Parents' Guide to

Flushed Away

By Jane Boursaw, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Crude but imaginative adventure is flush with fun.

Movie PG 2006 86 minutes
Flushed Away Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 10 parent reviews

Moviemom9
Moviemom9 Adult
July 21, 2020
age 5+

Disappointed

Good movie on the surface however, blasphemy has found its way into this otherwise good movie. Very unnecessary.
1 person found this helpful.
ashleycorin
ashleycorin Parent of 3, 5, 7 and 10-year-old
April 4, 2023
age 6+

It’s a so-so movie for kids 4-9

Entertaining but not enriching. 10 year old thought it was a bit boring and wouldn’t want to watch again. It kept the 5 and 7 year olds attention although they mostly picked up on the crude humor rather than the themes.
See all 10 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (10):
Kids say (33):

If you can get past Flushed Away's crude humor, it has an imaginative storyline and amusing characters. Particularly appealing are the 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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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