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It seems that inventive animated brothers Phineas (Vincent Martella) and Ferb (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) have done it all. They’ve traveled the universe, they’ve jousted in their back yard, and they’ve even saved Christmas. But, this summer, they still managed to find something new to do with their vacation: make their own full-length movie.
In Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, the brothers build a giant platypult that accidentally propels them into Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated headquarters, where Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire) is putting the finishing touches on his latest invention, The Other Dimension-ator. Phineas and Ferb offer to help—and when Agent P shows up, he has to choose between stopping his nemesis and keeping his secret identity.
The boys (along with their mild-mannered pet platypus, Perry) follow Dr. Doofenshmirtz into another dimension, only to find that the Doofenshmirtz in this dimension is a true evil genius—and he’s taken over the entire tri-state area. As the boys rush to find their other-dimensional counterparts in an attempt to get back home, Agent P tries to stop the Evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz from taking over their tri-state area, too.
Like their Disney Channel series, Phineas and Ferb’s first movie is vibrant, action-packed, and hilariously quick-witted. It’s also loaded with the show’s signature silly songs and written with the same cleverly kooky sense of humor.
Other cartoons—both on TV and in theaters—tend to talk down to kids, preferring to entertain them with dim-witted jokes and flashy, spastic action. But that’s not the case here. Phineas and Ferb is sharp and witty and imaginative, with clever word play that will have both kids and parents laughing until tears stream down their cheeks.
The regular show is made up of short adventures—so it could have been disastrous to try to take a show that’s brilliant in short snippets and stretch it out into a 77-minute feature. But Across the 2nd Dimension has an exciting story that never feels long or drawn-out. Though it may not be the perfect introduction for uninitiated viewers, fans of the series will also love seeing where the movie takes the show’s beloved characters—from Phineas and Ferb, who are shocked to discover that their lovable pet platypus is really a secret agent, to big sister Candace (Ashley Tisdale), who learns a few lessons from her other-dimensional self.
Meanwhile, the songs featured in the movie aren’t the show’s best, but there are some gems—like the opening song, “Everything’s Better with Perry” and the Doctor Doofenshmirtzes’ cleverly animated duet, “Brand New Best Friend.”
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension may have been developed for TV, but it’s still one of the smartest, most entertaining kids’ movies I’ve seen all year. Fans of the series won’t want to miss it.
DVD Review:
The two-disc DVD release of Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension comes complete with a kit for building your very own platypult. That alone should be enough to make you want to run right out and buy your own copy—but, if not, the disc also features a few other extras.
The disc’s menu includes a handful of Easter eggs (including one that transports viewers into a movie menu from another dimension). On the special features menu, you’ll also find Dr. D.’s Jukebox-inator, which features eight songs from the movie (with optional Perry-oke). You can also choose to watch the entire film with the Perry-oke option, which (as you might expect) shows the song lyrics on the screen (along with a Perry icon that shows you which words to sing when). The disc also includes a bonus episode, “Attack of the 50-Foot Sister,” which comes complete with a quirky commentary by the show’s creators.
Though the movie’s DVD release doesn’t come with a whole lot of extras (like the great behind-the-scenes footage included with other releases), they’re still worth a look—if only to have something playing in the background while you’re building your brand new platypult.
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