Film of the Week: Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe

Phineas and Ferb is one of those cartoons that is equally loved by adults and children at the same time. As family friendly shows go, this is one of the best, if not the best - although the latter may be solely of my opinion. The TV show lasted for 4 seasons, which included multiple specials and even a feature-length movie half way through season 3. It’s about 2 step-brothers who want to make the most of their summer holidays by making every single day the best it can possibly be. Phineas Flynn-Fletcher and Ferb both have an incredible imagination and will never let anything get in their way of making every day the best day ever. Their sister, Candace, spends every day trying to bust the boys purely to show her mother that she is capable of taking responsibility and is in charge, regardless of any conditions.

The problem is, she never achieves her goal because of some “mysterious force”, which usually takes the shape of one Perry the Platypus and Dr. Doofenshmirtz battling it out. Perry, a member of the secret organisation “O.W.C.A.” (Organisation Without a Cool Acronym) is tasked to stop Dr. Doofenshmirtz from activating his inators. It’s often his inators which make the boys’ inventions disappear before Candace gets a chance to show it off to her mum.

What makes the TV show watchable by adults is the clever jokes and wordplay and by kids is the adventures the kids and Perry gets up to during each episode, and this film is no exception. Whilst this film is set in the same summer that every episode and the previous feature film but this film was made several years after the series had wrapped up, but the finished project doesn’t reflect their time away from the characters and the world they live in - or in this case, the universe.

Every episode has a version of the formula the show is known for, and in some ways, so does the first feature-length film, Journey Across the 2nd Dimension. This film takes a slight detour from that established formula, but what makes the show, the show, hasn’t been lost. It’s still an enjoyable watch and I do highly recommend it for the whole family. Granted, if you’re not familiar with the characters, it may be a little difficult to catch up with what’s going on as it does chuck you right into the action, but the filmmakers wanted to make the best film they could and didn’t let that get in their way. And besides, for those who are interested in watching the film may already be familiar with the show and won’t find it hard, but enjoyable from the beginning.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)