Rat (Fantastic Mr. Fox)

“	Y'all are trespassing now, illegally! [drinks a bottle of cider.] 'Round these parts, we don't take kindly to cider poachers.	„
	~ Rat.

Rat is the secondary antagonist in the 2009 stop-motion animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on Roald Dahl's 1970 book of the same name.

He is a rat who serves as Farmer Bean's security guard, guarding the cider room of his farm in hopes of getting to drink some cider. Rat comes across Mr. Fox, his family and his friends when they sneak into the farms of their enemies to steal food, leading Rat to do whatever he can to defend Bean's delicious cider.

He was voiced by Willem Dafoe, who also played Raven Shaddock in Streets of Fire, Eric Masters in To Live and Die in L.A., Bobby Peru in Wild at Heart, John Geiger in Speed 2: Cruise Control, Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire, the Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Armando Barillo in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Nikolai Diavolo in 007: Everything or Nothing, George Deckert in xXx: State of the Union, Lord Cob in Tales from Earthsea, J.G. Jopling in The Grand Budapest Hotel, Jack Lassen in The Simpsons, Ryuk in Netflix's Death Note, Thomas Wake in The Lighthouse and Clement Hoately in Nightmare Alley.

History[]

Rat used to work with Mr. Fox as his partner in crime, but eventually cut ties with him. At some point, Rat got a job to work at Bean's farm to ward off intruders in exchange for cider.

When Mr. Fox, Kylie and Kristofferson head over to Bean's farm and enter his secret cider cellar, they are confronted by Rat. Foxy notices the security badge on his shirt and Rat heads down as he draws his switchblade. Kylie flees and hides as Rat comments on how Mrs. Fox was a prostitute. Rat lunges at Mr. Fox, but Foxy dodges his attack. As Rat gets back up, they notice Mrs. Bean coming downstairs and Kristofferson makes him fall into an underground apple room. As Mrs. Bean heads down to grab a couple of bottles for Bean, the three animals hide and Rat desperately tries to get her attention to free him, but she heads back upstairs with the bottles in her hands, due to her near-sightedness.

Later, while Badger and the other animals are searching for Kristofferson in the sewers, Rat comes and hands them Bean's ransom note about Kristofferson's kidnapping. As Badger reads the note, Ash comes by and reveals himself to be Mr. Fox's real son, prompting Rat to attack Ash. Ash screams for Mr. Fox to help him as Rat tries to kidnap him, but is stopped by Mrs. Fox. Rat flirts with Mrs. Fox and attacks her and Stan Weasel. Rat manages to kidnap Ash and holds Mrs. Fox hostage until Mr. Fox arrives in the nick of time to stop him. Rat kicks Mrs. Fox and Weasel aside and attacks Foxy near an electric generator. Rat gets electrocuted and reveals Kristofferson's location to the animals. Rat reveals that he originally took the job for cider and Foxy feeds him a handful of sewer sludge as he dies. Ash informs Foxy about his redemption, but Foxy tells him that he's "just another dead rat in the garbage pale behind a Chinese restaurant" before he disposes of Rat's corpse, sending it to float away in the sewers to his watery grave.

Quotes[]

“	Mr. Fox: You've aged badly, Rat. Rat: You're getting a little long in the tooth, yourself, partner. [Rat snaps his fingers and Mr. Fox notices his security badge.] Mr. Fox: Bean security, what? Why are you wearing that badge? What is it? Rat: It's my job.	„
	~ Rat to Mr. Fox.

“	Rat: How's your old lady doing? Mr. Fox: Do you refer to my wife? Rat: She was the town tart in her day. Wild and foot-loose and... [snaps fingers.] Pretty as a mink stole. Kylie: Is that true? Mr. Fox: Of course not. I mean, certainly, she lived. We all did. It was a different time. Let's not use a double-standard. She marched against the... Kylie: But town tart? Mr. Fox: Shut up. [Rat lunges and Mr. Fox dodges his attack as he lands on a stack of cider bottles.] Mr. Fox: That was close, Rat. Be careful. Rat: Oh, I'm as careful as a... [Rat stops as they hear a noise upstairs, prompting Kristofferson to trip Rat, causing him to fall into an room full of apples as the door latches shut.]	„
	~ Rat confronting Mr. Fox as he tries to stop him from stealing Bean's cider.

“	Badger: Kristofferson? Hello? Can you hear us? Kristofferson? Rat: They got the boy. [The woodland creatures stop as Rat comes down and snaps his fingers.] Rat: They want to trade the son for his poppa. [Rat throws a letter to Badger and he opens it, revealing a ransom letter by Boggis, Bunce and Bean.] Badger: Why'd they write this in letters cut out of magazines? Kylie: To protect their identities. Oh, right, but then why did they sign their names? Plus, we already knew who they were, because they're trying to kill us. Badger: [reading the letter.] "Mr. Fox, we have your son. If you ever want to see him alive again..." Ash: You took the wrong fox. I'm his son. Rat: I can see the resemblance. RAAAGH!!! Ash: DAD!!!	„
	~ Rat sending the three farmers' ransom letter to Badger, only to find out that Ash is Mr. Fox's real son.

“	Ash: Come on, man! Come on, stop! [Rat lunges at Ash, but Mrs. Fox grabs him and tosses him aside.] Rat: Woo-hee-hee! Look at you, girl! You're still as fine-looking as a crème brûlée. Mrs. Fox: Am I being flirted with by a psychotic rat? [Rat grabs his switchblade and hisses as he charges. He grabs Mrs. Fox, punches Stan Weasel, and snatches Ash.] Mrs. Fox: Ash! [Rat tosses Ash in a bag and snarls as he holds Mrs. Fox hostage.] Mr. Fox: Excuse me, may I cut in?	„
	~ Rat attempting to kidnap Ash.

“	Rat: The boy's locked in an apple crate on top of a gun-locker in the attic of Bean Annex. Mr. Fox: Would you have told me if I didn't kill you first? Rat: Never. Mr. Fox: All these wasted years. What were you looking for, Rat? Rat: C... Ash: He's trying to say something, Dad. Rat: Cider. [The woodland animals look down at Rat and Mr. Fox grabs a handful of sewer sludge.] Mr. Fox: Here you are, Rat. A beaker of Bean's finest secret cider. [Rat licks the sludge.] Rat: Like... melted gold.	„
	~ Rat revealing Kristofferson's location before dying.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

He appears earlier in the movie than in the original book by Roald Dahl. He also has a bigger role in the film and is depicted as a real antagonist working for Bean in contrast to his role as a minor character who is simply a scavenger in the book.
In the scene where Mr. Fox, Kylie and Ash sneak into Bean Annex to rescue Kristofferson, the human security guard at the entrance can be seen wearing the same Where's Waldo shirt Rat wore.
Although he is Bean's enforcer, Rat is never seen interacting with him on-screen.

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Animated Features
Boggis, Bunce and Bean | Rat | Giants (Fleshlumpeater, Bloodbottler & Bonecruncher)