hope for when you go to these animated movies. Something on the order of “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” or “Chicken Run” would be nice.
“Flushed Away” is an okay movie that you can certainly take your family to see. It probably will do better on DVD than it will do in theaters. It has that rental feel to it.
I scored “Flushed Away” a swirling 5 out of 10.
