Flushed Away (2006) - Movie Review for Parents

Roddy St. James (Hugh Jackman) lives the high life as a pet mouse in a well-to-do part of London. When his owners are away, Rodney really gets to play; and since his only friends are the dolls that inhabit the doll house next door, Roddy gets to call all the shots.

During one weekend of fun, though, a sewer rat named Sid (Shane Richie) comes spewing out of the sink and tries to take over Roddy's life of luxury. No problem, Roddy just invites Sid into the loo for a dip in the “whirlpool.” But, the joke is on Roddy, when Sid pushes him in first and flushes him out of his own life and into a world Roddy never knew existed.

Below the streets of London lies a crawling metropolis, and the first thing Roddy does, is get himself into big trouble. In his desperate search for a way back home, he meets Rita (Kate Winslet), a girl with street smarts and a big boat, and the two become entwined in an unexpected adventure.

In order for Roddy to get home, and for Rita to get what she wants, they must decide to trust each other and work together. Their own desires are not the only thing on the line, though. Little do they know, the whole population could be in trouble.

Produced by Dreamworks Animation and Aardman Features, the studios did an excellent job using CG animation to retain the charm and clay-like look of their previous joint endeavors, Chicken Run and the Academy Award®-winning Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. While the story is predictable and slightly under-developed, the brilliant animation and the two main characters make the movie worth watching.

Some parents may have concern over one reference made by the resident religious street rat about a "savior" who will come down from above and save the city from the flood. The likening of the film's hero to a savior could be slightly offensive to some. Also, the movie contains several instances of slapstick comedy involving the main character falling on pipes, clearly injuring his groin.

• Why does Roddy lie about Sid being his brother? What was missing in his life before, even though it appeared he had everything?
• What happens when Roddy jumps to conclusions about the conversation he overhears while at Rita's home? How can appearances, even things we hear with our own ears or see with our own eyes, be deceiving? How can we avoid the mistake of judging wrongly?