Synopsis

Pampered pet rat Roddy St. James is living comfortably in a Kensington apartment until a sewer rat flushes him into London's underground waterways. There, Roddy encounters Rita, a resourceful scavenger whose adventures pull him into conflict with the villainous Toad. As he searches for a way home, Roddy discovers that survival, friendship, and courage matter more than luxury.

Factoids & Trivia

• Flushed Away was Aardman Animations' first feature made entirely with CGI rather than stop-motion. The extensive sewer and water sequences made computer animation more practical than working with clay puppets.

• The film was the third and final feature produced through the DreamWorks-Aardman partnership, following Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

• The basic idea emerged while Sam Fell was working on Chicken Run. The project was originally developed under the working title Ratropolis.

• Roddy's discarded wardrobe includes a costume resembling Wolverine's original comic-book outfit, a joke connected to Hugh Jackman's best-known role at the time.

• The movie's frozen-rat gag includes a visual parody of Han Solo's carbonite pose from The Empire Strikes Back.

• Flushed Away earned approximately $178 million worldwide against a reported $149 million production budget. Its commercial performance contributed to DreamWorks Animation ending its production relationship with Aardman.

• The film received the Phoenix Film Critics Society award for Best Animated Feature in 2008.