Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet voice the computer-animated "Flushed Away."

By Barbara Vancheri, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful." Or so said Mae West.

It's a safe bet she wasn't talking about computer animation. In a year that brought us wisecracking raccoons, race cars, bears and barnyard animals (just to name a few), the opening of a new animated movie is no longer an event for parents and preschoolers.

		'Flushed Away' Starring: Voices of Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet. Directors: David Bowers and Sam Fell. Rating: PG for crude humor and some language.

The latest arrival in this crowded field is "Flushed Away," from DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features, the teams behind "Shrek" and "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." This misses the mark by being a little too, well, British, and losing sight of its core audience of children.

Will your average kindergartner laugh when a pampered pet mouse with the voice of Hugh Jackman is mistaken for singer Tom Jones? Will he chortle when cartoon characters say, "I find everybody's pain funny but my own. I'm French" or "I never should have sent rodents to do an amphibians' job"?

In a world that too often aims low, it is possible to set your sights too high or to get sidetracked with cleverness. That's what happens with "Flushed Away," which otherwise features A-list voice talent and obvious attention to delightful detail.

"Flushed Away" opens in a posh Kensington flat as the human owners of pampered pet mouse Roddy St. James (Jackman) take off for vacation. Free from his gilded cage that's like a mouse mansion, Roddy enjoys the run of the place until a slovenly sewer rat named Sid (Shane Richie) crawls out of the drain and makes himself at home.

Roddy tries to trick Sid into climbing into the toilet but the house mouse ends up flushed away instead. He lands in a bustling, colorful world below where he encounters newfound friends, foes and a feisty female rodent named Rita (Kate Winslet), who pilots a boat called the Jammy Dodger and collects scrap for a living.

Rita has a treasure that the villainous Toad (Ian McKellen) wants, and Roddy gets caught in the middle. There are hench rats, a mercenary named Le Frog (Jean Reno), action scenes, a race against time to save the day and Roddy's re-examination of the notion of family and life up top.

"Flushed Away," directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell, is creatively realized, especially in how it takes "found" materials underground and re-imagines London landmarks. Working from a screenplay credited to five writers, it tries to follow that now tried-and-true formula of appealing to children and adults, but its balance is off.

Adults may appreciate its Kafka joke, the royal connection to the tale and "The French Connection"-inspired chase, and children probably will love the singing slugs -- but will they recognize the song they squeak out ("Proud Mary")?

"Flushed Away" will be competing against Santa himself today and has two weeks before the singing, dancing penguins come in on "Happy Feet." Then, it may be time to look out for the loo.