That changes when Sid (Shane Richie), a common, vulgar sewer rat, erupts from the sink. When Roddy’s attempt to trick Sid into "taking a holiday" via the toilet backfires, Roddy is the one who gets flushed. He is hurled through a watery vortex and emerges in a vast, subterranean metropolis: "Ratropolis," a London sewer system built from discarded junk, chewing gum wrappers, and clam shells.
So the next time you hear the toilet flush, listen closely. You might just hear the faint sound of singing slugs, a revving speedboat, and a rat in a dinner jacket shouting, "Crikey, that’s a bit ripe!"
: The film was released during a competitive era for animation, often compared to Pixar’s Ratatouille . It even features tongue-in-cheek nods to its competitors, including a brief appearance by a fish looking for his dad—a clear jab at Finding Nemo . Critical and Award Recognition
When you think of the golden age of DreamWorks Animation, certain heavyweights immediately come to mind: the ogre with a Scottish accent in Shrek , the crime-fighting panda in Kung Fu Panda , or the battling dragons of How to Train Your Dragon . Yet, nestled between these blockbuster franchises lies a curious, wet, and wildly clever outlier: . Flushed Away
While Flushed Away is a DreamWorks picture, it was co-produced by Aardman Animations, the British stop-motion legends behind Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit . The film’s visual DNA is pure Aardman. Although the characters are rendered in CGI (a necessity due to the watery environments that would have melted physical clay), the animators preserved the signature textures, rubbery movements, and expressive, slightly wonky teeth of their clay creations.
One of the most enduring elements of the film is its British-infused humor and relentless pace. Beyond the main plot, Flushed Away is famous for:
The story follows (voiced by Hugh Jackman), a pampered "society mouse" living a life of luxury in a posh Kensington flat. His world is upended when a boorish sewer rat named Sid bursts out of the sink. In a failed attempt to trick Sid into a "jacuzzi" (the toilet), Roddy is instead flushed down into the London sewers . That changes when Sid (Shane Richie), a common,
Lost and desperate to return to his gilded cage, Roddy meets Rita (Kate Winslet), a scrappy, independent river-rat scavenger who captains a makeshift speedboat called The Jammy Dodger . Roddy’s quest for a ride home tangles him in Rita’s conflict with the villainous Toad (Ian McKellen).
: Originally intended as minor background characters, the slugs became the breakout stars of the movie, providing musical commentary and comic relief.
Why does it look so different from Toy Story or Ice Age ? Because Aardman refused to abandon their identity. The animators used CGI to mimic the flaws of clay. Characters have asymmetrical teeth, wonky eyes, and the occasional thumbprint-like texture on their skin. The water effects are chaotic, and the facial expressions stretch in ways that break conventional CGI "beauty" rules. So the next time you hear the toilet flush, listen closely
However, if one were to ask a fan what they remember most about Flushed Away , the answer is almost always the same: The Slugs.
The story follows Roddy St. James ( Hugh Jackman ), a pampered "society mouse" living a life of luxury in a posh Kensington apartment. His world is upended when Sid, a boisterous and uncouth sewer rat, bursts through the sink and decides to stay. In a failed attempt to trick Sid back into the pipes, Roddy is instead into the bustling, subterranean metropolis of Ratropolis.