In this Irish fable, a man named Hubert Flynn (Pete Postlethwaite) lives in Dublin and takes pride in his indulgence in beer, gambling, and ignoring his patient wife Conchita (Imelda Staunton). One night, after having a few at the local pub, he slowly begins to evolve into a rat, which has an oddly unenchanting effect on his family. His loving daughter Marietta (Kerry Condon) is all for his new transformation, wanting to shower it with love and care, but she is also in the midst of an impending wedding and wonders if his diminutive appearance might not be acceptable. His son Pius (Andrew Lovern) is headed for the religious order and would rather see him dead. Phelim Spratt (David Wilmot), a greedy, ambitious type, moves into Hubert's bedroom and begins to write an novel of the transformation which he hopes will become a major motion picture. Conchita regards it as yet another of her husband's tricks designed to humiliate her, while Uncle Matt (Frank Kelly) has various theories on why the whole occurrence has taken place. Rat was created with the help of the late Jim Henson's animation company and directed by music video pioneer Steve Barron.