Video Game, DVD Review: World of Disney’s ‘Phineas and Ferb’ Expands

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CHICAGO – As often happens with programs aimed at children, Disney’s “Phineas and Ferb” is becoming way more than “just a TV show.” It’s becoming an industry in itself, recently releasing a Christmas DVD called “Phineas and Ferb: A Very Perry Christmas” and a Nintendo DS video game called “Phineas and Ferb Ride Again.” Are these just attempts by the Mouse House to make a few more dimes off one of their successful properties or are they worthwhile on their own?

If you’re not familiar, “Phineas and Ferb” is one of the most consistently clever and enjoyable cartoons on the air right now. If you have a kid of the right age, it’s something you should definitely be watching with him or her and the show is smart enough that you could even feel good about watching it with no rugrats around. It’s a very enjoyable series about those days when summer vacation went by in the blink of an eye and the most difficult question was how to top the previous day’s fun. The incredibly clever writing on “Phineas and Ferb” has even won a Daytime Emmy as the best in animation. These two creative troublemakers and the sister who can never get an authority figure to catch them in the act are easy to love.

Phineas and Ferb: A Very Perry Christmas
Photo credit: Disney

Now, that doesn’t mean that every product related to “Phineas and Ferb” will be as notable as the series itself. Disney clearly knows that they have a moneymaker on their hands and they air the program on one of their networks nearly all day long. It’s a smash and whenever Disney gets a hit like this on their hands, they milk it dry. Sometimes that can result in a worthwhile DVD or a video game that lives up to it source. So where do “Phineas and Ferb: A Very Perry Christmas” and “Phineas and Ferb Ride Again” fall on the scale from pure cash-in on one end to being as creatively fulfilling as the inspiration on the other? They’re both somewhere in the middle.

The DVD is built around “Phineas and Ferb’s Christmas Vacation,” which aired on Disney XD in December of 2009. The first episode not to be set in the summer months was a ratings success and it makes sense for Disney to build a DVD release around it and time it for stocking stuffer inclusion on the upcoming holiday. While the episode has its moments, it’s not as strong as some of the recent new episodes have been. The move from summer to winter makes for an interesting change but the writing just isn’t quite as entertaining or memorable. So, ultimately, a DVD has been built around a sub-par episode of a great show. It’s decent but shouldn’t be your first introduction to the series. If you love it, pick it up just for the special features and to be able to watch it whenever you’d like. If you’re curious about the kiddie cultural phenomenon, don’t start here.

Official Synopsis:

“Phineas and Ferb and Perry the Platypus are gonna save Christmas! Get ready for the wildest sleigh ride ever as the hilarious heroes of summer vacation launch into their merriest and “Perry-est” mission yet! Amp up the holidays with outrageous laughs, out-of-this-world fun and totally over-the-top songs — everything you need for the ultimate Christmas extravaganza experience! In an all-new, Perry-powered adventure, Phineas, Ferb, and their pet platypus (AKA Agent P) set out to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s “naughty” plot to ruin Christmas. Will they get everything wrapped up in time for Santa’s flyby? Find out in the coolest gift you’ll get this year — packed with festive bonus features that will have you rockin’ ‘round the tree!”

Bonus Features:
o Phineas & Ferb’s Virtual Fireplace
o Dr. D’s Xmas Jukebox-Inator — Your Favorite Songs On Dr. D’s Latest Evil Creation
o Christmas Perry-Oki — Go Christmas Caroling With Perry
o Letters to Santa — Your Favorite Characters’ Christmas Lists Revealed
o Keep On Buildin’ — Go Behind The Scenes As The Show’s Creators Compose A Song!
o Bonus Episode — “Doof Side Of The Moon”
o Surprise Gift From Santa

Phineas and Ferb Ride Again
Photo credit: Disney

When you’re done watching “Phineas and Ferb’s Christmas Vacation” and you have to go back to your school yourself, should you bother taking “Phineas and Ferb Ride Again” for your Nintendo DS? Once again, it’s a decent release, better than a lot of kiddie games for the handheld platform, but nowhere near as smart or creative as the show itself.

The game is a straightforward, simple platformer in which the player alternates control of Phineas and his stepbrother Ferb on a series of missions built around collecting items mostly through mini-puzzles. In 2009, there was a successful “Phineas and Ferb” DS game that was only loosely affiliated with the show and not written or produced by the program’s creators. This is a follow-up to that game that maintains the spirit of the show without feeling directly related to it. They get the broad strokes of what boys like — skateboards, spaceships, surfboards, etc. — and include the supporting characters like Perry, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, and Candance, but it’s a game that won’t be of much interest to all but hardcore fans of the show or serious collectors.

At a relatively-low price point ($29.99) and with its target audience in mind, it’s hard to get too down on a title like “Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again” but the fact remains that this adult fan of the series was nonplussed by its tie-in game. Sure, it’s not really aimed at me, but neither is the show and that one connects. This one remains, like most cartoons and the games based on them, for kids only.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com