Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-review by Professor Popinjay

(2007-2025)

The first time I heard the names Phineas and Ferb was from a group of my students. As speech impediments prevailed amongst these younglings, I was hard pressed to know what they were saying sometimes.

So it took a minute to figure out who “Phineas and Fub” were. Also, Docto Doofenshmötz and Pehwee da Pwatipus.

My own children were just starting to appreciate fast moving objects and rapidly changing colors so I thought I’d turn this show on and see what it was all about. It was fantastic! By far one of the funniest shows ever made.

It makes sense that Phineas and Ferb have incorporated all other Disney acquisitions like Marvel and Star Wars. It’s amazing to think Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh pitched this show for 16 years before it was finally greenlit by Disney and now it’s Disney’s most successful animated series.

Most production companies rejected it because they thought the show’s formula was too complicated. Here’s a rundown:

Phineas and his stepbrother, Ferb, do all manner of zany activities while their sister, Candice, tries to tattle on them. Simple enough, right? Well, little do these kids know, their pet platypus is actually a secret agent fighting against the evil schemes of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Every episode, this A story and this B story eventually collide and effectively cancel each other out, thus making Candice look crazy to her mom who never sees any evidence of what the boys have been up to.

Does that sound too complicated? I think it’s a simple enough formula and it equates to a brilliant cartoon. Granted, that IS just the gist of it. The characters do have complex relationships and sometimes even complicated feelings but the focus is the funny. It’s never emotionally heavy. And kids get it! They’re so much smarter than a lot of producers want to give them credit for. The P&F plots might be formulaic and zany but the characters are not just one-dimensional gag-dispensers. It creates a structure on which truly ingenious humor can be built!

While the brothers’ activities are fun, Candice and their mom are really the driving force behind this show. I first encountered Ashley Tisdale, who provides the voice for Candice,  in High School Musical. I didn’t actually watch High School Musical and at the time I could not tell you which singing teeny-bopper was actually Ashley on the myriad of posters encompassing my peripheral vision in every Walmart or Target I ventured into BUT I DID assume everyone on those posters was a stuck up tool. That’s really the point I’m trying to make here.

When I realized the absolute lunatic who does Candice’s voice was one of those stuck up tools, it blew my mind. If you listen to Candice, and really listen to her, not just get caught up in the cartooniness of the situations, Ashley Tisdale is clearly insane. I’m not saying that in any clinical sense. I mean she has -0% dignity and she embraces that abandon like an estranged mother to her long lost child if embracing abandon is even possible. Negative zero percent does weird things, man! She throws self-conscious to the wind and plays this nutzoid character with no concern for herself or others. It’s awe inspiring and the funniest aspect of this show, bar none. Tisdale cannot be a stuck-up tool. No one who does a voice like this could be. To be perfectly honest, this revelation makes me want to see High School Musical.

The next best part of this show is the songs. Every single one of them is a gem. Look at this:

I was just a lonely girl

Looking for a little fun

Though without a friend in the world

I was forced to find a new one

[Chorus]

Now I’m the Queen of Mars

I was invisible on Earth

It only took a magic portal to Mars

To give me some self worth

Every song is like this. This is one of my favorites.

 But I can gush no longer. Just go watch this show! There’s 4 seasons just like our planet and there’s two more planned I think. There’s also a plethora (I already used myriad) of specials and crossovers and full length movies and even a sort of spinoff (Doofenshmirtz eventually shows up and sticks around, followed later by the rest of the P&F cast) in Milo Murphy’s Law.

It’s all good. Thoroughly hilarious from start to finish.

Here’s a list of all P&F productions:

• -Phineas and Ferb Seasons 1-4 (2007-2013)
• -Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation (2009)
• -Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to You! (2010)
• -Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011)
• -Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel (2013)
• -Phineas and Ferb Save Summer (2014)
• -Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars (2014)
• -Phineas and Ferb: Night of the Living Pharmacists (2014)
• -Phineas and Ferb: Last Day of Summer (2015)
• -O.W.C.A. Files (2015)
• -Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe (2020)
• Phineas and Ferb Season 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (2025! Coming out June 5th on Disney+!!!!!!!!!!)

THEY’RE RELEASING A NEW SEASON!!!!!

What a time to be alive!