---
title: "Flushed Away: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/flushed-away/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/flushed-away"
critics_score: 62
critics_reviews: 9
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Flushed Away (2006): what the critics said

Critics' score 62 from 9 reviews: 3 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative.

Most critics find Flushed Away a lively, inventive film, and the praise clusters on its visual detail: the sewer London built from salvaged rubbish, the background gags, the elaborate setpieces. Several note how closely the computer animation mimics Aardman’s plasticine look. The warmest reviews call it funny and energetic, with zippy banter and a wealth of comic detail rewarding a second look.

The reservations cluster on exactly that imitation. For a good number of critics the film is frantic and coarser than the studio’s handmade work, trading its charm for pop-culture references and familiar kid-film jokes. The spread is wide: a few consider it the best animated film of its year, while The Guardian finds it disappointingly unoriginal and Variety thinks it too frenetic to be likeable. Two reviews are only partially available. Ian McKellen’s toad earns a rare mention of praise from a dissenter.

## Empire — Olly Richards

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 2000. 

Richards gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it the best animated movie of the year. He especially praises Aardman’s visual gags and the wealth of comic detail in the background.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/flushed-away-review/)

## The AV Club — Tasha Robinson

Rating B+. 2 November 2006. 

Robinson finds the film an energetic, funny success despite familiar kid-film clichés and an occasionally weak opening. She especially praises its deft characterizations, zippy banter, sight gags, and ambitious setpieces.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/flushed-away-1798202143)

## Screen Daily — John Hazelton

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2006. 

The page identifies this as a review, but its paywall shell does not expose the critic’s verdict. No specific element of praise or complaint is visible.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/flushed-away/4029119.article)

## Time Out — Derek Adams

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 28 November 2006. 

The available excerpt raises the rarity of traditional cel animation but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. The article text is unavailable, so no specific praise or complaint can be reliably identified.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/flushed-away)

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 3/5. 

Jones finds the film entertaining, though less charming than Aardman’s claymation work. He praises its convincing replication of that aesthetic and the detailed mini-London setting.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-s98zbo/flushed-away/)

## Slant Magazine — Fernando F. Croce

Rating 2/4. 2 November 2006. 

Croce finds the film frenetic and coarsened, with pop-referential humor that weakens Aardman’s usual charm. He praises the elaborate climax but says its polished spectacle lacks the magic of handmade clay animation.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/flushed-away/)

## Variety — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2006. 

McCarthy finds the film inventive but too frantic and coarse to be very likable. He praises the imaginative, intricately detailed sewer-world built from salvaged objects.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2006/film/awards/flushed-away-1200512633/)

## The Guardian — Rob Mackie

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2007. 

Mackie finds the film disappointingly unoriginal and says it loses much of Aardman's appeal without its plasticine. He praises Ian McKellen's performance as the grotesque toad, while criticizing the film's familiar jokes and stereotypes.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/mar/30/dvdreviews.family1)

## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 2006. 

Bitel gives the film a strongly positive verdict, praising its lively, imaginative entertainment. He singles out its visual and verbal gags and its affectionate British humour.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/flushed-away-film-review-by-anton-bitel)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/flushed-away.md