"Flushed Away" is flush full of fun

The charm of "Flushed Away," a new and brilliant animated film about English sewer rats, is in the details. Blink and you'll miss the Kafka-reading cockroach, the British Nemo knock-off ("'Ave you seen me dad?"), the eggbeater speedboats and the doomsayer rat wearing not a sandwich board, but an actual sandwich.

The movie is the latest from Aardman animations, whose best-known creations include "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" and 2000's "Chicken Run." Lovers of those earlier films will recognize the trademark English accents, toothy smiles — yes, even frogs have teeth in this one — and endearing clay animation. "Flushed Away" is Aardman's first movie, however, that was made completely with computer technology — so what looks like clay really isn't.

The trick works well. "Flushed Away" is animation at its best, giving the audience a visual delight that both children and the young-at-heart will love. But sleek effects do not a movie make, and lucky for "Flushed Away," the story line is just as adorably vulgar as the animated sewer sludge and rats.

The plot centers around a pet rat named Roddy (Hugh Jackman) who is accidentally flushed down a toilet and into the underground mini-London created by the sewer rats. He enlists the help of Rita (Kate Winslet), the impressively sexy (for a rat) captain of the Jammy Dodger sewer boat, to get him back "up top." Along the way, they happen to thwart the evil plan of a villain-amphibian (Ian McKellen as "The Toad") — The Toad plans to wipe out the underground city by opening the sewer's flood gates at half-time of the World Cup, when all of London will take a bathroom break and send a rush of toilet water down to the sewer.

The story is a crude but welcome change from sappy Disney-type animated features, much like DreamWorks' earlier hit "Shrek" was in 2001. And, like Shrek's Mike Meyers and Eddie Murphy, "Flushed Away"'s voice talent is an added bonus. While Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet put no more than the necessary into the roles, the supporting cast's voicing is brilliant. Ian McKellen, as the (literally) underground mob boss The Toad, and Jean Reno as his French cousin "Le Frog," play wonderfully off each other and add little tidbits that adults in the audience will appreciate In one scene, Le Frog calls his team of French frogs to action, and they immediately respond by throwing their hands up in the air and yelling "We surrender!"

The film's soundtrack is also brilliantly chosen, underscoring the action with unexpected choices like "Rollin' on the River" and "Mr. Lonely," all sung by a chorus of talented sewer slugs. (Don't believe me? See the movie). Equally absurd is the recurring theme of Tom Jones music ("What's New, Pussycat?") begun by Rita's grandmother mistaking Roddy for Sir Tom himself and proceeding to bombard him with old lady's undergarments.

Chance that the younger half of the audience has any clue who Tom Jones is? None. But watching a mouse being attacked by granny panties — and the rest of the adorably hilarious film — is funny no matter what generation you're from.

"Flushed Away" (86 minutes, at area theaters) is rated PG for crude humor and some language.