Flushed Away

Flushed Away is a 2006 animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation SKG and Aardman Features. The film was directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell, and written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Chris Lloyd, Joe Keenan and Will Davies. The film stars the voices of Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Shane Richie, Bill Nighy, Andy Serkis and Jean Reno. In the film, a fancy rat named Roddy St. James is flushed down the toilet in his Kensington apartment and befriends a scavenger named Rita Malone in order to go home.

Flushed Away was the third and final DreamWorks and Aardman co-production following Chicken Run (2000) and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005). Director Fell conceived the concept of rats falling in love in the sewers while working on Chicken Run. In 2001, Fell developed a story and pitched it to DreamWorks. The project was announced in July 2002, followed by comedy writing duo Clement and La Frenais being contracted to write the script, which had the working title Ratropolis. In 2003, Bowers joined Fell as co-director. It was the first Aardman project made primarily in CGI animation instead of using their usual claymation – this was because using water on plasticine models could damage them.

The film's premiere was held on 22 October 2006 during the Tokyo International Film Festival, followed by a wide release in the United States by Paramount Pictures on 3 November 2006, and in the United Kingdom by UIP on 1 December. It received positive reviews from critics, but was a box-office disappointment, grossing $178 million against a $149 million production budget, resulting in an estimated loss of $109 million for the studios. The failure led to Aardman ending its collaboration deal with DreamWorks. The film received nominations for the BAFTA Award and Critics' Choice Award for Best Animated Feature. It received eight nominations at the 34th Annie Awards, winning five, including for the screenplay and, for McKellen, Voice Acting.