Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated musical-comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. It aired on the networks for four seasons between 2007 and 2015, and is expected to return for two additional seasons. The series follows stepbrothers Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher during summer vacation. Every day, the boys undertake the construction of a grand project, or embark on a spectacular adventure, to make the most of their time on vacation. This annoys their controlling older sister, Candace, who frequently tries to expose their schemes to her and Phineas's mother. The series follows a standard plot system; running gags occur in every episode.
This article is about the television show. For other uses, see Phineas and Ferb (disambiguation).Phineas and Ferb
Dan Povenmire
Jeff "Swampy" Marsh
- Vincent Martella
- Thomas Sangster
- Richard O'Brien
- Mitchel Musso
- Jeff "Swampy" Marsh
- Dee Bradley Baker
- Dan Povenmire
- Caroline Rhea
- Ashley Tisdale
- Alyson Stoner
"Today Is Gonna Be a Great Day"
by Bowling for Soup
United States
English
4
129 (list of episodes)
Dan Povenmire
Jeff "Swampy" Marsh[a]
22 minutes
August 17, 2007 –
June 12, 2015
Disney Channel
Disney+
2024
Povenmire and Marsh conceived the characters while working together on animated programs The Simpsons and Rocko's Modern Life in the 1990s, and were inspired by the summers of their own childhoods. They developed the series together and pitched it to networks for 16 years before successfully selling it to The Walt Disney Company. Phineas and Ferb is produced by Disney Television Animation, and was originally broadcast as a one-episode preview on August 17, 2007, following the premiere of the made-for-television film High School Musical 2. It again previewed on September 28, 2007, and officially premiered on Disney Channel on February 1, 2008. The series originally concluded on June 12, 2015, before two new seasons were ordered in January 2023, the first of which is scheduled to premiere on Disney Channel and the streaming service Disney+ in 2024.
Phineas and Ferb is one of Disney Channel's most successful animated franchises. It received high viewership in the United States on cable television and influenced the development of merchandise, a live tour, spin-offs and movies. A made-for-television film, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, aired in 2011, while a follow-up titled Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe was released on Disney+ in 2020. Critics praised the writing and humor of the show, citing its appeal to a wide range of ages. Others criticized its lack of originality and formulaic approach. The series won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2010 for Outstanding Writing in Animation, and won several Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.
Premise
The series follows the adventures of stepbrothers Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher, who are between eight and ten years old.[2][3] They live in the fictional city of Danville in an unspecified tri-state area, as they seek ways to occupy their time during their "104 days of summer vacation". Often these adventures involve elaborate, life-sized and ostensibly dangerous construction projects, which are usually unrealistic in scale given the protagonists' ages (and sometimes physically impossible). Phineas's older sister Candace has two obsessions: unveiling Phineas and Ferb's schemes and ideas, and winning the attention of a boy named Jeremy.[4]
The subplot almost always features Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus Perry, who works as a secret agent for an all-animal government organization named O.W.C.A. ("Organization Without a Cool Acronym").[5][6] His usual objective is to defeat the latest scheme of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, a mad scientist driven largely by a need to assert his evilness, whose own ineptitude often defeats him.[7] The two plots intersect at the end of each episode, erasing all traces of the boys' project just before a dismayed Candace can show it to their mother and destroying Doofenshmirtz's evil contraption; either occurrence usually indirectly leads to the other's in some way.
Reception
Critical response
The show has received generally positive reviews. The New York Times commented favorably, describing the show as "Family Guy with an espionage subplot and a big dose of magical realism." It considered the pop-culture references ubiquitous "but [placed] with such skill that it seems smart, not cheap."[23] Whitney Matheson wrote in her USA Today blog Pop Candy that the series was an achievement in children's programming, applauding the writing and calling the show "an animated version of Parker Lewis Can't Lose."[48] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media praised the show's humor and plot, giving it four out of five stars.[49] The Seattle Times wrote that the story of the show was "valiant" and that the main characters are "young heroes".[50]
Variety noted the show's appeal to all ages with its "sense of wit and irreverence."[51] Similar reviews have emphasized the series' popularity with adults; Rebecca Wright of Elastic Pops wrote, "As an adult, I really enjoyed watching this Phineas and Ferb DVD, and I think it is one that the whole family can enjoy." Wright also called the series' "irreverent style" reminiscent of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.[52] Wired's Matt Blum has stated in reviews of the series that he "can stand to watch just about anything with [his] kids, but [he] actually look[s] forward to watching Phineas and Ferb with them."[22] Notable celebrities identified as fans of the series include Bob Eubanks, Anthony LaPaglia, Ben Stiller, Chaka Khan, Jeff Sullivan and Jake Gyllenhaal.[53][54][55]
Among the negative reviews is one that charges the series with a lack of originality. Maxie Zeus of Toon Zone argues that the show is "derivative, but obviously so, and shorn of even the best features of what has been stolen." Zeus takes issue with the writing, feeling that certain jokes and conventions were "ripped-off" from other shows.[56] Kevin McDonough of Sun Coast Today criticized the show for its plot complexity, constant action and "characters [that] can do just about anything." McDonough stated that "it's never clear whether P&F are intended to entertain children or are merely a reflection of grown-up animators engaged in a juvenile lark."[57] Marylin Moss of The Hollywood Reporter described Phineas and Ferb as "Pretty mindless but kids of all ages might find a humorous moment in it." Moss called the plot lines redundant but praised the music styles and guest stars.[58]
Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz gave a positive assessment in their 2016 book TV (The Book), stating that "In television, formula often seems to come from a lack of imagination. ... Phineas and Ferb though, managed at the same time to be wildly imaginative and slavishly formulaic, using its repetitive structure not as a crutch, but as a sturdy framework on which it could hang all kinds of fantastic new ideas." They further added that "the characters' awareness of that formula, and any deviations from it, quickly became one of the show's most fertile sources of humor."[59]
Ratings
The first episode, "Rollercoaster", garnered a total of 10.8 million viewers when aired as a preview on August 17, 2007, holding onto more than half of the record-setting audience of its lead-in, High School Musical 2.[60] When Phineas and Ferb officially debuted in February the next year, it proved to be cable's number-one watched animated series premiere by tweens. Throughout the quarter that followed, it peaked as the top-rated animated series for ages 6–10 and 9–14, also becoming the number-three animated series on cable television for viewers age 6–10.[27] By the time the second season was announced in May 2008, the series had become a top-rated program in the 6–11 and 9–14 age groups.[61]
The Disney Channel airing of "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!" was watched by 3.7 million viewers.[62] The episodes "Perry Lays an Egg" and "Gaming the System" achieved the most views by ages 6–11 and 9–14 of any channel in that night's time slot. This achievement made the series the number-one animated telecast that week for its target demographics.[63] On June 7, 2009, Disney announced that the show had become the number-one primetime animated show for the 6–10 and 9–14 groups.[8]
Other media
Films
On March 3, 2010, a Disney press release announced a made-for-television film based on the series, entitled Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, which aired on the Disney Channel on August 5, 2011. The film depicts Phineas and Ferb accidentally helping Dr. Doofenshmirtz with an invention that takes them to a parallel dimension, where Perry reveals his double life as a secret agent to them, and, to save their friends from a devious alternative Dr. Doofenshmirtz, they team up with their alternate-dimension selves to stop him.[102]
In January 2011, Gary Marsh, the president of Disney Channels Worldwide announced that early development on a theatrical feature film adaptation of Phineas and Ferb had commenced. Sean Bailey, head of production at Walt Disney Pictures, led the development, which would combine live-action and animation.[103] By July, Povenmire and Marsh were in the early stages of writing the film's script; Michael Arndt, the writer of Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3, was hired to write a further draft of the screenplay.[104][105] The film was to be produced by Mandeville Films, and was originally scheduled for release on July 26, 2013.[105][106] In October 2012, Disney moved the release date to 2014, and in August 2013, the film was removed from its schedule.[107][108]
On April 11, 2019, it was announced that a film, titled Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, would be released on Disney+ within a year of its launch; it would eventually premiere on August 28, 2020.[109] Most of the series' cast reprised their roles, with the exception of Thomas Sangster as Ferb, who was replaced by David Errigo Jr., who had previously voiced Ferb on Milo Murphy's Law.[110][111][112][113] According to writer Jim Bernstein, the film is unrelated to the previously shelved theatrical Phineas and Ferb film.[114][115]
Crossovers and short series
Disney produced Take Two with Phineas and Ferb, a live-action talk show in which the two characters (as cartoons) interviewed celebrities, similarly to Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which began aired from December 2010 to November 25, 2011 as a two-minute talk-show format featuring real-life celebrities.[116] Several other local guests have appeared in countries outside the United States.
Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel, a crossover between Phineas and Ferb and Marvel Entertainment aired in the summer of 2013, as 22nd episode of the 4th season.[117] It features Marvel Comics superheroes Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk and Thor and the villains the Red Skull, Whiplash, Venom and M.O.D.O.K. It is the first major animated crossover between Marvel and Disney since the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment by Disney in 2009.[118]
Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars, a crossover between Phineas and Ferb and Star Wars aired on July 26, 2014 as the 41st episode of the 4th season,[119][120] taking place as a parodical sidebar to the events of Episode IV – A New Hope (1977).
Povenmire has stated that he would like to do a crossover with his and Marsh's follow-up show, Milo Murphy's Law, which takes place in the same universe as Phineas and Ferb.[121] The crossover eventually took place in Milo Murphy's Law's second season premiere, titled "The Phineas and Ferb Effect". The entire Phineas and Ferb cast reprised their roles for the episode, with the exception of Thomas Sangster, the original voice of Ferb, who was instead voiced by David Errigo, Jr.[122] Before the crossover aired, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz cameoed at the end of the episode "Fungus Among Us"; following the crossover, the characters Dr. Doofenshmirtz, Perry, Major Monogram and Carl joined the cast of Milo Murphy's Law in a recurring capacity.
Video games
In 2009, Disney licensed a Nintendo DS video game titled Phineas and Ferb. The game's story follows the title characters as they try to build a roller coaster. The player controls Phineas, Ferb and occasionally Perry the Platypus. Phineas scavenges for spare parts for the roller coaster while Ferb fixes various objects around town, gaining access to new areas as a result. Ferb can also construct new parts of the coaster and its vehicle-themed carts. Each activity features a short mini-game.[123][124][125] The game was well-received and garners a 76.67% on GameRankings.[126] A sequel entitled Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again was released on September 14, 2010.[127] Another game, Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, was released for the Wii and PlayStation 3 platforms in 2011.[128]
In 2012, Walt Disney World opened an interactive game based on the series at Epcot, titled Agent P's World Showcase Adventure, which centered around Perry and Dr. Doofenshmirtz, based on the previous attraction Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure.[129]
Also in 2012, Disney Mobile launched a mobile game titled Where's My Perry? for iOS and Android. It was based on Disney's popular Where's My Water? game, using similar physics.[130]
In 2013, Disney commissioned Majesco Entertainment to create Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff, which was released for the Xbox 360, Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS platforms.[131][132]
Phineas and Agent P appear as playable characters in all the video games of the Disney Infinity series. As with the other playable characters in the games, tie-in figures for them were also released.[133]
Live tour
Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever was a touring two-act adaptation of the TV show. A projection system played video in the same style as the TV show on the rear of the stage; the characters were first introduced there in their cartoon forms, but then used a backyard slide that continued into a physical slide, out of which the live cast members emerged into the real world. The performers wore prosthetics to make their characters resemble their cartoon counterparts—mostly head pieces, but a full body suit in the cases of Buford and Perry.[134] The 2011–2012 season of the tour began on August 21, 2011, in Lakeland, Florida and ended on April 22, 2012, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[135] The 2012–2013 season began on August 23, 2012, in Wheeling, West Virginia and ran until February 18, 2013, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Merchandise
Disney has licensed a number of products from the show, including figures and plush toys of characters Perry, Ferb, Phineas and Candace.[136] As with the other playable characters in the Disney Infinity games, tie-in figures for Phineas and Agent P were also released.[133] Disney released several T-shirts for the show and launched a "Make your own T-shirt" program on its website.[137]
Two Season 1 DVDs, entitled The Fast and the Phineas and The Daze of Summer, have been released; the discs include episodes never previously broadcast in the U.S.[138][139] A third DVD was released on October 5, 2010, called A Very Perry Christmas. Some reviewers were displeased that the discs covered selected episodes rather than the entire series, but noted that Disney does not generally release full-season DVD sets.[138] Authors have novelized several episodes.[140]