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Ratburger (2017) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Ratburger (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 67 mins · English
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Directed by
Matt Lipsey
Starring
David Walliams, Nigel Planer, Mark Benton, Sheridan Smith, Christopher Ellison, Sophie Thompson

A girl rescues a rat, which the malevolent burgerman wants to make into a burger and sell to the local school children and people.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (6)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (4)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Every angle
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6 main characters · contains spoilers

Ratburger Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Ratburger (2017), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Zoe

    A resilient, imaginative girl who has faced her mother's death and her father's depression. She nurtures a dream of animal training, first with Gingernut the hamster and later with Armitage the rat. Zoe's quick thinking and courage help her protect Armitage from Sheila's cruelty and Burt's danger, and her determination ultimately guides her to a new future with her father.

    • 🐭 Rat trainer in progress
    • 🧠 Clever
    • 🌟 Determined
    • 💪 Resilient
  • Burt

    played by David Walliams

    A blind burger seller with a traumatic lab past that gives him a heightened sense of smell. He keeps captured rats and uses them to power a grim burger operation, posing a direct threat to Zoe and Armitage. His plan unravels when Zoe and her father confront him in his warehouse and ultimately lead to his downfall.

    • 🧪 Lab survivor
    • 👃 Acute sense of smell
    • 🍔 Burger operation
    • ⚠️ Dangerous
  • Headmaster

    played by Nigel Planer

    A strict school authority figure who suspends Zoe for bringing Armitage to class, enforcing the rule that pets are not allowed. He embodies the institutional challenge Zoe faces when trying to protect her pet. His decisions push the plot toward Zoe's confrontation with adults who misjudge her.

    • 🎓 Authority
    • 🚨 Discipline
  • Miss Maxwell

    played by Sophie Thompson

    A teacher figure in the school who embodies authority and boundary setting, maintaining classroom rules. Her presence underscores the surveillance and judgment Zoe experiences at school. She, like other adults in the story, serves as a counterpoint to Zoe's creativity and resilience.

    • 📚 Teacher
    • 🎭 Authority
  • Tina Trotts

    played by Tillie Amartey

    Zoe's classmate who bullies her at school, representing the social challenges Zoe faces in adolescence. The rivalry shows how bullying shapes Zoe's resolve and sharpens her ingenuity. By the end, Tina's conflict with Zoe softens to a fraught, potential friendship.

    • 👊 Bullying
    • 🤝 Redemption
  • Landlord

    played by Christopher Ellison

    The building's landlord who oversees the flats and the living conditions of Zoe and her family. His presence signals the precarious housing situation that frames much of Zoe's daily life. He appears in minor scenes but anchors the setting in a property-holding world.

    • 🏠 Landlord
    • 🔍 Tenancy

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:33

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Setting

Where and When Does Ratburger Take Place?

The setting of Ratburger (2017): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Present-day

Set in contemporary Britain, Ratburger unfolds across everyday urban spaces like council flats, schools and small shops. The story mirrors current social realities such as job loss, welfare dependency, and parental stress in a close-knit community. The pub, school, warehouse and shops become the backdrop for Zoe's adventures, danger from Burt, and her quest to protect Armitage.

Location

Council flat, The Executioner & Axe pub, school, warehouse (rat burger), Raj's newsagents

Zoe's home is a crowded council flat where she and her father cope with unemployment and scarce benefits. The action moves to a local pub, The Executioner & Axe, where his drinking and despair create tension. Key locations include her school, a dim warehouse where the rat-burger operation unfolds, and Raj's newsagents where she seeks help.

  • 🏠 Council flat
  • 🏫 School
  • 🛒 Newsagents
  • 🏭 Rat burger warehouse
  • 🍺 Pub

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:33

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4 major themes

Ratburger Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Ratburger (2017) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Animals

    A central thread follows Zoe's bond with Armitage, the intelligent rat, and her earlier love of Gingernut. The film uses animal tricks to symbolize hope, resilience and ingenuity in the face of neglect. It also critiques cruelty and exploitation of animals through Burt's burger operation and Sheila's poisoning of Gingernut.

  • Bullying

    Zoe endures daily bullying from Tina Trotts at school, highlighting the social pressure the young protagonist faces. The story tracks how Zoe refuses to be intimidated and seeks allies to stand up to cruelty. The resolution suggests forgiveness and change when Tina and Zoe form a fragile friendship.

  • Family

    Zoe's family is fractured: her mother is gone, her father is depressed after losing his job, and Sheila's presence is harmful. The film follows Zoe's resilience as she navigates this unstable home life while cultivating hope through Armitage. The ending shows a pivot toward a new family dynamic with shared dreams.

  • Creativity

    Zoe channels creativity into training Armitage and devising solutions to dangerous situations. Her inventiveness drives the plot—from teaching tricks to surviving Burt's schemes. The story celebrates imagination as a means of escape, empowerment and personal growth.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:33

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Character & theme questions

Ratburger Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Ratburger (2017): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

What kind of home does Zoe live in?

Zoe and her father live in a crowded council flat in contemporary Britain. The setting reflects their difficult circumstances, as they cope with unemployment and scarce benefits, creating a backdrop of economic hardship that shapes Zoe's daily life.

  • council flat
  • Zoe home
  • social housing
  • Britain
Q2

Where does Burt make his rat burgers?

Burt operates his rat-burger business from a dim, grim warehouse. This location serves as the center of his operation where he keeps captured rats and prepares the burgers he plans to sell to school children and locals.

  • warehouse
  • Burt operation
  • rat burger factory
Q3

When does Ratburger take place?

Ratburger is set in present-day contemporary Britain, unfolding across everyday urban spaces like council flats, schools, and small shops. The story mirrors current social realities including job loss, welfare dependency, and parental stress.

  • present day
  • contemporary Britain
  • time period
Q4

What role do animals play in Ratburger?

Animals are a central theme in Ratburger, symbolized through Zoe's bond with Armitage the intelligent rat and her earlier love of Gingernut the hamster. The film uses animal tricks to represent hope, resilience, and ingenuity in the face of neglect, while critiquing cruelty and exploitation through Burt's burger operation and Sheila's poisoning of Gingernut.

  • animals
  • Armitage
  • rat
  • animal cruelty
  • animal symbolism
Q5

How does Ratburger address bullying?

Bullying is a key theme, with Zoe facing daily harassment from classmate Tina Trotts at school. The story shows Zoe refusing to be intimidated and seeking allies to stand up to cruelty. The resolution suggests forgiveness and change when Tina and Zoe form a fragile friendship by the end.

  • bullying
  • Tina Trotts
  • school bullying
  • peer conflict
Q6

What does Ratburger say about family?

Family is a major theme depicting Zoe's fractured home life. Her mother is gone, her father is depressed after losing his job, and Sheila's presence is harmful. The film follows Zoe's resilience as she navigates this unstable home while cultivating hope through Armitage. The ending shows a pivot toward a new family dynamic with shared dreams.

  • family
  • father
  • depression
  • resilience
  • broken home
Q7

How is creativity portrayed in Ratburger?

Creativity drives the plot as Zoe channels her imagination into training Armitage and devising solutions to dangerous situations. Her inventiveness ranges from teaching tricks to surviving Burt's schemes. The story celebrates imagination as a means of escape, empowerment, and personal growth.

  • creativity
  • imagination
  • invention
  • problem solving
Q8

Who is Zoe in Ratburger?

Zoe is the resilient, imaginative main character who has faced her mother's death and her father's depression. She nurtures a dream of animal training, first with Gingernut the hamster and later with Armitage the rat. Her quick thinking and courage help her protect Armitage from danger, and her determination ultimately guides her to a new future with her father.

  • Zoe
  • protagonist
  • main character
  • animal trainer
Q9

Who is Burt in Ratburger?

Burt is the malevolent burger seller, a blind former lab rat with a traumatic past that gave him a heightened sense of smell. He keeps captured rats and uses them to power his grim burger operation, posing a direct threat to Zoe and Armitage. His plan unravels when Zoe and her father confront him in his warehouse.

  • Burt
  • villain
  • burger seller
  • antagonist
  • rat burger
Q10

Who is Tina Trotts?

Tina Trotts is Zoe's classmate who bullies her at school, representing the social challenges Zoe faces in adolescence. Her rivalry with Zoe shows how bullying shapes Zoe's resolve and sharpens her ingenuity. By the end, Tina's conflict with Zoe softens to a fraught, potential friendship.

  • Tina Trotts
  • bully
  • classmate
  • antagonist
  • school
Q11

What is The Executioner & Axe pub?

The Executioner & Axe is the local pub where Zoe's father spends much of his time drinking and succumbing to despair. The pub serves as a key location that highlights the tension in Zoe's home life and reflects the economic pressures facing her family during their struggles with unemployment.

  • pub
  • The Executioner and Axe
  • father
  • drinking
Q12

What social issues does Ratburger reflect?

Ratburger reflects contemporary British social issues including job loss, welfare dependency, parental depression, and the stress of living in precarious housing situations. The council flat, the pub, and small local businesses like Raj's newsagents all anchor the story in real social realities faced by working-class families.

  • social issues
  • Britain
  • unemployment
  • housing
  • welfare

Movie threads

More Movies Like Ratburger, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Ratburger tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Whimsical Underdog Rebellion Movies like Ratburger

Clever children and quirky allies triumph over mean-spirited adults. Find more movies like Ratburger where a resilient child confronts neglectful or villainous adults with the help of a quirky friend. This thread features family comedies with a mischievous spirit, celebrating underdog stories with a blend of defiance, tender friendship, and a happily triumphant ending.

  • whimsical
  • defiant
  • mischievous
  • hopeful
  • quirky
  • tender
  • Tone: whimsical, light, defiant
  • Pacing: fast, escalating
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a resilient but lonely child who discovers a unique friend or talent. They use this newfound strength to outwit a comically malicious adult antagonist, often in a series of escalating, fast-paced conflicts. The story is straightforward, focusing on the child's growing confidence and the ultimate, satisfying defeat of the villain through cleverness rather than brute force.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared tone of lighthearted rebellion, a fast-paced and mischievous plot, and the central theme of a child's resilience. They mix tender moments of friendship with quirky humor and a clear, happy resolution, creating a consistently uplifting and whimsical experience.

Unlikely Animal Friendship Movies like Ratburger

Heartwarming bonds between kids and unconventional animal companions on a mission. If you liked the bond between the girl and her rat in Ratburger, explore more movies about kids and their unconventional animal friends. These family adventures focus on tender, protective relationships with unique creatures, often involving a quest to save them from peril with a mix of humor and heart.

  • tender
  • whimsical
  • quirky
  • hopeful
  • protective
  • mischievous
  • Tone: tender, whimsical, quirky
  • Pacing: fast, adventurous
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The plot is driven by the formation and defense of an extraordinary friendship between a child and an animal. The child must protect their unconventional friend from a perceived threat, which propels them into a series of adventures. The journey strengthens their bond and showcases the animal's unexpected talents, leading to a resolution that affirms the value of their unique connection.

Why they belong together: This thread groups movies based on the central, emotionally resonant theme of an unlikely animal friendship. They share a specific mood blend of tenderness, whimsy, and a touch of macabre or quirky humor, all while maintaining a light emotional weight and a fast-paced, adventurous structure.

Every angle

Ratburger (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Ratburger in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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