- The hamsters seen in the first trailer have been cut!
Shame, really. I liked those guys.
I wonder if they were actually "Cut" or if they were just characters created for the teaser trailer to help set up the concept of Roddy getting flushed down the toilet.
I figured that they weren't in it before I saw the film because I didn't see them in the later ads and kept hearing about how "Lonely" Roddy was when I read reviews.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this film. If you like the stuff that Aardman's done in the past, you'll wanna catch this. It's worth seeing on the big screen.
I was very impressed with the animation. They kept the "Look" of the studio's stop-motion while still embracing the wonders of CGI. The frogs (exceptionally animated characters) would not be possible with Claymation, and neither would some of the action sequences.
The voice work was great. If the Oscars or the Annies had an award for "Best Cast Ensemble for an Animated Feature Film", "Flushed Away" could win that prize. Kate Winslet's Rita was probably my favorite. She was just fantastic. I also liked Ian Mckellan's Toad and, the film's single most hilarious character, Jean Reno's Le Frog ("I laugh at everyone's misery but my own. I'm French!").
Also wanted to say that I LOVED the slugs ("Poor old Roddy, flushed down his own potty!"). Such cute little things. Heck, I even adored it when the sang "Mr. Lonely", which may be one of the most annoying songs ever written.
Ranks with "Monster House" as the most original animated movie of the year. Don't miss it!