Flushed Away

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Crude but imaginative adventure is flush with fun.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • "Get stuffed," "load of old rubbish," "you idiots!"
  • Everything in the sewer is cobbled together with assorted parts from name-brand appliances and everything else under the sun.

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.


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What families can talk about

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?


This review was written by Jane Boursaw
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Not too bad...

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 9, 13, and 14 year old
June 23, 2010
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 12 year old
November 27, 2009
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 10 years old
September 4, 2011
 
Nothing Wrong.
Nothing wrong, agree with site.

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 9 years old
May 31, 2010
 
so good it was funny

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 12 years old
May 22, 2010
 
NOT FOR KIDS UNDER 6
The Words are "P*rve*t" and "D*mn" no sub words.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 14 years old
May 22, 2010
 
NOT FOR KIDS UNDER 6
The Words are "P*rve*t" and "D*mn" no sub words.

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 11 years old
May 22, 2010
 
NOT FOR KIDS UNDER 6
The Words are "P*rve*t" and "D*mn" no sub words.

Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
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.

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 13 years old
January 27, 2010
 

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Jane Boursaw
Topics:adventures
Studio:DreamWorks Animation
Director:David Bowers
Cast:Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:86 minutes
Theatrical release date:November 2, 2006
DVD release date:February 20, 2007
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:crude humor and some language.

This review was written by Jane Boursaw
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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