There is no question that “Phineas and Ferb” is and was the best animated show on Disney Channel.
Since the conclusion of the show’s fourth and final season in 2015, there have been some continuations of the show in the form of special full-length movies, such as “The O.W.C.A. Files,” and a short-lived spinoff series called “Milo Murphy’s Law.”
However, none of these things ever were able to top the original series, starring Vincent Martella as Phineas and Thomas Sangster as Ferb.
“Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe” premiered on the streaming platform Disney+ on Friday, Aug. 28, with much praise from critics and fans alike. The day it premiered, “Phineas” and “Ferb” became trending topics on Twitter, revealing the enthusiasm audiences had for the return of an extremely popular animated show, even five years after its initial run.
The film begins with one of many new songs written by the show’s resident composer, Danny Jacob, called “It’s Such A Beautiful Day.” The song is a lighthearted upbeat song about optimism and features some of the most sophisticated rhyme schemes in the show’s history: uncharacteristic, antagonistic, optimistic and ballistic.
As per the title, the movie centralizes on the character of Candace, who has consistently failed in “busting her brothers” by revealing to her mother the spectacular inventions masterminded by her two younger brothers. Like the majority of the episodes and movies in the show’s repertoire, “Candace Against the Universe” is fast-paced and does not waste any time before it gets into its main storyline.
In the storyline, Candace, who feels like the universe is against her because of her constant failings, and her friend, Vanessa, who happens to be Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s daughter, are abducted by aliens and taken to a mushroom planet called Feebla-Oot.
In this way, the movie is quite similar to an earlier special movie in this series, “Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension,” when Doofenshmirtz opens a portal to an alternate dimension where he is an authoritarian ruler of the Tri-State Area.
After the initial abduction, Phineas and Ferb, along with their friends, Isabella, Baljeet and Buford, the aforementioned Doofenshmirtz, and their pet (and Doofenshmirtz’s foil) Perry the Platypus construct a portal and attempt to save Candace from the planet.
Like all episodes of “Phineas and Ferb,” the movie launches onto its viewers a nonstop display of deadpan satirical comedy, such as how the character of Buford spends the majority of the movie carrying a canoe.
The movie also has many absurd yet quotable lines, including one where Doofenshmirtz brags about using the word “vacuum as both a transitive verb and an abstract concept? That’s grammatical versatility.” Similarly, there are many meta-jokes within the lyrics of its songs and jokes about power ballads and Cubism.
There are so many absurd things that will only be understood and appreciated if you watch this movie. If you have Disney+ and want a very humorous film with a lighthearted sense of escapism, I implore you to watch “Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against the Universe.”
