Flushed Away
November 12th 2006
My friend Robert works at Dreamworks animation studios, so I went with some friends to see his latest work, “Flushed Away” the other night. I must say, I was very surprised. It was hilarious and fun, not at all what I had expected. I mean, it looks like a cheesy rip-off of Pixar’s new movie Ratatouille, right? (Seriously, is it just me, or is it weird that there seem to be two versions of the same themed movie always coming out around the same time? Two “penguin movies” are on their way, two “rat movies,” two “bug movies” a few years back… grant-theft marketing if you ask me). Fortunately, beyond a socialite rat as the main character, the two movies probably don’t have much in common.
The movie is genuinely funny. By that I mean it doesn’t avoid clichéd humor or repetition for cheap laughs; in fact it masters both. It seems like the writers took their cheesy plot (admittedly) and ran with it, just having a blast and having fun with their characters, which is really what comes across. I was laughing hysterically at more than a few scenes and jokes–they don’t even try to be PC, it’s great. The animation is also good, a great mix of Wallace and Grommit-like claymation (done on the computer of course) with a touch of added realism and fluidity. It matches the story well.
So, I thought I’d never say this, but if you’re looking for a fun movie, go see it! It’s a blast. The kids will love it too I’m sure.
And for Robert, I totally saw your name in the credits! Awesome job on that, uh… one scene 
Forget Ratatouille, ask your friend why there’s two versions of “Flushed Away”. I just downloaded one from the web that seems to be very different from the clips shown in the preview.
Maybe you shouldn’t download from the web, then you’re at least assured that you get the real thing.
Seriously, why would you even post that if I know someone at Dreamworks? I happen to know my friend’s bonus is very correlated to sales, so do him a favor and buy it.