Flushed Away ***
Cast (voices): Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellan, Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, Jean Reno, Shane Richie
Directors: David Bowers, Sam Fell
Running Length: 1:25
MPAA Classification: PG

Roddy (Jackman) is a pet rat who slips out of his cage when his family goes on vacation. He is enjoying himself until Sid (Richie) arrives. Sid is a sewer rat who just wants to watch the World Cup undisturbed, so he flushes Roddy down the toilet. On the other side, Roddy finds himself in a town of sewer rats. After meeting Rita (Winslet), he makes a deal with her to get himself home. The one thing in their way is Boss Toad (McKellan), who is out to stop them and destroy the sewer rat’s world.

For “Flushed Away”, Aardman Studios have gone the route of computer animation instead of their usual stop-motion processes that work so well in “Wallace and Gromit”. This was to compensate for the high amount of water involved, an element that is difficult for stop-motion photography. Fortunately, they kept the look of their clay characters, and the resulting product is almost indistinguishable from the look that they are used to. The voice talent is top notch all around as well. The humor is there, for both children and adults. While not reaching the quality of this year’s “Cars” and “Monster House”, “Flushed Away” is an enjoyable film that is for the whole family. It is definitely worth checking out.