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| “ | Huzzah! A man of quality! | „ |
| ~ The Toad's most famous quote. |
| “ | It's obvious I should have never sent rodents to do an amphibian's job! | „ |
| ~ The Toad showing his frustration at Spike and Whitey. |
| “ | Oh, you think you're so clever, don't you? Well, I'll be the one laughing when every last revolting rat is flushed away! For I shall repopulate the city… with these! (laughs evilly) | „ |
| ~ The Toad revealing his evil plan to Roddy and Rita. |
The Toad is the main antagonist of DreamWorks' 13th full-length animated feature film Flushed Away, which is also Aardman's 3rd animated feature film.
As his name suggests, he is an anthropomorphic toad and a crime boss who serves as the leader of henchmen, Thimblenose Ted, Ladykiller, Fat Barry, Spike, and Whitey, and his younger French cousin Le Frog. Prior to his hatred for rodents, the Toad had a fun life with his owner Prince Charles, until he was flushed away down the sewers, like Roddy, by a palace servant after Charles got a pet rat. He is also Roddy St. James and Rita Malone's arch-nemesis.
He was voiced by Ian McKellen, who also played Magneto in the X-Men movie series, Horatio P. Huntington in Animal Crackers, Kurt Dussander in Apt Pupil, Roy Courtnay in The Good Liar, Jimmy Erskine in The Critic, Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code, Zebedee in The Magic Roundabout, and the title character in the 1995 film adaptation of Richard III.
Personality[]
The Toad's general attitude and personality are rather changeable and temperamental. At times, he is extremely obsequious, sophisticated, thoughtful and charismatic, responding to negative situations with affability and decorum but he shows a willingness to switch to cruelty and violence without hesitation towards his enemies, or just general "do-gooders". The Toad reserves his cruelty to his subordinates alone and is softer with his own family but shows to treat Le Frog harshly at times.
With his children, the Toad reveals a more two-sided aspect of his personality, one that is an affectionate and sympathetic father rather than just a raving and obstreperous madman but can't be able to get them ponies until his plans are complete. However, the divide between the Toad's personas was once again evident when speaking to his children in a loving and babied voice, but also revealing his plans for total rat genocide in the same voice, claiming that they would all be "deady-weddy" to his tadpoles.
The one thing that can be said about the Toad that is genuine is that he utterly hates rats. Since he was replaced by a rodent as his former owner's pet (who was an aristocrat), he developed a grudge and sought to eradicate them from the face of the Earth, intending to replace them with a far more superior species of his frog tadpoles. Although he surrounds his entourage of rats, even then the Toad holds with disdain and occasionally violence. Nevertheless, he continued to trust Spike and Whitey to carry out his demands to retrieve the ruby from Rita and later the master cable. Enough incompetence, however, and the Toad prefers a frog's touch to get the job done.
The Toad also carries his collection with a high level of esteem, both of his frozen enemies and memorabilia of Queen Victoria. His prized collectible being a bust of Victoria's head and the ruby he stole from Rita before it was destroyed. His love was such that he could bond with anybody, rat or otherwise if they share his passion for Britain as he was uncharacteristically friendly and demonstrative with Roddy when he discovered that the two shared cultured roots but proceeded to ice him when he accidentally destroyed his collection.
When angered or greatly stressed, the Toad's throat would bulge hugely which appeared to be an involuntary tick.
Appearance[]
The Toad is an anthropomorphic cane toad with green skin and green eyes. He wears a dark purple business suit over a purple dress shirt and a yellow tie (sometimes with a big tan wool jacket over his suit), and old brown shoes. He usually wears a very chic robe with purple pants and red slippers (similar to his shoes). The Toad also wears three gold rings with on his fingers (a blue jeweled ring on his right hand, a red jeweled ring and a gold ring on his left hand).
Biography[]
Past[]
Of all of the pets in the Buckingham Palace, young Prince Charles fancied the Toad the best and became attached to him. They would frolic day-after-sunny-day, sharing the relationship between boy and toad. However, when Charles got a new pet rat for his birthday, he and the Toad were separated.
One day, at a play, as Charles was playing with the rat, one of the guards found the Toad backstage and cruelly flushed him down the toilet (which the Toad calls a "whirlpool of despair").
Since then, the Toad despises all rodents. The Toad's deep hatred for rats motivates his evil plan for the sewer which will wash away the rats in a Great Flood and repopulate the sewer with an army of his tadpole offspring.
Flushed Away[]
The Toad serves as the boss of the following henchrats: Spike, Whitey, Thimblenose Ted, Fat Barry, and the Ladykiller. He owned a ruby, which was stolen from him by a rat named Rita Malone. The Toad sent Spike and Whitey to retrieve it.
Spike and Whitey capture Rita and another rat named Roddy St. James and bring them to the Toad. After Roddy explains that he needs to return to Kensington, the Toad called Roddy "A Man of Quality" and shows him his royal collection. Roddy found it to be "amusing", in which the Toad thought he would find it as "diverting, not amusing." When Roddy then accidentally destroys his collection, the Toad roars with rage and blows a gasket, ordering Spike and Whitey to freeze him along with Rita. The Toad then reacts angrily when Spike and Whitey were frozen instead and when Rita insulted him and unplugged the master cable.
The Toad gave up on getting the ruby so he could get the cable and ordered his cousin Le Frog to do it after Spike and Whitey failed to do so. Le Frog gets the cable back, and it was revealed that The Toad needed the cable so he could use it to open the floodgates during halftime of the England vs. Germany football game and use the wave from all the flushing toilets to flush all of Ratropolis's ratizens away.
Roddy returned to the sewers and helped Rita stop The Toad by tricking him into getting his foot stuck on the pipe with liquid nitrogen in it and getting his tongue caught in the gears so the pipe would break, releasing the liquid nitrogen on the wave and freezing it so Ratropolis would be saved. After this, the Toad got stuck in the gears with Le Frog, vowing to get revenge against Roddy and Rita for foiling his plans.
Although Le Frog escaped, the Toad's fate remains unknown, he may have caused the gear untangled from his tongue, but the essential guide mentions that he was arrested for his crimes.
Quotes[]
| “ | The Toad: Hello, Rita. Rita: Hello, handsome. The Toad: And who is this? Is your new boyfriend a waiter? Rita: Boyfriend?! Roddy: Waiter??? |
„ |
| ~ The Toad's first lines. |
| “ | The Toad: (chuckles; snapping his fingers for Spike to hand him the ruby.) The prize returns to me. Did you imagine that I would let you steal it from me? Rita: What?! That jewel belongs to my father, and you know it!! The Toad: Your father? A good-for-nothing scavenger like his daughter?! |
„ |
| ~ The Toad and Rita arguing about ownership of the ruby. |
| “ | Dispose of them. | „ |
| ~ The Toad telling his henchmen to dispose Roddy and Rita. |
| “ | Roddy: No, no, please! I just need to get home to Kennsington! Toad: (gasps) Kennsington? The Royal Balor? Up Top? Roddy: Uh, yes. Up Top. |
„ |
| ~ The Toad stopping to listen to Roddy when the latter mentions Kennsington. |
| “ | ICE HIM! ICE THEM BOTH!!! | „ |
| ~ The Toad ordering his men to ice Roddy and Ritta after Roddy accidentally smashed his private collection of Up Top London. |
| “ | The Toad: Let's see if there's anything good in the fridge. (The door opens, showing all the rats that opposed The Toad.) Former enemies, one and all. A catalog of thieves, double-crossers, and do-gooders. (laughs evilly) Prepare to make your maker. Your ice maker. (laughs evilly) Whitey: (chuckles) Makes me laugh every time, that one. The Toad: Shut that door. |
„ |
| ~ The Toad, upon beginning to ice Roddy and Rita. |
| “ | Goodbye, vermin. | „ |
| ~ The Toad attempting to freezing Roddy and Rita. |
| “ | Now, let me see the latest addition to my cubist collection. | „ |
| ~ The Toad opening the fridge to see his results. |
| “ | The Toad: What? Impossible! Rita: Oy! Kermit! The prize returns to me... you big, fat, slimy air-bag! The Toad: AFTER THEM!! |
„ |
| ~ The Toad surprised that Roddy and Rita escaped. |
| “ | No! Not the master cable! Put that back! | „ |
| ~ The Toad realizing Rita took the master cable, powering the control tower of the floodgate, foreshadowing a bit of his master plan. |
| “ | Where are those idiots?! It's so hard to get good help these days, my boys. Isn't that right? Oh, come on out my lovelies~ Show your old dad love. Poor daddy, (uprising) surrounded by filthy rats, in this joyless, sunless void! (sweetly) But don't worry, little men. (uprising) Daddy will get rid of them all, (sweetly) he will. They'll all be deady-weady. | „ |
| ~ The Toad to his tadpoles, showing his sweet side to his children. |
| “ | The Toad: (covers up the tank of his children, baby voice) Did you find it? (uprising) Gah. Did you find it? Spike: Ah! Well, we got most of it, boss. The Toad: FORGET the ruby! It's the master cable that I want! The one that grubby creature Rita had took. Spike & Whitey: Ohh. The Toad: Without it, my plan is RUINED!!! The Toad: Oh, yeah! Okay, chief! Forget the ruby, ruby's gone. Yeah, you see, you see? Moving on, we're now your cable guys! Whitey: Focused cable sensory, boss. The Toad: You need to be back in time for the World Cup Final. Spike: Oh, great!! Are we watching the game together, boss? The Toad: JUST. GET. THE CABLE!!! |
„ |
| ~ The Toad ordering Spike and Whitey to find the master cable for his plan. |
| “ | The Toad: YOU INCOMPETENT CHEESE-EATERS!! YOU LET THEM ESCAPE?! (His chin bloats up, which causes Spike to faint, before deflating) It's obvious I never should've sent rodents to do an amphibian's job. Where is he? Why is he always late? (notices a fly) Ooh. (He shoots his tongue to grab it, but-) Le Frog: En guarde! Deux, parry, thrust! (Successfully catches it) The Toad: (muffled) Le Frog? (retracts his tongue) |
„ |
| ~ The Toad wondering where his cousin, Le Frog is. |
| “ | Le Frog: Bonjour. The Toad: You're late, Le Frog. Le Frog: Fasionably late, my annoying English cousin. I know no other way. The Toad: Now, listen. Rita and her new accomplice have stolen something irreplacable. Spike: It's alright, boss! We've got another one! (gets electrocuted) The Toad: A master cable of unique design and purpose. I want it back. Le Frog: (scoffs) Don't worry, I'll get it back for you. The Toad: Once it is returned, my plan will be complete; to wash away once and for all, the curse, the scourge of... (quietly) rats. (Spike and Whitey just wave.) |
„ |
| ~ The Toad meeting with his cousin, Le Frog, informing him on his master plan. |
| “ | Le Frog: Forgive me, my warty English cousin, (casually walks on him) but this bizarre obsession of the rats, it is not good for you. You are becoming what we French call "le fruitcake." The Toad: (grabs and takes him off of him) Perhaps you forget that it was a rat who cast me from paradise! Le Frog: Oh, please, not the scrapbook again! The Toad: (pulls out a volume of his memoirs) My memoirs. Volume One details the dire and tragic story of my youth. Le Frog: Oh, mon dieu. The Toad: Of all the pets in Buckingham Palace, young Prince Charles fancied me the best. (Le Frog groans) We would frolick, day after sunny day in royal abandon, sharing that sweet and ever magical bond between boy and toad. Le Frog: You are going to make me throw up. The Toad: We were inseparable, until... it arrived. That rat. While the poor boy's head was turned, I was cruelly plunged into a whirlpool of despair! (weeps) Le Frog: I know, I know. You were flushed away down the loo, right? |
„ |
| ~ The Toad (re)explaining his tragic backstory to Le Frog, revealing the reason of his despicability toward rats. |
| “ | The Toad: Ah... Rita: Ugh, I should've known. The Toad: Well done, Le Frog! I salute you, sir. Now then, Rita; hand it over. Rita Hand what over? The Toad: ... This dance of deception must end. Return what you have stolen. (to Marcel, who was dancing to what he said) Enough dancing!! Rita: I haven't got it anymore. It was a fake, anyway. The Toad: What? Oh, the ruby. (laughs in manaiacal humor) |
„ |
| ~ The Toad's second meeting with Roddy and Rita via phone call and Marcel the Mime Frog, after Le Frog and his henchfrogs boarded the Jammy Dodger. |
| “ | The Toad: Oh, this is rich. The ruby was a pretty thing. (Marcel squeaks one of the henchfrogs cheeks, to which he notices) Stop that. (to Rita) But nothing, when compared to the master cable. Rita: The master what? The Toad: (turns around himself) The cab- (to Marcel) Turn. (Marcel turns around, resyncing The Toad's moves) (to Rita) The cable! The one you're now wearing, as a belt. Roddy: Well, if that's all he wants... Rita: Hang on. What do you want it for, anyway? The Toad: Oh, you'll see. Come to the World Cup Final this afternoon. (laughs maniacally) |
„ |
| ~ The Toad foreshadowing his plans regarding the master cable to Roddy and Rita. |
| “ | Le Frog!! NO!!! GET THAT CABLE!! You rats! This is not over yet! | „ |
| ~ The Toad (through Marcel) ordering Le Frog to stop Roddy and Rita, and that the feud between Roddy and Rita was not over yet after Le Frog's henchfrogs were tricked by the latter two. |
| “ | Enjoy your last moments, you ingregious vermin. | „ |
| ~ The Toad looking out his window, cursing the rat popularity to death. |
| “ | The Toad: Ah, Rita. It's so good of you to return the cable. Le Frog: Bonjour. (takes the cable and offers it to his cousin) The Toad: At last! It's mine!! (laughs manaiacally) Le Frog: Just take it. The Toad: (rudely takes it, and...) LET THERE BE LIGHT!!! (laughs maniacally) |
„ |
| ~ The Toad restoring the master cable to the control tower. |
| “ | And now, the grand opening. | „ |
| ~ The Toad, opening the floodgates, preparing the Great Flood. |
| “ | The Toad: So, you thought you could make a fool of The Toad, eh? Rita: You don't need us for that. The Toad: Oh, you think you're so clever, don't you? Well, I'll be the one laughing when every last revolting rat is flushed away! For I shall repopulate the city… with these! (laughs evilly) |
„ |
| ~ The Toad revealing his evil plan to Roddy and Rita. |
| “ | Do I have to do everything myself?! | „ |
| ~ The Toad engaging Roddy and Rita himself. |
| “ | You're too late to do anything! You and your kind are finished. | „ |
| ~ The Toad claiming all of ratkind is doomed before Rita tricks the former into stomp on the liquid nitrogen pipe, freezing his leg and holding him in place. |
| “ | If I'm going down, both of you are coming with me! | „ |
| ~ The Toad's villainous breakdown, capturing Rita and preparing to capture Roddy as well. |
| “ | GOODBYE, RAT!!! | „ |
| ~ The Toad throwing Rita down for the Great Flood to kill her. |
| “ | Roddy: Feelin a little tongue-tied? The Toad: IMPOSSIBLE!!! Rita: Toodle-oo. The Toad: NOOOOOO!!!! |
„ |
| ~ The Toad's shock that Roddy used Le Frog's tongue to save Rita. |
| “ | The Toad: You wretched vermin!! I'll make you pay for this!!! Le Frog: Give it a rest, cousin. And get your kids a puppy. |
„ |
| ~ The Toad's last words and defeat. |
Trivia[]
- Although he is indeed a toad, the Toad's royal uniform in the climax is a possible reference to The Frog Prince.
- The Toad is inspired by the actor Sydney Greenstreet, who frequently played sophisticated criminal masterminds in classic films, such as Kasper Gutman from The Maltese Falcon.
- The Toad is the first Aardman main antagonist to be CGI-animated instead being stop-motioned.
- The Toad is the first Aardman antagonist to have a tragic backstory, followed by Agent Red.
- The Toad is the second Aardman antagonist to be an animal, since Feathers McGraw from Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers. However, he is the first animal Aardman antagonist to speak, until The Cat from Robin Robin.
- X-Men: The Last Stand, The Da Vinci Code and Flushed Away, all of which Ian McKellen starred in, came out in 2006.
- It is unknown why the Toad uses rats as henchmen when he claims to hate them. It can be assumed that he has rats as henchmen given that toads don't live in the sewers and thus has no option than hire them as his bodyguards. That said, it's likely that the Toad planned to dispose of them once he got rid of most of the rat population.
- The Toad serves as a dark parallel to Roddy St. James. Both of them initially lived as pets of wealthy owners before being flushed away into the sewers. However, Roddy eventually gives up his old life to become a permanent resident while Toad hates every second he spends in the rat-infested sewers and wants to wash out every rat. Toad serves as an example of what Roddy would've become if he didn't accept the sewers as his home and other rats like Rita.
[]
 Villains
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The Toad | Le Frog | Spike and Whitey | Tadpoles | Henchfrogs | Marcel the Mime Frog | Thimblenose Ted | Ladykiller | Fat Barry | Blonde Henchrat | ||