Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across The 2nd Dimension (2011)
So about two years ago my little sister was home sick and I didn't have work or class, so we were sitting around watching TV. While skimming through the channels she stopped on one and told me this cartoon was on and we had to watch it. Now I grew up in what I like to call the Golden Age of Cartoons- basically the mid 1980s until the mid 1990s were when some of the best cartoons were on the air, and since then, I've noticed that not only are there next to no Saturday morning cartoons on anymore, the few that there are, well, they kinda suck. Add in that the cartoon was on The Disney channel, and I wasn't sold- I mean Disney has done some great stuff over the years, but outside of Pixar's output and maybe two or three animated films, their glory days are behind them, at least in terms of quality. But eh, she had the remote so figured I'd see what it was.
And I'm glad I did, because that was the day I discovered Phineas and Ferb.
For those unaware, Phineas and Ferb is about two step brothers, the titular Phineas and Ferb and their
adventures over the summer. On its own that sounds like a really simple plot, but you need to understand one thing first- the boys know no limits and literally live everyday as much as possible, going top extreme lengths to have the 'best day ever'. As the theme song tells, they have done everything from build a roller coaster through their town, searched for Mummies, traveled trough time, and more, all the while avoiding their sister Candace, who wants nothing more then to bust them. Add in their pet platypus Perry who is actually a secret agent who tangles daily with incompetent evil scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz, and you have one of the most original and well written cartoons on television. What really sold the show to me, outside of the creativity, is the writing. The characters are likeable, the plots entertaining, and the songs- yes there are songs, in fact ever episode since the third one have had at least one original song, are catchy and enjoyable. Not only did I become a fan, but I got my father and older brother into the series and introduced it to my friends as well.
This past year it was announced that the show was getting a made for TV feature and while my experience with made for TV/DVD Disney movies has not been the best, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt since I love the show so much, and I was not disappointed. This folks, is Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension in glorious 2D.
Plot
It's the fifth anniversary of the day Phineas and Ferb brought Perry home and the duo are having fun with their pet. While using his natural reflex of flicking his tail when his neck get scratched to launch a baseball, the two decide to build large Perry tails to laugh a giant shuttlecock across town in a game of platypus bandminton During this time Perry is called away by his superior, Major Monogram, and informed once again that his owners can never learn of his secret identity or else he will be forced to move. He is then sent to stop Doofenshmirtz from completing work on his latest device which can open portals into other dimensions. As he flies off to do so his ship is hit by Phineas and Ferb's giant shuttlecock which changes both courses- sending Perry crashing and the boys straight for the Dr.'s lab. They crash into Doof's place and destroy his device, but being the good guys they are offer to fix it, even getting rid of his usual Self-Destruct button. Perry arrives but reverts to his 'pet' disguise when he notices the boys. He tries to stop them from fixing the device but instead annoys Phineas with his bad behavior. They finish the machine and cross into another dimension when Doof notices a couch he wants to steal to replace his own, only to discover in this universe his counterpart rules the Tri-State Area with an iron fist and has turned this universe's Perry into his cyborg general. When they group meet this truly evil Doofenshmirtz he reveals that Perry is a secret agent, a fact that hurts Phineas and he believes that Perry hid it from them because he does not trust them. The trio escape and meet their counterparts while attempting to return to their home dimension, only for Perry to turn himself in to save them. This leads to their joining up with this universe's Candace, who leads the rebellion against Doof, both to save Perry and return home before this Doof crosses over and invades.
Thoughts
Where do I begin.
First off, great songs, I need to get that out of the way. While not the best the series has turned out (the title goes to the entire soundtrack from the hour long Summer Belongs to You special), they are still catchy, especially the opening number Everything is Better with Perry. The plot is pretty basic but still has some great moments, such as showing how little things change the characters between universes (the other dimension's Candace for example, has spent her live protecting her brothers rather then busting them, leading to her growing up fast and the boys being sheltered). This is played for laughs at times, such as the revelation as to what led to the other universe's Doof being as evil as he is in relation to the original. Also the reactions from Phineas when he learns about Perry's double life are good and heartbreaking at times, as you can see the hurt in his eyes as well as those in Perry's as he is unable to explain why he could not tell them. Ferb as always has some entertaining single lines, and while I wish the side characters could've had a bit more to do, this really is a story about the boys and Perry and their relationship in light of the events.
If I have one complaint about the film is it's length- at an hour and fifteen minutes, it easily could have stretched itself out to a full ninety minutes with a little more story or song extension. That being said they did well with the time allotted so I can't really complain- hell, with an extra twenty minutes it was ten times better then Winnie the Pooh was and that movie got a theatrical release!
That said the film has a good opening, a decent middle and a satisfying conclusion with fun dialogue and songs throughout. As a made for TV film based on a TV series it works better then most made for DVD Disney sequels so there really isn't much to complain about. A little more time and a little more character and it would've been perfect but I'll take what I can get. It is satisfying for fans of the show in my opinion, and really that's who it is made for- sure people who have never seen the show before could watch it but there are quite a few call backs to the series itself that might go over non-fans heads.
Conclusion
Out of the three longer then an episode Phineas and Ferb specials (the others being the aforementioned Summer Belongs to You and the Christmas themed Phineas and Ferb's Christmas Vacation) this film is the longest but would take spot number three, as Summer Belongs to You has better songs and development and Christmas Vacation has a better story and is a Christmas special which scores big in my book. That does not take away from it however, as it is still a fun movie and bottom of the top three is better then bottom of the top ten right? If you are a fan of the show then this is a must see, and even if you are not check it out, might be the spring board you need to check out the series. In an age when cartoons are a dying element on television, Phineas and Ferb is one of the best of the breed, and this film is a great addition to the series.
4 "Where's Perry's" out of 5
That's all for this round, until the next film I'm the Drew and I Be Awesome.
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