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Flushed Away

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 4, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 5.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Crude but imaginative adventure is flush with fun.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 5 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Sid flushes Roddy down the toilet. Toad hates rodents and wants to flush them out of the sewer (i.e. kill them). Scenes of farting, belching, name-calling, and general rudeness. Rita threatens to abandon Roddy in his hour of need. Toad will do anything to steal a precious jewel belonging to Rita. Reference to "screaming like a girl." Decent message about expanding your horizons and living life to the fullest.
  • Violence & scariness:

    Roddy takes a wild ride down the toilet, gulping for air (he can't swim). He and Rita flee in her boat from villains while being shot at and threatened. A character gets "zapped" when the toaster he's riding falls into the water. A character falls and lands on a block of cement. Assorted scenes with characters being shot, threatened, yelled at, and electrocuted.
  • Sexy stuff:

    Roddy accidentally kisses a bride-rat on her wedding day. Females wear tight outfits and shake their behinds. Roddy accidentally pulls down Rita's pants, revealing underwear. Innuendoes between Toad and Rita. References to Roddy being Rita's boyfriend.
  • Language:

    "Get stuffed," "load of old rubbish," "you idiots!"
  • Consumerism:

    Everything in the sewer is cobbled together with assorted parts from name-brand appliances and everything else under the sun.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Flushed Away was written by Jane Boursaw

Parents need to know that kids will definitely want to see this animated adventure from the folks behind Wallace and Gromit. Not surprisingly, considering the title, it's got lots of potty humor: The storyline revolves around a rat being flushed down a toilet into a sewer, and there are references to human waste, including one scene in which a character appears to grab a piece of excrement. Lots of cartoon violence, too: Characters fall from high places and are shot at, chased, frozen, electrocuted, yelled at, and threatened. Toad is an evil villain, and Sid is a disgusting character who belches, farts, and is generally crude. On the other hand, Rita is an independent girl who can fend for herself.

Families Can Talk About

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  • Families can talk about whether Sid should have flushed Roddy down the toilet. Was that the right thing to do? Was there an alternative solution? How did Roddy make the best of the situation once he was in Ratropolis? Was Rita right when she tried to abandon Roddy when he needed her most? Is a large piece of jewelry worth fighting over?
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More on Flushed Away

What’s the Story?

FLUSHED AWAY tells the story of a snobby rat named Roddy (voiced by Hugh Jackman) who's living a cushy life in a London flat. His fancy cage is decked out with all of life's necessities, and when the flat's human residents are away, Roddy and his servant-rats live high on the hog. Sid (Shane Richie) is the exact opposite of Roddy. He's a low-life sewer rat who ends up in Roddy's flat by way of the faucet. Once he gets a taste of luxury, he's not too keen about going back to the sewer. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, Roddy's headed to the town of Ratropolis (the sewers), and Sid is kicking back in the penthouse with a big-screen TV and remote control. Below the city, Roddy finds a colorful world teeming with assorted creatures, including Rita (Kate Winslet), an entrepreneurial rat who squeaks out a living in the sewers with her trawler. All Roddy wants is to get back home, but first he and Rita have to contend with the malicious Toad (Ian McKellen). Toad hates rodents and decides to "flush out" the sewers, dispatching hench-rats Spike and Whitey (Andy Serkis and Bill Nighy) to do the job. When they fail, Toad calls in his cousin, the villainous Le Frog (Jean Reno), who's like a rodent version of Jabba the Hutt.

Is It Any Good?

If you can get past Flushed Away's crude humor, it has an imaginative storyline and amusing characters, including funny little slugs who are easily frightened (they're classic Aardman Animations characters -- the folks behind Wallace and Gromit and Creature Comforts). There's also a message: It's a big world out there, if you're willing to venture out of your comfort zone and experience it.

Movie Details

Studio: Dreamworks Animation, Director: David Bowers
Run time: 86 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/02/2006, DVD release: 02/20/2007
MPAA Rating: PG for crude humor and some language.

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 3 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title on for age 7 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

  3. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title on for age 4 and give it 4.0

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative message

    Iffy for five year olds

    We have the film, but my siblings LOVE IT. I think the slugs are annoying and obnoxious. According to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), it was rated U (Universal (4+)). Sex is a major issue, as well as consumerism. Consumerism includes the Rubik's Cube, Madagascar, Wallace and Gromit, Heinz Baked Beans, Lego's, and more. Scrabble mentioned but not portrayed. Language includes "dipstick" and "darn."

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title on for age 6 and give it 2.0

    Not good at all

    Toilet-humor at its worst. This was, I think, the first movie Kate Winslet didn't get naked, though.

  6. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Louisiana
    I rate this title off for age 0 and give it 0.0

    Not appropriate for young children

    My son is 4 and I found the potty humor and sewer situation highly inappropriate as well as the violence and premise that it is ok to steal. The main character getting his private parts cracked over and over was not the thing I want my 4yr old exposed to. I would have had no problem with it if my son were older but this movie is not age appropriate for young children.

  7. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 3.0

  8. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Ohio
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 3.0

    Not too bad...

  9. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

  10. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in North Carolina
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

    Very fast paced!!!

    You might want to see this twice, very funny and different comedy, if you can deal with the British accent. No bad language.

  11. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

  12. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Connecticut
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 2.0

    Pretty corny, Wallace & Gromit is better, but kids might like it.

    This is definetly not one of the better animated films of the year. I didn't like it, but it was a teeny bit funny. Kids may like it, but for teenagers, it's boring and lame. Nothing to worry about for parents really, except the chance that your teenager will kill you because you made him/her see it.

  13. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

    I really liked this one.

    This movie was great. I enjoyed watching it.

  14. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

  15. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title off for age 0 and give it 3.0

    This is the way Disney wants our kids to behave?

    Yes, it says it is PG. I guess that is "fair warning" but with all of the promotional "Happy Meals" and advertising aimed at small children, I was very disappointed to see the movies characters burping and farting. My 7 and 6 year old kids thought it was funny but then began copying the on-screen behavior they had just witnessed. I now have to constantly remind them that this behavior is not acceptable in our home...and I wish it were not acceptable in a "Disney" movie.

  16. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

    Not a poopy kid's movie!

    If you have a thicker-skinned, movie-loving 4 year old or older, go see Flushed Away! The best animated movie I've enjoyed in a long, long time. I'd call it an "Action/Adventure" animated film, very action-packed, layers of detail in the scenes and plenty of adult references to other movies etc, to keep Mom & Dad's interest. I took my 4 & 5-1/2 boys and a 6 year old girl today, and we all really enjoyed it. This is not a good movie for kids who haven't ever been to the movies before; way too much going on if they're not used to a big screen experience. But I will look forward to buying this DVD and seeing it over & over & over if necessary, it's very fun! The movie title is the most potty talk you'll get from the movie, some over-their heads references that are hysterical IMHO, no swear words besides "idiot" I can think of, some cartoon-type "violence" and high-action adventure/race/escape scenes, but I don't feel there was anything inappropriate for my 4 or 5 year olds. It was so nice to go to a kid's movie and enjoy it as much as the kids did.

  17. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 2.0

    Tedious, but not Terrible. Dissapointing, though...

    If you are looking for some family time, go to a park instead, and watch this as a rental. Lots of bathroom humor, lots of burping, and body function humor. My 4 and 6 year olds thought those parts hilarious, though, plus the brit's refer to the rear as "Bum" which is easier on the ears.The fact the rudeness is in a british accent is helpful, too, cause lots of kids won't understand it anyway. Additionally, much of the humor was in the backgroud, i.e. a boat named "Floater,"etc, so many kids won't even get it. (Story takes place in a sewer)The annimation is great, and the characters are sweet, but really, the story is weak, a real disappointment from Wallace and Grommet. My 6 year old definately got bored, though my 4 year old didn't. She said afterward it was too long, and I agreed that parents will feel all 82 minutes of this one. Anyway, there you go...a better rental than spending the $ at the theatre...

  18. Adult Reviewer
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 2.0

  19. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Washington
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 3.0

    Not bad for the kids but a bit boring for the adults

    I took 4 boys to this movie ages 3-8 and they all enjoyed it. While I thought the animation was great and I loved the British accents, I was a bit disappointed with the movie as it didn't hold my interest like other Wallace & Gromit movies. I would recommend you save your money and rent it on DVD - better value for your money, especially with theatre prices these days.

  20. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Utah
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

    Very funny!

    This movie was really funny! But we saw it at the dollar theater so I didn't feel like we spent as much. I probably wouldn't pay full price to see it. It's a little violent on some parts but nothing your kids can't handle.

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