BACKGROUND
In amongst all the typical comedy series that air on Disney Channel, there are also a number of animated series that have debuted on the channel.
Some of these animated series are directly based on a Disney animated movie, such as Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003-06), or The Emperor’s New School (2006-08). Other series that premiered on Disney Channel were based on original ideas such as Kim Possible (2002-07) and Phineas and Ferb (2007-15).
I have never been a huge fan of animated television series for some reason. I don’t really understand why as I love animated movies; I think it might have something to do with how silly animated cartoons can be. I liked a few though, don’t get me wrong, especially when I was little. I used to watch Cartoon Network so early in the morning that my parents had to put a parental lock on the TV to stop me waking them up! But as I started watching Disney Channel, the only animated series I enjoyed watching was Recess (1997-2003), which wasn’t a Disney Channel original, choosing instead to watch their live-action shows.
My sister was the one who liked Disney Channel’s animated programming: Kim Possible, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, and American Dragon: Jake Long (2005-07). When Phineas and Ferb came out, she loved that show too. If I was being a nice little sister, I’d sit and watch these shows with her without complaining. Though I really didn’t like American Dragon, I was fine watching the other three shows I’ve mentioned.
There were elements of Phineas and Ferb that I liked. I liked Candace, the big sister character, but I think that was purely because she was voiced by Ashley Tisdale, a.k.a. Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical franchise, my favourite character in those films. I also found Dr. Doofenshmirtz very funny, and the songs were pretty good, so it wasn’t too much of a chore to sit through episodes when my sister wanted to watch.
When we found out that Phineas and Ferb’s first movie, Across the 2nd Dimension, was going to be released, I knew I’d have to let my sister watch it whenever she wanted to, and I did; we watched it together, and although it wasn’t my thing, I did quite like it. There were some moments where I laughed out loud, and again, I quite liked the music.
It’s a good movie, though fans of the show will appreciate it more. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension was only Disney Channel’s third animated original movie, after Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama (2005) and The Proud Family Movie (2005).
PLOT
Across the 2nd Dimension begins with a flashforward, as we see Phineas, Ferb, Candace, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz in chains, being led towards a huge, fluffy monster. As Phineas says “everything started out so well this morning”, we go back in time to that morning.
Half-brothers Phineas and Ferb are woken up by the sun and the noise of their pet platypus, Perry. It turns out this day is exactly five years since they both got Perry from a pet store, liking the fact that the cross-eyed platypus could look at both Phineas and Ferb at the same time, with the boys seeing this as some sort of sign! The plan was to call him Barthlomew, but in the end, the platypus was renamed to Perry.
Meanwhile, their sister Candace is figuring out what to do with her day and calls up her boyfriend Jeremy. Jeremy is busy, going with his dad to look at colleges, which reminds Candace that Jeremy is a whole year older than her and will be heading off to college soon. This motivates Candace to get rid of all her childish junk and finally act like a grown-up.
Phineas and Ferb have decided to create a huge game of badminton with their friends, Isabella, Buford, and Baljeet, creating two massive Perry-like catapults that will send a shuttlecock from the boys’ back garden over to the park. As they are about to try it out for the first time, they notice Perry has vanished, a normal occurrence, nothing to worry about.
Perry is actually a secret agent, known as Agent P. He is congratulated on his five years with the boys, as he was never just a normal platypus in a pet store but was assigned to this family. Agent P’s boss, Major Monogram, warns him that should his cover ever be blown, he will have to be reassigned. Agent P loves Phineas and Ferb so tries very hard to keep his secret, whilst also saving the world from the evil scientist, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, who has grand schemes but is incapable of achieving them. Agent P is told to stop Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s latest invention, some sort of alternate reality device, and is given gadgets to help him on his mission. He is given a magnetic watch that can communicate with Major Monogram, although he is warned not to contact him between 3:30pm and 4:00pm as that is when he takes his shower… Oh yeah, and this watch can give people instant brain freeze!
Back home, Candace is told to look after the boys as her parents are going to see a movie. This gives Candace the opportunity to act like a grown-up and bust her brothers herself, something she has spent all summer trying to do, but at the moment she goes to show her mother the boys’ creations, they always disappear and the boys are never punished. Candace catches a glimpse of the huge “platypult” in the garden, but by the time she gets out there, the boys have been catapulted into the air on a huge shuttlecock and the platypult has vanished, giving Candace evidence that this “mysterious force” that always takes away the boys’ inventions now sees her as the adult, not just her mother.
Phineas and Ferb, on the shuttlecock, accidentally crash into Agent P in his hovercraft, though they don’t realise, and are knocked off course, crashing into Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s lair and into his “Other-Dimension-inator”, the exact thing Agent P was meant to be stopping. As the boys feel bad for breaking this guy’s machine, and don’t know he’s evil, they decide to help fix it, noticing issues with his wiring and his self-destruct button which would have stopped it from working properly. Agent P then arrives soon after, but quickly reverts back to normal Perry the platypus mode when he sees Phineas and Ferb there. Realising that the boys are making this invention work, Perry tries everything he can to stop them, including peeing on Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s sofa – nice… It doesn’t work though and the machine is used to show another dimension.
Phineas, Ferb, Perry, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz step into this alternate dimension and see that the Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz is ruler of this alternate Tri-State Area, something that normal Dr. Doofenshmirtz has always tried to do. Dr. Doofenshmirtz heads over alone to meet his alternate dimension self. Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz reveals that he turned the Alternate Agent P into a cyborg, who now works as one of his minions, along with his army of Norm Bots, something Dr. Doofenshmirtz has, but his Norm Bot has never shown much capacity for being evil… The boys soon arrive with Perry. Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz instantly recognises Perry as being Agent P, however, Dr. Doofenshmirtz cannot see it, as the platypus isn’t standing on two legs or wearing his secret agent hat. Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz shows he’s right by having his platypus cyborg attack the boys. Sure enough, Agent P reveals himself to everyone to save Phineas and Ferb. They are attacked by the Alternate Norm Bots and the cyborg, with Agent P having to get the boys to safety. Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz then decides to take over the other Tri-State Area.
Phineas is furious with Perry for his deceit and his double life, struggling to move past it. He uses the remote for the Other-Dimension-inator, which he luckily kept with him, but the portal does not show their dimension. They decide to enlist the help of their alternate selves to get home. But Alternate Phineas and Alternate Ferb are not the creative geniuses they are in the “real world”. Instead, thanks to Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s iron-fisted rule, the boys live in a grey world full of fear and anxiety. They aren’t going to be much help… A television announcement then plays telling Agent P to hand himself in to save Phineas and Ferb from any further harm. As he is about to secretly leave, Phineas sees him and accuses him of ditching them. Phineas angrily tells Perry/Agent P to go, and he sadly does.
Phineas then says they need to find Alternate Isabella, who the boys in this dimension have never met, but luckily, she only lives next door. As they head over there, a Norm Bot spots them and tries to attack. Alternate Buford saves them, and takes them over to the Resistance, which consists of alternate versions of all their friends, and is led by none other than Alternate Candace! They are told by Alternate Baljeet to picture dimensions as moving in a clockwise direction, with the remote showing the next dimension along from where they are. It is easier to travel in this direction, although the number of dimensions they would need to get through to get home is unknown. The Resistance can redirect the power to open up the portal to their home, however, it is unsteady. As the boys learn that Perry needs saving from Alternate Doofenshmirtz, who now needs the boys to fix his own version of the “Other-Dimension-inator” in order to conquer their Tri-State area, they decide not to go through. Alternate Baljeet says he’ll try to keep it open but it may not last too long. Suddenly, Candace jumps through into this alternate dimension, causing the portal to close. Candace believed this was the “mysterious force” – it wasn’t…
The Resistance then take Phineas, Ferb, and Candace to Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s headquarters via mine carts in the underground tunnels so they can save Perry. However, when they arrive there, it is revealed that they have walked into a trap. Using some quick-thinking, Perry/Agent P realises it is between 3:30pm and 4:00pm and uses his watch to call Major Monogram, who, sure enough, is in the shower. This holographic image makes both Dr. Doofenshmirtzs avert their eyes, letting the others escape. They are pursued by Norm Bots. A fire begins on one of the mine carts, slowing down the train. Alternate Candace makes the decision to cut lose Phineas, Ferb, and Candace’s end of the train so she can save her own brothers. They are captured.
Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz orders Phineas to fix the “Other-Dimension-inator”. Phineas refuses, even when faced with a hand puppet, which Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz believes should have managed to convince him! Dr. Doofenshmirtz then remembers what the boys told him back home about the wiring and the self-destruct button. Making some changes, the machine now works. As there is no use for the boys, Candace, Agent P, or Dr. Doofenshmirtz anymore, they are sent to their doom. This “doom” consists of being fed to a huge, fluffy monster, as per the opening sequence. Suddenly, Alternate Candace arrives, flying across the room on a giant gnome statue, throwing Phineas the remote that he left back at Resistance Headquarters. He uses the remote just as the group are about to fall, all chained together, and they disappear into another dimension, with the monster following them – though much of its body doesn’t make it through the small portal so it gets freaked out and runs off! They unlock themselves from their chains, however, some of the Norm Bots have followed them through the portal, whilst others have captured Alternate Candace.
The group, chased by Norm Bots, run through multiple dimensions, finally making it home, however, Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz is already here and has sent his Norm Bots to attack their city of Danville, to make the people conform to his new world order. Agent P runs off to save the day, giving Phineas and Ferb his pet collar first. They go off home, believing there is nothing more they can do. Dr. Doofenshmirtz, meanwhile, tries to get into his penthouse where Alternate Doofenshmirtz is enacting his plan.
At home, Phineas and Ferb begin to hear noises coming from the collar. They follow the noises and are led to a tunnel in the wall, which takes them to Agent P’s secret lair. They are instructed to open up the collar’s locket and uses it as a key to the supercomputer. After doing this, they then see that all their inventions from the summer are being 3D-printed. Phineas and Ferb enlist all their friends to use these inventions to fight the Norm Bots. Other animal secrets agents, of which Agent P is just one, also get in on the battle. Candace decides she has to show her mother what is going on, as she knows the “mysterious force” will remove all trace of the battle if she does.
Agent P takes Phineas up to battle Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz and close the portal. Agent P fights the cyborg, and Phineas fights Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz, but nothing seems to be working. The cyborg is electrified and immobilised, but the portal is still open. Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz then gets hold of Phineas’ baseball glove invention, and shoots a baseball right at Phineas. Agent P throws him a bat, and Phineas manages to hit the baseball right into the portal, breaking it and closing it. The Norm Bots fall from the sky and Ferb shows up. But Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz has one more trick up his sleeve, revealing a huge robot version of himself, where he controls it…from the sleeve. As Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz is about to throw a punch, Dr. Doofenshmirtz comes in and shows Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz a toy train. Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz lost his as a child and this turned him evil. As Dr. Doofenshmirtz hands over his own toy train, Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s backstory is finally resolved. He self-destructs all the Norm Bots and goes back home.
Back in his dimension, Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz is promptly arrested by the Resistance, with Alternate Candace being freed from prison by her brothers and Alternate Jeremy, who she’d never met before. Then, Alternate Candace, Phineas, and Ferb come through to thank everyone for their help, and they also take home the cyborg, who was their pet, and has since reverted back to normal platypus mode. Candace also encourages Alternate Candace to date Alternate Jeremy, something she says she’ll think about.
Major Monogram arrives to say Agent P must be reassigned as his cover was blown today. The boys are devastated over this and wish there was another way. Major Monogram and his assistant, Carl, then remember Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s “Amnesia-inator”, which they can use to wipe their memories of the day. Everything goes back to normal, with only Agent P having fond memories of it, uploading photos of their adventure onto his supercomputer.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Phineas and Ferb are half-brothers who are very close, almost inseparable. They aren’t the type of kids who want to spend their summer staying inside, watching TV, or playing on video games. They want to get outside, be creative, and have some fun. The two are used to creating huge-scale inventions with their friends, but going to an alternate dimension, finding out their pet platypus is a secret agent, and being chased around by weird robots is a little out of even their comfort zone! They tackle this situation with their usual intelligence, loyalty, and quick-thinking and get out of it unharmed, along with all their friends and their favourite sister, Candace. Although Phineas and Ferb are similar in many ways, one big difference between them is the amount that the brothers talk. Ferb rarely says much outside of the occasional clever one-liner, whereas Phineas is the chatty one.
Phineas was voiced by Vincent Martella. Martella is also known for his role as Greg Wuliger in Everybody Hates Chris (2005-09), for which he was nominated for a Teen Choice Award and two Young Artists Awards. Thomas Brodie-Sangster voiced Ferb. As a child actor, Brodie-Sangster was cast as Sam in Love Actually (2003), and then as Simon in Nanny McPhee (2005). In more recent years, he is known for his roles as Rafe Sadler in the BBC series Wolf Hall (2015-present); as Jack Dawkins / Dodger in The Artful Dodger (2023-present); and as Newt in The Maze Runner movie trilogy.
Candace is Phineas and Ferb’s sister whose main aim in life is to bust her brothers and get them in trouble for all the things they do during the summer. This has never worked before, because every time Candace manages to drag her mother away from whatever she’s doing to come and see what the boys are doing, the invention magically disappears and everything seems normal. In Across the 2nd Dimension, Candace has decided to be an adult, wanting to bust her brothers herself, but when she tries to, she finds that this “mysterious force” that hides all the boys’ creations has taken it away before even she can see it, leading her to believe that she is actually an adult. But because of her obsession with this force, Candace then jumps through the portal into the next dimension and is stuck in the middle of a battle between good and evil with her brothers – not exactly what she expected! But by working with her brothers, instead of against them, they manage to get home and defeat Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
Candace was voiced by Ashley Tisdale, best known for her role as Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical franchise, at least amongst Disney fans, reprising her role in the movie Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011). Also for Disney, Tisdale starred as Maddie Fitzpatrick in the series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005-08). In more recent years, she was cast as Kayla in the Netflix series Merry Happy Whatever (2019), and was a panellist on The Masked Dancer (2020-21). Tisdale has been an executive producer on some Disney projects, such as the DCOM Cloud 9 (2014) and the ABC series Young & Hungry (2014-18).
Perry the platypus is Phineas and Ferb’s pet, however, he is actually a secret agent, Agent P, something that the audience already knows, but until this movie, the boys had no idea; they just thought Perry wandered off for a nap every day. What Perry, or Agent P, has actually been doing is stopping Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s evil schemes to take over the Tri-State Area. If Phineas and Ferb hadn’t accidentally ended up at Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s headquarters, then they wouldn’t have gotten involved in Agent P’s mission and he would never have had to reveal his secret agent status to them in order to save their lives. It’s quite sad how annoyed Phineas is with Perry for the “deceit” and it clearly hurts Perry quite a lot. Agent P does successfully complete his mission, with Phineas and Ferb beside him, and, ironically, one of Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s inventions actually help them stay together, as it wipes all their memories of that day, so Perry can still be part of the family.
Perry is “voiced” by Dee Bradley Baker, who has had a long career in voice acting. He has voiced characters in series such as Johnny Bravo (1997-2004); Dexter’s Laboratory (1997-2003); The Powerpuff Girls (1999-2005); SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present); and The Fairly OddParents (2001-17), all non-Disney projects. For Disney, he has voiced the character of Turner for Handy Manny (2006-13), and Tick-Tock the Crocodile in Jake and the Never Land Pirates (2011-16), as well as various characters for animated Star Wars series.
Agent P’s boss is Major Monogram, who is quite formal and serious, but seems to be pleased with Agent P’s work as a secret agent. Major Monogram can make jokes when he wants to, but in Across the 2nd Dimension, the joke is mostly on him, especially when Agent P uses a hologram of Major Monogram in the shower to distract the two Dr. Doofenshmirtzs despite being told not to call him at that time, as that is his shower time. We also see Major Monogram’s unpaid intern, Carl, here, who tries his best to do a good job for Major Monogram, but he is hard to please! Major Monogram was voiced by Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, one of the creators of Phineas and Ferb. Carl was voiced by Tyler Alexander Mann.
Now for the best character in the whole show: Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Dr. Doofenshmirtz has some great ideas for how to conquer the Tri-State Area, but due to his ineptness and incompetence, his inventions and various “-inators” rarely work and even when they do, Agent P is a very efficient secret agent, so he manages to foil all of Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s plans before they really get off the ground. Dr. Doofenshmirtz is much too funny and lovable to be an evil ruler anyway, so it’s probably for the best! Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz, however, is the opposite and has managed to rule his Tri-State Area, with big robots and a cyborg platypus, which makes the real Dr. Doofenshmirtz feel a bit lesser. He is mocked by his alternate self for not recognising Agent P unless he has his secret agent hat on, and is found to be quite annoying by his alternate self, which must really destroy your self-confidence… Dr. Doofenshmirtz normally has some of the best lines in Phineas and Ferb, with my favourite one in this film being: “If I had a nickel for every time I was doomed by a puppet, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?” That line always makes me laugh; it’s just so random! Dr. Doofenshmirtz was voiced by the other creator of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for his voice performance in this movie in 2012.
Outside of these main characters, there are numerous others that appear in Phineas and Ferb and Across the 2nd Dimension. These include Isabella, who has a crush on Phineas and is the leader of a girl scout troop in the real world, and part of the Resistance in the Alternate Dimension, and Jeremy, who is Candace’s boyfriend in their dimension, and a Resistance leader in the 2nd Dimension. Isabella was voiced by Alyson Stoner, who was cast as Caitlyn in Camp Rock (2008) and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010), after appearing as Max in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and as Sarah Baker in Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and its 2005 sequel. Jeremy was voiced by Mitchell Musso, known for his role as Oliver in Hannah Montana (2006-11), and as King Brady in Pair of Kings (2010-13).
Two more of Phineas and Ferb’s friends are Baljeet and Buford. Baljeet is intelligent and polite, however this makes him a target for Buford, who is a bit of a bully at times, but sometimes isn’t. Sometimes, he wants to help and be part of the group. In Across the 2nd Dimension, he is much less of a bully and more of a friend, although Alternate Buford is resisting the Resistance group, so he’s not all that helpful. Alternate Baljeet is though, as he figures out two methods for the boys to get back home. Buford was voiced by Bobby Gaylor, who is one of the story writers on the show; and Baljeet was voiced by Maulik Pancholy. Pancholy had previously appeared as Jonathan in the comedy series 30 Rock (2006-13).
Finally, I just want to briefly mention the voice actors of Phineas, Ferb, and Candace’s parents. Phineas and Candace’s mother, Linda, is voiced by Caroline Rhea, well-known for her role as Hilda Spellman in Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003). Richard O’Brien voiced Ferb’s father, Lawrence. O’Brien is best known for writing the musical, The Rocky Horror Show, before starring in the 1975 film adaptation. For UK viewers, he is also known as the original host of the game show The Crystal Maze (1990-2020).
All the voice actors here reprised their roles from the main series, and the Alternate Dimension versions of these characters use the same voice actors. Although there is one big name still to mention who only has a small cameo in Across the 2nd Dimension. That is Doris Roberts, best known for her role as Marie Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-05). Roberts voiced Mrs. Thompson, Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s elderly neighbour in this movie.
PRODUCTION
The first episode of Phineas and Ferb debuted on 17th August 2007 on Disney Channel, and a second episode was aired on 28th September 2007. The full first season then officially premiered on 1st February 2008, running until February 2009. A second season aired straight after, finishing in February 2011. It was closely followed by a third season which began airing in March 2011, and ended in November 2012.
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension premiered on 5th August 2011, partway through Season 3, between Episode 17 “Road Trip” and Episode 18 “Tour de Ferb”. The show does not have a major overarching storyline though, so there is no real need to watch it at this specific point in the season.
Phineas and Ferb quickly became one of Disney Channel’s most popular series, gaining millions of viewers in the years since its first broadcast. Although there was a rumour that spread online a few years ago, saying that the idea behind Phineas and Ferb was based on a true story about a mentally ill girl in Russia, this is not the true story of how Phineas and Ferb came to be.
At the Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield in 2013, co-creator of the show, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh spoke about the origins of the animated series. Marsh said that he first got interested in working in animation around his late-20s, becoming a background artist on The Simpsons (1989-present) in the early 1990s. He then went on to work on other series, such as Rocko’s Modern Life (1993-96), moving into writing and directing. This is where Marsh and Dan Povenmire started discussing their plans for a new animated series. Dan Povenmire later worked as a director on Family Guy (1999-present), whilst Marsh moved over to work on King of the Hill (1997-2009).
Around 1993, Marsh and Povenmire had already developed the idea for Phineas and Ferb, after noticing that kids didn’t seem to go out and do anything anymore, this becoming the whole premise of the show. I’m sure the irony of creating a television show for kids, to be watched inside, to encourage them to go outside and do things hasn’t been lost on the creators! The idea was later pitched to numerous networks, including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Fox Kids, before Disney agreed to move forward with it around 2006[1]. As well as using their experience of working on prior animated series, it has been said that the creators were inspired by British children’s shows such as Danger Mouse (1981-92) and Tiswas (1974-82), as well as American ones, like Sesame Street (1969-present) and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (1959-64).
As Disney Channel doesn’t have many animated series, unlike other networks such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, it was felt that Phineas and Ferb would be able to compete with them now. The creators wanted the show to be bright and colourful, and created their characters based on geometric shapes, something they learnt from Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, to make them easy to draw. They also loved music, so wanted to put their own songs into the show. These have remained popular with viewers, even outside of the show. I still remember many of them and I didn’t even watch the show all that much! It was also decided that the series should not be set in a school, as so many other animated children’s shows have been[2].
Phineas and Ferb successfully managed to attract major stars to come and voice characters in the show, including Selena Gomez, chef Jamie Oliver, presenter Jonathan Ross, and even Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond from Top Gear, who voiced racing commentators in one episode.
The series won a Daytime Emmy in 2010 for Outstanding Writing in Animation, and three Primetime Emmy Awards to Jill Daniels and Brian Woods for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. It has also been nominated for numerous other awards, including for its music and its voice performances.
It has been stated that this movie was first announced by Jeff “Swampy” Marsh in a January 2010 interview, however, I have been unable to find that interview to confirm that this is when Across the 2nd Dimension was first confirmed to be in development. Regardless, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension was a natural way of extending the reach of the already popular show, something that Disney Channel are used to doing with other DCOMs based on series, and gave more opportunity for the visual gags, music, Easter eggs, and clever writing that the show is loved for.
Some of these are running gags that appear in both the series and the movie. For example, in the film, the usual “Hey, where’s Perry?”, and “Oh, there you are, Perry” lines from Phineas, as well as Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s evil jingle, will be familiar to fans of the series, along with the inventions used during the battle with the Norm Bots, which appeared in previous episodes of the show. There are references to elements of pop culture too, such as the musical scenes parodying other bands such as The Beatles, and Phineas lifting Perry up like Rafiki does to Simba in The Lion King (1994) in the opening musical song.
MUSIC
Since original music is a unique addition to Phineas and Ferb as a series, it only makes sense for Across the 2nd Dimension to feature even more original songs. This movie does in fact feature nine original songs, plus one deleted song.
This deleted song is called “Mysterious Force”, sung by Ashley Tisdale as Candace, where she talks about how she has always failed to bust her brothers, supposedly because this force takes all of her brothers’ inventions away at exactly the wrong – or right – moment[3]. No song in this movie is bad, including this one, but it’s not my favourite.
My favourite song is “Brand New Best Friend” which Dan Povenmire as Dr. Doofenshmirtz sings alongside his alternate dimension self, talking about all their similarities. It all seems to be going well, but Alternate Doofenshmirtz ends up getting annoyed with Dr. Doofenshmirtz and their friendship goes downhill fairly quickly…It’s a funny song, as it should be, since it features the funniest character in the whole show.
I also like “Summer (Where Do We Begin?)”, which Phineas sings to their alternate selves, as they have never had a summer in this alternate dimension, thanks to Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s rule over the Tri-State Area. Phineas and Ferb are telling them all about how great summer is and all the things you can do. They also start singing part of the series’ theme song, “Today Is Gonna Be a Great Day”, during this song. It’s very catchy and parts of it get stuck in my head randomly.
Of the other songs on the soundtrack and in the film, I don’t like them as much but they’re still fine to listen to and add to the story. One of these is “Robot Riot” sung by the in-series rock band Love Händel, but actually by Dan Povenmire and Jaret Reddick from band Bowling for Soup, during the battle against the Norm Bots. Following on from the successful battle and defeat of Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz, just before the End Credits, the song “Takin’ Care of Things” is briefly heard as Agent P uploads his photos from the day. It’s a nice, upbeat song to finish the film. It is performed by Dan Povenmire and Danny Jacob. The End Credits song is “Kick It Up a Notch” sung by Phineas and Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist Slash.
Two more songs in the movie are “Everything’s Better with Perry” and “Brand New Reality”. “Everything’s Better with Perry” is the opening song for the movie, which is performed by Robbie Wyckoff. It plays as Phineas and Ferb look forward to another summer’s day with their best friend Perry. It’s very upbeat and positive, as we should all aim to feel at the start of a new day but rarely manage to! “Brand New Reality” is also performed by Robbie Wyckoff and it plays as the gang race through multiple dimensions to get home as they are chased by Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s Norm Bots.
There are two other songs in this movie that I did like but don’t make it on the soundtrack, probably because they are both only heard briefly. The first is “Baljeet Explanation”, performed by Alternate Baljeet, as he explains how Phineas and Ferb can travel back or forward through dimensions. It’s not a song at all, really, but I still like it – it’s funny and so random. Alternate Baljeet is quite right though – it did need a chorus! The other is “I Walk Away”, performed by Olivia Olson. It’s a sad song to match Perry’s sadness as he hands himself over to Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz after basically being told by Phineas to get lost and leave them alone. It would’ve been nice to have a full version of this song.
Most of the songs in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension are included in the soundtrack Phineas and Ferb: Across the 1st and 2nd Dimensions, alongside songs from the series. This soundtrack was released on 4th August 2011, a day before the premiere of the movie. “Mysterious Force” is included on the soundtrack, despite being cut from the movie. The soundtrack peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Soundtrack Albums chart; at No. 3 on the US Billboard Kid Albums; and at No. 57 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
All of the songs here were written by Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, the creators of the series, at least in part. The two were joined by Slash to write “Kick It Up a Notch”, with composer Danny Jacob also credited. Bowling for Soup’s lead vocalist, Jaret Reddick, whose band perform the Phineas and Ferb theme song, is credited as co-writing “Robot Riot” alongside the creators and Martin Olson, comedy writer and composer. Other co-writers of songs within this movie include Aliki Theofilopoulos, who was a storyboard artist and writer on Phineas and Ferb, as well as an animator on Disney movies such as Hercules (1997) and Tarzan (1999), who co-wrote “Everything’s Better with Perry” with Antoine Guilbaub; Jon Colton Barry and Robert Forrest Hughes are credited on “Summer (Where Do We Begin?)”; and James Bernstein on “Brand New Reality”. Many of these songwriters and composers had worked on previous songs for the series.
RECEPTION
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension was promoted in various ways, prior to its premiere date.
One of these was through a promotional tour, which featured Perry the Platy-bus. The tour kicked off in New York City’s Times Square on 11th July 2011, stopping off at cities on its journey to San Diego Comic Con, which took place from 21st to 24th July 2011. At the San Diego Comic Con, the creators and some of the voice cast were on hand to discuss the new movie and even show a sneak preview of it.
The official premiere of Across the 2nd Dimension took place on 4th August 2011 at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, with a small parade and characters of Phineas, Ferb, and Agent P being around to have pictures taken with all the cast and other attendees.
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension finally premiered on Disney Channel on 5th August 2011. It then aired a week later on Disney XD, and then on 20th August on ABC, before the movie was rolled out to other countries between August and November 2011[4]. Apparently, this movie was theatrically released in Spain.
Across the 2nd Dimension received some very positive reviews, including receiving 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from official critics’ reviews. Fans of the show were pleased to find that this feature-length episode was full of all the elements from the series that they loved, such as songs, spoofs, Easter eggs, and inside jokes and running gags. Others found the movie to be highly quotable – as I do – and liked the vibrant animation. It was seen to be a very funny family-friendly film.
There were a few negative comments about the movie, though nothing major, but some that I agree with in part. One of these was that Phineas was incredibly hostile to Perry at times during the movie, which is quite out of character for the usually calm, upbeat Phineas. It was strange to see Phineas so angry with Perry for hiding his identity. Has this kid not seen spy films? It’s imperative that spies keep their identities hidden, so I would’ve expected Phineas to have understood that, and be surprised to find out his beloved pet was a secret agent, but not have been so hard on him. Another was that the ending was seen to be a “cop out”, as handily, all the characters’ memories of the day could be wiped away in a second, meaning that nothing had to change. It was quite an easy way to end the movie, but I do understand that more of the series was going to be aired afterwards, so they couldn’t do much in terms of altering the events of the series.
Others also said they were disappointed to find that the character of Vanessa, Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s daughter, did not make an appearance in Across the 2nd Dimension. I always liked Vanessa, so I can see why this would be disappointing. Vanessa was included in two different scenes that were dropped from the final cut of the film. Vanessa was going to be teasing Dr. Doofenshmirtz for “playing with his doll”, when she walks in on him explaining his new plan to a stand-in Perry the platypus “doll”, before going home to her mother. Alternate Vanessa would have also made an appearance in a separate scene, arguing with Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz about how he has banished yet another of her boyfriends, before saying she is also going back home to her mother[5].
I think these parallel scenes would have been an appreciated addition to the movie, but for whatever reason, they were not included. Fun fact for anyone that isn’t already aware: the voice of Vanessa is provided by Olivia Olson, who played Joanna, the girl in Love Actually that Thomas Brodie-Sangster’s character, Sam, has a crush on and runs through Heathrow Airport for. Vanessa and Ferb also become a couple as seen in Season Four episode “Act Your Age”, set ten years in the future. This could be disturbing, given their age gap during the main series’ events, or cute, depending on who you talk to!
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension was watched by 7.6 million viewers on its premiere date, and later became cable’s No.1 movie of 2011. It currently stands at No. 10 in the Top 10 most-watched DCOM premieres ever.
LEGACY
Phineas and Ferb has continued to be relevant in the entertainment and media industry, with spin-offs or sequels from both the movie and the series having been released.
The series Take Two with Phineas and Ferb was a spin-off short-form series which debuted in December 2010, running until November 2011, where Phineas and Ferb interviewed live-action celebrities, with guests including Miss Piggy, David Beckham, Taylor Swift, and Jack Black. This series only lasted for one season.
As well as a video game based on the movie, a further direct spin-off from Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension was created in the form of the Season Four episode “Tales from the Resistance: Back to the 2nd Dimension”. This episode is set two months after the events of Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension. With Alternate Dr. Doofenshmirtz in prison, Alternate Candace and the Resistance face a new threat in the city of Danville and must work to stop it.
Two crossover episodes of the show were also aired as part of Season 4, with these being called “Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel”, airing on 16th August 2013, and “Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars”, airing on 26th July 2014. These capitalised on the popularity of Phineas and Ferb, as well as Disney’s 2009 acquisition of Marvel, and their 2012 purchase of Star Wars, which led to a new movie in 2015: Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
As mentioned, these were all episodes from Season 4, which aired from December 2012 to June 2015, with this being the show’s final season. The whole series concluded with an hour-long episode entitled “Last Day of Summer” on 12th June 2015.
After the conclusion of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh went on to create the series Milo Murphy’s Law (2016-19) for Disney Channel, which saw “Weird Al” Yankovic and Sabrina Carpenter lead the voice cast. Vincent Martella and Alyson Stoner, voices of Phineas and Isabella respectively, also voiced characters in this series, and some of the Phineas and Ferb characters made appearances in this series too, in a crossover episode.
Moving away from TV, Phineas and Ferb even had a US live tour, entitled Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever. The original tour took place from August 2011 to April 2012, however, due to its popularity, a second tour began in August 2012, running until April 2013. The live shows featured some of the most loved musical numbers from the show with all the characters from the series, live on stage[6].
Phineas and Ferb has also been one of the few Disney Channel properties to have any references at the Disney Parks, outside of a few pieces of merchandise.
At Walt Disney World, in Epcot, there used to be Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure, which was an interactive game where gamers could complete challenges in many of the World Showcase country’s pavilions to help Agent P, and it used actual mobile phone devices originally. This is because the original name of this game was Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, and one of the main features of that show was the “Kimmunicator” flip-phone. The 2000s and early 2010s were not exactly high-tech, but I liked holding the phone and having to secretly place it in a box at the end of the mission so that it could be used by another “agent”. Anyway, Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure later became playable on guests’ own smartphones around 2016, and then was played through the official Play Disney Parks app. The Kim Possible-themed game began in 2009 and ran until 2012, when it was replaced with the Agent P theming. Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure ran until 2020. The game was later rethemed to be DuckTales World Showcase Adventure, beginning in December 2022.
At the Once Upon a Toy store in what was then called Downtown Disney but is now called Disney Springs, Phineas and Ferb, and Agent P met guests here from around 2010. This likely closed when a permanent meet-and-greet experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Phineas and Ferb began in May 2011. The premise was that the boys were spending their time at the park filming a movie, so there were props like blow-up guitars and clapper boards that guests could use in their photos with the characters. It was situated behind the Muppet*Vision 3D exit and near to Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. Agent P was also spotted here in August 2011 to promote Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension. This meet-and-greet closed in January 2016 to make way for construction work to build Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Also, from September to December 2012, there was an augmented reality attraction based on Phineas and Ferb at then-Downtown Disney. It allowed guests to have random short encounters and photographs with some of the Phineas and Ferb characters. It was called Phineas and Ferb and You: A Brand New Reality.
Phineas and Ferb were also spotted at Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort for Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration in 2019. At Disney California Adventure Park at Disneyland, they could be seen during Phineas and Ferb’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Dance Party from 2011 to 2014. This was a short parade and dance party, and was the same parade that was performed at the Across the 2nd Dimension official movie premiere.
There was even a Phineas and Ferb segment during the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade in 2011, which saw Phineas and Ferb, and the Fireside Girls dance to their song “Gitchee Gitchee Goo”, with Agent P along for the ride too.
In 2011, shortly after the release of Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, there was talk about a new Phineas and Ferb movie being developed that would be theatrically released sometime around Summer 2013. One of the writers of Toy Story 3 (2010), Michael Arndt, was supposedly attached to the film and it was said that the movie would mix live-action and animation[7]. This movie was quietly removed from Disney’s production schedule. It wasn’t until a new movie, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, was announced in 2019 that it was confirmed that this theatrical film was cancelled. At least announcing a new movie would have softened the blow for fans!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Phineas and Ferb was developed to teach children how to be creative over their summer break, and to make the most of their time away from school. Not by watching television, or playing video games, but by getting outside, making up your own games, and just generally having a great time with friends.
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension was a success amongst fans of the Phineas and Ferb series, probably because it felt very much like an extended episode of the show, just with a more expansive storyline, taking the gang away from their usual setting of Danville, or just the boys’ backyard, and moving them into a whole other dimension, where they encountered alternate versions of themselves.
Although kids can’t go making themselves portals to go to other dimensions in real-life, the movie showed how getting outside your comfort zone can be a fun experience. With Candace’s journey in the movie, another message was also taught: that you don’t get much time to be a kid, so enjoy it while you can. Don’t be in a hurry to grow up, or you’ll miss out on all the fun.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Stuart Dredge, ‘Phineas and Ferb co-creator: ‘children are much more intelligent than people give them credit for’, The Guardian.com, 4th July 2013.
[2] Credit: Brian Boone, ‘The Untold Truth Of Phineas and Ferb’, Looper.com, 31st January 2023.
[3] Credit: Disney, “Phineas and Ferb: Across The 2nd Dimension 2011 DVD Overview”, Diamond Boy’s Disney DVD Overviews YouTube Channel, 19th February 2024.
[4] Credit: Jon Weisman, ‘First look: ‘Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension’, Variety.com, 6th June 2011.
[5] Credit: Disney, “Phineas and Ferb: Across The 2nd Dimension 2011 DVD Overview”, Diamond Boy’s Disney DVD Overviews YouTube Channel, 19th February 2024.
[6] Credit: Madeline Roth, ‘Disney’s Phineas And Ferb Live: The Best Live Tour Ever!’ To Adventure To Columbus’, TheLantern.com, 23rd October 2012.
[7] Credit: Steven Zeitchik, ‘‘Phineas and Ferb’ gets the ‘Toy Story’ treatment’, LATimes.com, 27th October 2011.
The Disney Purist 