Flushed Away Review

Ladies and gentlemen, the following episode of

Tooncast Beyond was recorded in 2012. So if the

references are extremely dated, we apologize.

Now on to this episode of Tooncast Beyond. The

place to myself. The cat's away. Roddy St. James

will play. Any plans for this evening, sir? Everything

I need is right here. What more could a chap

want? For something up there. An intruder. I

don't remember eating that. Oh! Oh, hello! Don't

get any closer. Sydney, sit to my mates. And

you are? Appalled. Cheers, Pope. I love making

new friends. Come here, you little ball of fluff.

Let's make our new guest feel welcome, shall

we? Go and heat up the jacuzzi. A jacuzzi? That

looks so inviting. Now you hop in and I'll press

this lever to get the bubbles going. Be seeing

you, my friend. This holiday season... Have you

seen my dad? The creators of Shrek and Madagascar

invite you. What is this place? To enter a whole

new world. Right under your feet. Hello and welcome

to the 56th episode of Tooncast Beyond, brought

to you by the GeekCast Radio Network and Audible

.com. I am your host, Steve, Joe, and Mike, and

today I am joined Once again by sketch 1984.

Hello. Hello This is the second to last episode

of season 2 of Tooncast Beyond Technically our

final film review episode 57 will be a season

2 recap Yay, I still have to figure out I still

have to figure out what other anyway And today

apparently we're gonna be flushed away My god

Why did I spend the money to rent this on iTunes?

That's money. I can't get back anymore. Damn

it All right, so we just need to get into this

I I am hoping you did not see this in theaters.

Oh No Okay, cuz I sure sure I didn't I don't

remember when I saw this. I just know that I

did Yes, to set the stage for everybody, Flushed

Away is a 2006 British -American computer -animated

action -adventure comedy film directed by David

Bowers and Sam Fell. Well, where did Sam fall?

It was made in the partnership between Aardman

Animations and DreamWorks Animation, and it is

Aardman's first completely computer -animated

feature, as opposed to the usual stop motion.

Okay. Now that I know that part of this movie

I actually really like the animation style in

this compared to what Ardman usually does because

I If people listen to the chicken run episode

of the season. I just don't like the stop -motion

style It's just too weird for me. It's almost

like they're using silly putty or play -doh I

don't like how the mouse moves sometimes. Yeah,

you know really really wide mouths Yeah The the

film stars the voice talents of Wolverine Rose

I'm sorry Hugh Jackman Kate Winslet Andy Serkis,

Bill Nye That's not Nye as in Bill Nye the science

guy, but the Bill Nye Oh, okay. There we go Sir

Ian McKellen Shane Richie and Gene Reno I don't

know, you move those letters around a little

bit, add a T on it, it could have been Janet

Reno. This story was by Sam Fell, Peter Lord,

Dick Clement, and Ian Lafrenes, and the screenplay

was written by Dick Clement and Ian Lafrenes.

The film was released in US on November 3rd,

2006 in the UK December 1st, 2006 and was distributed

by Paramount Pictures, except for Switzerland,

Spain and the Netherlands, which were handled

by Universal Pictures. It happens. Yeah, it happens.

This is DreamWorks' answer to Ratatouille for

me. Only it came out many many many years before

And isn't nearly as well animated Well true.

Well, when did Ratatouille come out? Was it?

Oh gosh, Ratatouille, wasn't it? 2009? Well,

three years before, but yeah Really? When did

this come out? 2006? Yeah, 2006. Yeah, Ratatouille

came out Like, three years after that? Uh, no.

Ratatouille was a year. 2007. Really? Yeah. Heh.

They probably were working on him at the same

time, actually. Probably. Um, this movie, for

me, I want my money back. Honestly, I do. This

movie is just... Only ever felt that about the

Ang Lee Hulk movie eight dollars. I'm never gonna

get back 16 actually cuz I bought a ticket for

my dad Well, I would rather watch crouching tiger

hidden Hulk versus this crap Here's the thing

with flushed away is that To me it is As I just

said DreamWorks is version of Ratatouille even

though Ratatouille came out after this But I

saw Ratatouille before I saw this and I you know

Just to kind of give people a heads up for when

we get to the Pixar season Ratatouille is in

my opinion Pixar's worst film that they've ever

done. I don't like Italy yes i don't like that

film simply because rats a rat cooking and every

you know restaurant show every you know just

all this crap of oh too many rats in the kitchen

man exactly exactly it's one of those things

where you just like i don't need a rat preparing

my food and this is kind of the same thing where

it's like this to me is a combination between

x -men batman returns and a really bad pixar

film uh because you got the whole sewer layer

thing i was just waiting for the giant rubber

duck mobile to to come out somewhere no no no

what this is is like a knockoff of chip and dale

rescue rangers oh my god you're so right holy

shit it's like it's like knockoff gadget meeting

some new character in chip and dale rescue rangers

land Okay, now I listen to many voice acting,

but well I listen to talking tunes from Ron Paul's

and I also watch view of us weekly and I know

a lot, you know I I've seen voice actors and

voice actresses and actors in general on Twitter

and Facebook and everybody else and say, you

know You know people will say oh why in the world

did they sign on to do that blah blah blah and

I I say that as well, and I understand it's a

paycheck and that's all well and good. I just

don't understand what this cast saw in doing

this film. I mean, you've got Wolverine here.

You've got Magneto here. What the fuck possessed

them to sign on to this pile of cow dung? The

money. I honestly don't think it was that bad.

All right, so really entertaining but I like

I like Ardaman stuff It's not that I don't okay.

I've said before in season two. I don't care

for the stop -motion It's not that I didn't care

for the animation style. It's just the whole

plot the whole premise the whole Well, I mean,

I like the the comedy in Ardaman stuff. Yeah

Okay, I can I can get behind the comedy but the

whole plot of this film the whole premise the

whole setting It's real cliche It's not only

real cliche. It's real fucking disgusting is

what it is Disgusting just because they're in

sewers. Maybe I'm numb to that because Ninja

Turtles is like my favorite franchise Yeah, but

the turtles make the sewers cool But they're

walking around in crap all day Well, yeah, but

the turtles make the sewer cool, though. See,

that's the difference. Well, I think they were

pretty creative with the sewer city in this.

What's the deal with the singing slugs? I don't

know. What's the deal with the screaming slug?

That's what I want to know. Oh, yeah, the screaming

slug. That was just freaking stupid. Slugs don't

scream, thank goodness. My god and that screaming

slug reminded me of plankton from spongebob Okay,

oh they Speaking of Pixar and dream where things

they do a little jab at finding Nemo in this

movie Not really a jab more like a weak nudge

reference When Roddy's getting flushed down the

toilet and you see a goldfish is have you seen

my diet? Yeah, I didn't notice Just now it's

That and why would you do that when everybody's

gonna go huh finding Nemo that was Well, yeah,

but and yet which of the two films is now back

in theaters and 3d. Um, not this shit True that

Alright, so getting into the plot really quickly.

Roddy St. James, who played by Hugh Jackman,

is decidedly - Roddy St. James Logan! Oh god.

Is a decidedly upper -crust pet mouse who makes

his home in a posh Kensington flat while his

owners are away on holiday. Roddy plays around

the house when a - What? Holiday. Yeah. It's

kind of... bad when people just can't say vacation.

When a common sewer rat named Sid comes spewing

out of the sink and decides to stay, especially

as England is playing against Germany in the

World Cup final, what does that have to do with

anything? Ronnie, schemes fans? Sid, I don't

know. Roddy schemes to get rid of Sid by luring

him to the quote -unquote Jacuzzi, which is actually

a toilet. Sid isn't fooled, however, and instead

pushes Roddy in and flushes him away into the

sewer. Hence the name, flushed away! Exactly.

There, Roddy discovers a city resembling London

made out of various bits of junk and meets Arita

Malone. No relation to me, thank you very much.

Played by Kate Winslet. An enterprising scavenger

rat who works the drains in her faithful boat,

the Jammy Dodger. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait,

wait. Your name is Mike Malone? No. My mother's

name. On my mom's side, her maiden name is Malone.

Oh. Darn, I was hoping you were Mike Malone,

I'd start calling you M &M. You can't see it,

but I'm flipping you off right now. Then I have

done my job for the evening You're just lucky

your initials aren't ADHD. Oh wait, that's animation

domination HD. Oops Anyway Yeah, they totally

didn't mean that. Yes, they get so confusing

when you're talking about that on a message board

though What are the signs of ADHD obviously somebody's

going to Make a snide comment I don't you have

any thoughts on the story cuz I I don't this

movie just I was so Not into this moment all

you have a goal character used to living a life

of luxury ends up in a crappy situation Tries

to make the best of it, but you know for the

longest time is like oh, why is this happening

to me? Why is this happening to me? Everything's

horrible It's just not a you know, it's just

an annoying kind of character Probably the the

villains of this movie are way more entertaining

Yeah, they are sir Ian McCallan is of is he a

frog or a toad? I don't something like that.

I don't know a distant. He's some amphibian Yes,

and he has like what are what are they are they

French? frog ninjas Her so I'm not sure. Yeah

Teenage me also frogs. Yeah, he's also got a

couple of dumb rats that work for him That uh,

you know, I just that have them using British

accents When you said when you said Your average

upper crust out of, you know, out of environment

story. You know what other Disney film this is

like? Oliver and Company with Georgette. Oliver

and Company? Yeah. From Disney. Georgette was

played by Bette Midler, upper crust poodle. Yeah,

oh yeah, yeah. Oliver and Company. Yeah, yeah,

oh that particular character. Okay. Yes. Yes

Yes, yes that particular character or like that

that movie star dog on Chippendale rescue Rangers

Again with the Chippendale rescue Rangers yeah,

really these guys were like taking notes from

old episodes of Chippendale rescue Rangers apparently

so it's like alright, so This is what's good

about them. Let's just throw all of that out

Okay, okay you have any other thoughts on the

overall plot cuz I guess before I don't the plot

It's like I wanted to rewatch this to try and

remember Everything about it. I suppose I could

just read it right here, but that's gonna take

too long. It's Yeah, it's pretty cookie -cutter

Yeah life of luxury character ends up crappy

situation needs to Overcome it get used to it

and finds that there's more to life than living

a life of luxury Yeah, and all of that. There's

you know money can't buy you happiness that kind

of followed her all and Well, at least were um,

they foiled the bad guys Yeah Well, at least

it didn't have anything to do with um, you know

Injecting dragons with drugs. Oh, that was ten

episodes ago Crack To get through this movie,

let me tell you ain't that the truth. No, honestly,

I thought it was pretty funny, but I like some

really stupid gags. Like when he falls and hits

his crotch like five times in a row It's kind

of funny to me and his screaming slug. That was

funny to me the singing slugs. That was funny

to me. Yes like uh Of like the henchmen they're

about to fall down and this is in the trailer

they're about to fall down and hit the water

and the little one says All right, keep your

legs straight when you hit the water and the

big one lands in the water He's like I kept my

legs straight and the other one just landed on

the pavement. You got totally crushed that kind

of pretty decent enough slapstick Kind of britishy

humor Yeah It has its moments. I would say it

has its moments Uh, I guess it does i'll just

have to Take your word for it. Um Okay, what

I find really interesting is what this film could

have been. The film's original concept involved

ARG, Pyrites, which was pitched to Dreamworks

soon after the release of Chicken Run in 2000.

However, Aardman were told that there was no

market for pirate films. This was before Pirates

of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. So... Did was the

film that they were intending to make did that

just come out? That Pirates movie that just came

out the animated one from Ardaman Possibly yeah,

I think that might be it. Yeah Honestly guys,

you should have probably put that out. I don't

know in the middle of the time when yeah the

Caribbean movies Yeah, and not kind of after

it's Yeah, this was before Curse of the Black

Pearl was released to great success in 2003,

and we're told to modernize the concept. By the

time the rewrite was done, the project had to

be postponed to make way for the production of

Wallace and Gromit, The Curse of the Were Rabbit.

It was finally released after not only the original

Pirates of the Caribbean, but also its first

sequel. The film's working title was Rat -tropolis

what was changed due to its similarity to Disney

Pixar's Ratatouille see I told you Like I said

they were probably working on him at the same

time Oh My god, okay. Oh, this is just too weird

to me in Spain the movie was released as Raton

polis What? Yeah, Raton apparently is Spanish

for mouse. My American total for the film was

lo que... I can't even pronounce that. The hell?

Gone with the water? Really? Yeah, gone with

the... pun on gone with the... oh my god. That's

even more insulting. Yes. Oh my god. Frankly,

my dear, I don't give a damn. Yes. Flushed Away

collected 64 million in the U .S., which is well

the average of other CGI films from DreamWorks

and Vodou, but 111 million from international

markets for worldwide total of 176 million overall.

I give this a big fucking fat zero. I can't watch

this movie again. As much as I love some of the

voice act, Hugh Jackman, Sir Ian McKellen, as

much as I love them, I just can't watch this

movie ever again. Oh my God. What about you?

Zero to four. I think I'd give it a two, if I

was generous, a three. Okay. I couldn't find

it on Netflix though, so. Yeah. It does have

a soundtrack oddly enough on Halloween October

31st 2006 the flushed away Music from the motion

picture soundtrack was released. It also has

a video game Sure is even worse Was released

on the PlayStation 2 Nintendo received any awards

What? Hold on, hold on, hold on! Nintendo GameCube

Game Boy Advance on the Nintendo DS. Although

having heavily negative reviews from critics,

the game received an Annie Award for best animated

video game. How the fuck did that happen? Must

have had really good graphics. I don't know,

dude. I just... This is a crime against decency!

Flushed away was released on DVD February 20th,

2007 included behind -the -scenes deleted info

jammie dodger videos and all new slug songs It

was released in the UK on April 2nd 2007. It

was also packaged with a Plastine slug farm kit

Okay, then yeah You don't need to be growing

slugs nature will take care of that for you Oh

my god. Alright, we gotta go to break before

my brain explodes. 22nd is Grand Con Gaming and

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Tooncast! For you the listeners of Tooncast Beyond,

Audible is offering a free audiobook download

with a free 30 day trial. To give you the opportunity

to check out their service, use audibletrial

.com slash keycast radio. Final thoughts on Ratatouille

jr. I Think it's watchable. I think it has funny

moments. It's not remarkable It's okay, it's

best to just find the funny clips on YouTube

versus watching the actual Possibly be the, uh,

the best choice, yes. Yeah, I will never watch

this movie ever again. Just not gonna do it.

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Final Thoughts. For now, I am TF21 Mike with

Sketch 1984. Thank you for listening, until next

time.