After a decade-long hiatus, Phineas and Ferb is set to make a splash this summer with brand-new episodes, promising a return to the familiar antics that captivated a generation.
Co-creator Jeff “Swampy” Marsh hinted at a subtle change for Phineas, noting, “The more observant of you will notice Phineas’ shirt has one extra stripe.”
Dan Povenmire, Marsh’s creative partner, added: “He hasn’t actually gotten any taller, but we’re giving him the illusion of getting taller.”
Phineas’ updated wardrobe is the only real change in store. The show will still feature all the beloved characters that viewers adored, including Perry the Platypus, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, Candice, and Buford.
Povenmire expressed initial concerns about the creative process, saying: “We were a little worried at first, like are we going to get in the writer’ room and just get a lot ‘No, did that.’ ‘Did that.’ ‘Did that’.”
However, they needn’t have worried, he said, and the new episodes are filled with “great, fresh, new stories with these characters that we’re just thrilled with”.
‘It’s like old times’
The series restarts with Phineas and Ferb enjoying summer vacation, Doofenshmirtz back to his evil ways – he updates his social media status to “Evil Again” – and Candace is once more on her everlasting quest to get her brothers in trouble.
“Isn’t it great? It’s like old times,” says Doofenshmirtz.
The first two episodes of the 40 ordered air on 5 June on Disney Channel and Disney XD, while the first full batch of 10 episodes will premiere on Disney+ starting 6 June.
The decision to restart the series was a no-brainer. According to Disney internal streaming data, the show has been streamed some 650 million hours on Disney+ globally to date. According to Nielsen, Phineas and Ferb is among the top 10 most-watched animated kids series on streaming platforms despite not offering new episodes in 10 years.
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The show, which had four seasons between 2007 and 2015, centers on the titular stepbrothers – the triangular- headed Phineas and the quiet Ferb – who stave off boredom by turning their backyard into things like ski resorts, surfing beaches or monster truck rallies.
Unbeknownst to the pair, Perry, their mute pet platypus, is a secret government agent code-named P who regularly dons a hat and trench coat to save the world from Doofenshmirtz, voiced by Povenmire.
The show is pitched to both kids and adults, mixing references to Nietzsche and Girl Scouts. Each episode also includes an original – often very catchy – song, written by Povenmire and Marsh. (“Squirrels In My Pants” is a proven winner.)
“It’s something that the whole family can enjoy together,” says Marsh. “We made a commitment never to cut anything just because somebody said it was too smart. We just believed kids are smarter than you think.”
The idiosyncratic show had a hard birth, created in 1993 but not airing until 2007. Povenmire and Marsh, both veterans of shows like “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy,” hit it off and stuck with their vision.
“Whenever anybody would ask us to pitch them something, we would always dust this off and say, ‘Well, here’s the show we really want.’ And most of the time people were just like, ‘I think it’s too complicated,’” says Povenmire.
The creators insisted on using no double entendres, took out mean humor and refused to make the parents idiots. Even the so-called villains, Candace and Doofenshmirtz, are good, deep down.
“If you’re trying to get a laugh, shocking somebody or putting somebody down are the two easiest, cheapest laughs to get,” says Povenmire. “We’d made this decision to make it nicer than the shows that we had seen on the air at the time.”
The show has been a magnet for celebrity cameos and the upcoming season is no different, with Michael Bublé, John Stamos, Ted Lasso stars Brendan Hunt and Cristo Fernández, Alan Cumming, Leslie Jones, Anna Faris, Megan Rapinoe, Meghan Trainor and Ruth Negga all making guest spots.
