new phineas and ferb episodes – Trekking with Dennis

Phineas and Ferb: Halloween Episodes Review

Spoiler Warning: Beware of spoilers for Phineas and Ferb Seasons 1-6.

I wasn’t planning to do individual episode reviews for Phineas and Ferb, but it’s Halloween – and the latest episodes to be released are Halloween-themed! So I thought it could be a bit of fun to go through them together. This’ll probably be a fairly short review; there are only two standard-length episodes, after all. But there’s enough to get stuck into for a little while, at least.

As always, my regular caveat applies: everything we’re going to get into today is the *subjective, not objective* opinion of just one person. If you don’t agree with my take on Phineas and Ferb’s latest outing… that’s okay. There should be enough room in the fan community for differences of opinion and respectful disagreement.

Still frame from Phineas and Ferb 6x01 showing a pumpkin robot — Ready to get spooky?

I’ll very briefly recap my thoughts on Season 5 – the first of these two new seasons – before we get stuck into these two new episodes. On the whole, I thought Season 5 was pretty good. There were more hits than misses, and the revival’s creators and writers seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do with the show and its characters. Compared to some other revivals, sequels, and reboots, Phineas and Ferb’s return was fantastic, and even though I didn’t enjoy every single episode, there were plenty of good ones to get stuck into.

If you want to check out my take on Season 5 in more detail, I have a three-part review. You can find part one by clicking or tapping here, part two by clicking or tapping here, and part three by clicking or tapping here.

These two new episodes – Night of the Living Candace Suits and Terrors of the AltSpace – are officially considered the first part of Season 6, though at time of writing no airdates have been confirmed for any others. I’d hope there might be a batch of new episodes sometime soon, but there might also be other holiday-themed specials and that could be what we’re waiting for! In any case, we’re now officially into Season 6 – and unless anything changes, this could be the show’s final season. Though there is still a new film in early development which will follow up Season 6, so we’re not going to be short of Phineas and Ferb content for a while!

Still frame from Phineas and Ferb 6x02 showing Doof's funeral — Doof’s funeral…

I like a good Halloween special. I’m not the world’s biggest horror fan, so these kinds of Halloween-themed but not-too-scary TV specials are a bit more my speed than, say, a truly terrifying horror flick. And Phineas and Ferb has already had several really well-done Halloween specials earlier in its run; Night of the Living Pharmacists from Season 4 still being the standout pick.

For me, these two new episodes were… of varying quality, let’s say.

I wish I understood why the show’s creative team have latched onto the “Candace suit” idea *so heavily* that they’ve now made three standalone stories with them. The original one-off gag back in Season 3 was a funny little non-sequitur, but as I said in my Season 5 reviews… it was never something that had either a ton of narrative potential nor a lot of humour, either. It simply isn’t an idea that can sustain even a single full story, let alone three. And I felt this latest Candace suit story has stretched the idea way past its breaking-point.

Still frame from Phineas and Ferb 6x01 showing a Candace suit crawling — I’m so over the Candace suits.

The humour in the original gag was that a random character – Buford – has these life-size moulds of people, and that was so completely out of left-field that it was funny. It plugged a narrative hole in an episode where Candace needed to be put back into her original shape, and it did so with humour to boot. But it wasn’t meant to become an integral part of Buford’s character; the fun came from the fact that it was a random throwaway joke. I didn’t like it when the Candace suits returned in Season 5, and I didn’t like what this Halloween story did with them, either.

Even down to the title of the story, Night of the Living Candace Suits was a far less-enjoyable version of the Season 4 Halloween special that I mentioned a moment ago. There was less humour, the setup was derivative, and because it’s a ten-minute episode instead of a feature-length special, there wasn’t adequate time to build up any real stakes, either. Despite my feelings about the Candace suit storylines overall, I really did try to give Night of the Living Candace Suits a fair shake. But I felt the final product was particularly weak.

Still frame from Phineas and Ferb 6x01 showing Phineas, Isabella, and Klimpaloon — The Candace suit with Klimpaloon, Phineas, and Isabella.

Any show that runs for a long time is inevitably going to have to repeat themes and ideas – and that can be okay. But when you’ve already made the perfect zombie story homage, going back to that same well in such a blatantly derivative way was always going to lead to something that was inferior at best. The inherent narrative weakness of the Candace suit didn’t help, of course, but I don’t really think Phineas and Ferb could’ve made this work if it’d been “Night of the Living Monograms” or “Night of the Living Platypuses” either. That particular story has just been done already, and it worked so well the first time that there was no way to top it.

The kids’ Halloween invention was kinda samey, too, and nothing special. There could’ve been value in the idea of Candace and the sentient suit teaming up, but the scatterbrained story had too many characters and so much going on that even that didn’t really feel all that special. And, again, we’ve been here before – just last season, in that case.

Still frame from Phineas and Ferb 6x01 showing a Candace suit's creation — Genesis of the Candace suits.

Terrors of the AltSpace was by far the better of the two Halloween offerings. I’m glad that I watched the Backrooms film not that long ago; I’m more familiar now with the concept than I had been from just general internet browsing! For a kid-friendly take on this “Creepypasta” type of thing, I think Terrors of the AltSpace got a lot right. I can see some folks wanting to criticise it for being a bit *too* toned-down compared to its source material, but for the show’s intended audience, I think it stayed on the right side of the horror-versus-Halloween-fun line.

The stuff with the professor was something and nothing; the real stakes of the story came from Buford and Baljeet being trapped in the titular AltSpace, and I think it worked pretty well. There was enough weirdness to the imagery to evoke the likes of Backrooms or Stranger Things without crossing a line into being too scary for younger viewers, and the AltSpace still managed to feel unsettling and otherworldly even before the monster emerged.

Still frame from Phineas and Ferb 6x02 showing Buford and Baljeet in the Altspace — In the titular AltSpace.

I think, though, Terrors of the AltSpace would’ve benefitted from being a double-length episode. There’d have been more time to build up the tension with Buford and Baljeet being trapped in this strange dimension; as it is, they barely spent any time there alone before they were being chased and then rescued. The best spooky stories – even those aimed at younger kids – need time to really establish and explore a setting, and one as potentially tense and frightening as the AltSpace really needed a bit more time in the spotlight.

A longer story could’ve also spent a bit more time with the other kids, building their dimensional rover, and with Candace and Stacey as they watched their horror film. Doof’s inator was also an interesting idea that we could’ve explored more of in a double-length episode; I liked the visual of him staging his own funeral, but aside from that, his scheme this time wasn’t especially memorable.

Of course, a double-length Terrors of the AltSpace would’ve meant Night of the Living Candace Suits would have to be cut… but I think I could live with that!

Still frame from Phineas and Ferb 6x02 showing Buford and Baljeet — Baljeet and Buford.

I was a little surprised that we didn’t get a new or remixed opening title sequence for this pair of episodes. They’ve been broadcast as a standalone pair, not immediately preceded or followed by any others, so there was the potential to make the opening titles Halloween-themed. Heck, the show already has Halloween-themed opening titles from back in Season 4 that could’ve been recycled; I just think it would’ve made these new episodes a little bit special, given the rest of the Halloween theming.

I don’t think either Night of the Living Candace Suits nor Terrors of the AltSpace are among the very worst that the show has to offer. One is clearly a lot better than the other, and I think, on the whole, I’d have preferred a double-length Terrors of the AltSpace rather than this duo. But there are better Halloween offerings in earlier seasons, and the whole “Candace suit” idea has been done, done, and done again – so I really hope this’ll be the final time we have to see it!

Still frame from Phineas and Ferb 6x02 showing Stacey at the door — Stacey.

Musically, both episodes’ scores were fine, but neither of the main songs really stood out for me. Having seen both episodes twice, I’m genuinely struggling to call either song to mind – and I just finished my second viewing literally a few minutes before writing these words… so that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, I guess. Phineas and Ferb songs can be like that, and “not very memorable” is not the same thing as “out-and-out bad”! But I thought it was worth remarking on, in any case.

I’ll be curious to see where Season 6 goes next. Will there be more holiday-themed specials? If so… it’s not that long till Christmas, so maybe a new Christmas episode is on the agenda. The Christmas special from Season 2 was so good, though, that it’ll be really hard to top!

Thanks for joining me for this admittedly rather short review. I considered holding off until more of Season 6 had been broadcast, but since that could be weeks or even months away… I decided to jump in with just these two Halloween episodes. After all, it’s that time of year!

Happy Halloween!

Phineas and Ferb Seasons 1-5 and the first two episodes of Season 6 are available to stream now on Disney+. Phineas and Ferb is the copyright of Disney Television Animation and The Walt Disney Company. This review contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.

Phineas and Ferb returns!

Wed 01.02.23Dennis

Spoiler Warning: There are minor spoilers ahead for Phineas and Ferb.

I called it, didn’t I? When Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against The Universe premiered on Disney+ a couple of years ago, I said I wondered whether it might lead to a renewal of the show… and here we are! Almost eight years after the series ended its run on the Disney Channel/Disney XD, co-creator Dan Povenmire announced on social media that Phineas and Ferb will be returning – not just for a one-off special or TV movie, not even for a single season, but for two whole seasons and a whopping 40 episodes!

I’m actually really pleased to hear this news. Phineas and Ferb is a fun series, and one I return to on days when I’m struggling with my mental health. I guess you could call it one of my “comfort shows,” so to know that there will be more episodes to get stuck into in the months and years ahead… it’s good news from my point of view!

“Mom! Phineas and Ferb are making a comeback!”

I first encountered Phineas and Ferb shortly after its premiere. Back then I had a cable TV subscription (remember those?) and I can’t remember how it came about exactly, but somehow I saw a promo or advertisement for Phineas and Ferb and thought that it looked like fun. I wouldn’t have normally given most things on the Disney Channel a second glance, but even in that short promo something must’ve leapt out at me, convincing me that this was a show I needed to see. And I’m very glad I did, clearly!

Even though I was already an adult when I first watched Phineas and Ferb, it was obvious that the show had a lot to offer beyond its young target audience. The best shows made for kids have something to offer to adults, too – and no, I don’t just mean a way to keep kids distracted and quiet so we can do other things! Phineas and Ferb had subtle jokes and references aplenty that were genuinely hilarious, and the way it told two stories that often (but not always) intersected was something original in the animated space.

There was a sense, though, that Phineas and Ferb had started to run out of steam by the time of its fourth season, and I’m not alone in thinking that. Season 4 tried out several different concepts in the form of special episodes, stories that featured new characters, different premises, and tie-ins with the likes of Marvel and Star Wars. The original formula of the show – with the boys’ inventions and the conflict between Perry and Doofenshmirtz – took a back seat.

Most of those special episodes are great fun, don’t get me wrong, but there was definitely a reason why they were made – there were fewer ideas on the table and arguably, as the show had developed and fleshed out its main characters, fewer places to take them in a way that felt interesting. This is a hurdle that the renewed Phineas and Ferb will have to overcome – and it may not become apparent at first.

One of the special episodes in Season 4 was a “zombie” story!

When the show returns, I expect that most fans will welcome it back with open arms. Those first few episodes will re-establish Phineas and Ferb and its format, reintroducing its characters, and if the show basically does what it did from Seasons 1-3, a lot of folks will be thrilled. The question, though, is really whether that format can sustain another forty episodes without something happening to shake things up.

I’m not particularly concerned about questions of “canon” in a show like Phineas and Ferb. It is worth noting, though, that the show has an internal timeline of sorts, and not only that, but Season 4 provided two episodes that come together to give its story a pretty definitive finale: Act Your Age and The Last Day of Summer. There have also been main character crossovers in the series Milo Murphy’s Law – but as far fewer people watched that show, I don’t think it matters in the same way, and there’s definitely enough creative freedom to overwrite some of these things.

Dr Doofenshmirtz in *Milo Murphy’s Law*.

Having said that, the questions of timing and setting crop up. Will these new episodes take place in the same endless summer as last time, or would they be set further along the timeline – perhaps during the school year or even in the next summer? With Doofenshmirtz supposedly converted to the “good” side by summer’s end, how would that work for his character?

I don’t think that Phineas and Ferb could realistically get away with making Doofenshmirtz a “good guy.” The original format worked so well specifically because his story and his evil schemes stood in contrast to the boys’ shenanigans, so somehow that has to be retained. But it has to be done in a way that doesn’t undo all of the development Doofenshmirtz got over the course of the show’s run; it’s not unfair to call him the breakout character, and a big part of that is because his character arc, such as it is, portrayed him sympathetically, despite his self-described “evil” nature.

Being “evil” is a huge part of Doofenshmirtz’s character – and something the renewed series shouldn’t try to jettison.

It’s a challenge to walk that line: to bring the show back and retain its signature formula, all the while avoiding taking key characters backwards and regressing their development. The most important one to get right in this regard is Doofenshmirtz, though Buford’s status as a semi-reformed yet still self-described “bully” is also of note.

Speaking of characters, it hasn’t been confirmed at this stage whether all – or even any – of the original voice cast will be back. With one notable exception, they all returned for Candace Against The Universe in 2020, though, so I would hope that negotiations are at an advanced stage and the voice cast will all reprise their roles. One or two absences can be worked around – this isn’t a Rick & Morty type of situation, where that series has just lost (for totally understandable reasons) its main voice actor and the person who voiced both of the titular characters. It would still be unfortunate, though, if Phineas and Ferb had to make significant changes to its cast.

Somehow, *Phineas and Ferb* will have to reassemble (most of) its original voice cast.

Someone else who doesn’t seem to have signed onto the project yet is co-creator Jeff “Swampy” Marsh. Marsh and Povenmire created Phineas and Ferb together, and it’s noteworthy that Marsh has yet to comment publicly on the series being revived. He also provided the voice of Major Monogram, directed a handful of episodes, and was credited with writing more than a dozen – including some of the show’s most popular and best-remembered stories. I’m sure that Disney (and Dan Povenmire) will be working in private to get him back, but his loss would be significant for the show if those efforts fall through.

Without Marsh, and with the main voice actors also not being signed up, I can’t help but wonder if this announcement may have been a little premature. If things don’t go to plan and major voice actors aren’t able to rejoin the project, that would be a real shame – and would put a downer on things as Phineas and Ferb returns, so I really hope that Disney will pull out all the stops to make it happen.

*Phineas and Ferb* co-creators Dan Povenmire (left) and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh.
*Image Credit: IMDB*

Although Disney Channel shows have tended to be one-and-done things, it’s hardly something new in the animated space for a series to be continued. Look at the likes of Tom and Jerry, the Looney Tunes, or Scooby-Doo – the latter of which has just been reworked on HBO Max as Velma… actually, maybe the less said about that last example the better!

But the point stands: some animated shows become classics, and have a lifespan far beyond what may have been intended – or even hoped for – at the time they were created. If you’d told William Hanna and Joseph Barbera that new incarnations of their characters and stories would still be being created and enjoyed in the 2020s, I doubt they’d have believed it! So there’s plenty of scope for Phineas and Ferb to come back, and perhaps even to iterate and modernise some of its stories for a new decade and a new audience – some of whom will literally be the children of the kids and teens who watched the show when it first debuted.

The very first shot of the premiere episode of the series.

So I’m thrilled to welcome back Phineas and Ferb, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the first batch of new episodes when they’re ready. I’m not expecting to see anything imminently – animation takes time, and although the announcement has been made, it’s clear that the revived Phineas and Ferb is still at a very early stage in its pre-production. In addition to the obvious voice cast, producers, directors, writers, and animators all need to be signed up before work can begin. We’re probably a year or two away from the first episodes being ready… but I’m happy to wait.

This was a bit of a surprise announcement – albeit one that I felt Candace Against The Universe paved the way for – and although it may have been a little early or even premature, it’s certainly succeeded at getting fans hyped up and talking on social media. I’m genuinely excited to have more adventures in the tri-state area with Phineas, Ferb, Candace, Perry, Doofenshmirtz, and the whole gang when the series is ready!

Phineas and Ferb Seasons 1-4 are available to stream now on Disney+. Seasons 5 and 6 are currently in pre-production and have no premiere date scheduled. Phineas and Ferb is the copyright of The Walt Disney Company. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.