BACKGROUND
When Phineas and Ferb ended in 2015, after eight years of airing on the Disney Channel across four seasons and one movie, the creators and the fans felt satisfied that this chapter was over, and they could all move on.
Just kidding! This is Disney; if something works, you work it hard, so naturally, the final episode of Phineas and Ferb, “Last Day of Summer”, which premiered on Disney Channel on 12th June 2015, was never really the end, although fans had to wait a few years before anything else happened with these beloved characters.
They would have to wait five years in fact for a second movie to be released. This second movie was called Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, and would not premiere on Disney Channel. Instead, it debuted on Disney+, Disney’s streaming app, which launched in the US on 12th November 2019.
In that time, the world had changed quite a lot, not only from the point that Phineas and Ferb finished, but also from the time that Candace Against the Universe was in development. This movie debuted in August 2020, so we all know what that means: it debuted over the pandemic, as so many other movies did. Luckily, with Disney+ slowly being released to other countries outside of the US, and with Disney Channel not being quite as popular as it used to be, this meant Candace Against the Universe was going to be able to reach its target audience perfectly, and extend its reach to other Disney+ users who perhaps were not familiar with Phineas and Ferb already, or who might not have been huge fans of it.
To be honest, though, I hadn’t heard of this film until last year when I was compiling a list of Disney Channel Original Movies to review. It had completely missed me, but I wasn’t a big fan of Phineas and Ferb, as I talked about in my review of their first movie, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011), so that might not be a surprise. My sister was the Phineas and Ferb fan, and since I didn’t live with her anymore, I didn’t find out about it from her, and didn’t watch it with her either.
I watched Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe for the first time this week. I’m sorry to all Phineas and Ferb die-hard fans, but I didn’t like it all that much. It’s not that the movie was bad; it’s not that it wasn’t funny; it just seemed to be missing something that Across the 2nd Dimension did have. Maybe I was disconnected from the series, since I hadn’t watched it in so long, and didn’t have the privilege of watching it with someone who truly loved the series, as I had with Across the 2nd Dimension.
I don’t know, but the music wasn’t as good as I would’ve expected, and despite being a big fan of Candace, it seemed like making a whole movie about her meant sacrificing a lot of Phineas and Ferb’s screen time, so the usual format was slightly off-balance. But like I said, I didn’t say it was bad, and I still found myself chuckling at certain jokes that are just so Phineas and Ferb.
PLOT
The movie starts with Candace riding her bike home, trying not to think about what crazy things Phineas and Ferb might be doing. Sadly, this resolve doesn’t last long when Candace sees a giant robot clown in her back garden. She calls her mother to quickly come and see it – but at the same time, their pet platypus, Perry, also a secret agent, is battling his nemesis Dr. Doofenshmirtz, and stopping his latest invention, the Power-Vacuum-inator, which turns objects into lint and then vacuums it up. As per usual, Candace’s attempt has failed as the Power-Vacuum-inator is accidentally directed at the giant robot clown. It is turned to lint and vacuumed up, like it never even existed. Candace is distraught; she was so close.
Phineas and Ferb, seeing that their sister is upset, decide they should make her a gift, as it turns out she hasn’t been having as great a summer as they have been. Candace later vents her frustrations to Vanessa, Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s daughter, saying how the universe is against her and won’t let her bust her brothers. Vanessa tells Candace that maybe she isn’t actually upset by her brothers’ inventions and instead feels jealous of their success. At this point, Candace sees a new object in their front garden. Assuming it must be a Phineas and Ferb creation, she angrily hits it, but her and Vanessa are sucked in. Phineas and Ferb see this object take off into space and notice Candace is stuck inside it; they have to rescue her. Perry also gets notified by his boss, Major Monogram, that Candace has been abducted by aliens and he must save her – without blowing his cover that he’s an agent to the boys, or that he’s a pet to Dr. Doofenshmirtz. That could be tricky…
Using a photograph taken of this supposed space shuttle by Ferb, they read its license plate and discover it is from the planet Feebla-Oot in the Vroblok Cluster. They know they have to create a portal to this planet, so with help from Baljeet, Isabella, and Buford, their friends, they successfully do this. All of them proceed through the portal but they don’t end up in Feebla-Oot, but at Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s headquarters – they haven’t even left Danville! Dr. Doofenshmirtz tells the kids that he is also trying to get to that planet, to save his daughter, Vanessa, who the kids also know. He had built his own portal to the same planet, but neither portal can get there because Feebla-Oot is surrounded by ion barrier so they can’t teleport there. They need a space shuttle.
Luckily, Dr. Doofenshmirtz happens to have a space shuttle, except it is called a Galactic-Travel-inator,– but it is basically the same thing. The group board the spaceship – sorry, Galactic-Travel-inator – with random items they might need, like a canoe and a Chicken-Replace-inator. Perry sneaks in too, just before take-off. The take-off sets Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s headquarters on fire, but Candace and Vanessa are more important.
In space, Candace and Vanessa’s shuttle has connected to the mother ship, where they see a map of the area, via the ship’s voice assistant which handily speaks English. The two find that a ladder should lead them down to the escape pods. As they make their descent, the girls are thrown off the ladder by some intense turbulence, falling down into a room full of escape pods, but they’ve been spotted. Candace tells Vanessa to get into a pod and she’ll be right behind her, but the escape pods all launch at once before Candace has the chance to get in. She is captured by the aliens.
The gang on the Galactic-Travel-inator hit an asteroid field on the way to Feebla-Oot and believe they won’t make it out alive. However, Perry goes out in a spacesuit and knocks all the asteroids out of the way, allowing them to get through unharmed. The ship later approaches an ion barrier, but with no shield, again, they think all looks lost. Baljeet is then inspired by an episode of his favourite space travel show, Space Adventure, where they once got through an ion barrier by spinning their ship. Although they get through the ion barrier, the ship spins out of control and crash-lands on Feebla-Oot. At least they got there! Meanwhile, Vanessa’s escape pod has also crash-landed on the planet, being pre-programmed to navigate to its planet. She sees the mothership land by a fortress and Candace being escorted inside by aliens. The gang, on another part of the planet to Vanessa, also notice the alien fortress and head straight for it.
Inside the fortress, Candace is introduced to the alien leader, Super Super Big Doctor. Despite Candace’s name being the same sound that these aliens make when they explode from the waist up – random, right? – Super Super Big Doctor welcomes Candace to her planet, saying she is The Chosen One, as she radiates something called Remarkalonium. Candace is treated like a queen and bonds with Super Super Big Doctor over their annoying brothers and their desire to be special.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz and the kids head towards the fortress, but Doofenshmirtz doesn’t want Isabella in charge as he’s older. They argue who should be the one in charge and Dr. Doofenshmirtz wins even though he doesn’t have a clue where he’s going. But at one point, he does save them from a flying dragon by using, of all things, the Chicken-Replace-inator, which swaps the dragon with the nearest chicken. The nearest chicken was at a farmer’s new theme park, called Dragon Land, which had no dragons. Well, it does now!
Candace and Super Super Big Doctor go on the planet’s daytime talk show. Their appearance is rudely interrupted by Phineas, Ferb, and the gang who have found their way to the fortress, finally. Candace doesn’t want them here as she’s finally found a place where she belongs. Super Super Big Doctor offers to take care of them for her, and she does – by taking them to a nice suite, before dropping them through a trapdoor into the back of a van, headed towards their prison! Inside the van are lots of other aliens, who look really scared.
Perry didn’t fall for this trick and takes control of the van, despite being told by Major Monogram not to harm the creatures of this planet or damage its environment – oops… But the prisoners are free and Phineas, Ferb, and the others are taken to the aliens’ sanctuary, Cowardalia. They learn that Super Super Big Doctor came to Feebla-Oot and enslaved all of them using a special plant that emitted mind-controlling spores. The plant has been dying and has stopped releasing spores, meaning that the aliens are slowly becoming free of her and fleeing. Candace is the one who will help the plant regain its strength.
Back at the fortress, Candace is coming to the realisation that she is being used for something, and comes to a room where this plant is being held. Super Super Big Doctor explains that her evil plant needs Remarkalonian to survive and reveals that this element is called carbon dioxide on Earth. Candace reveals that all humans release carbon dioxide, giving Super Super Big Doctor a new plan. She needs to conquer Earth! Candace is strapped to a treadmill and prepared to load back on the spaceship. She feels betrayed by her new “sister”, who it turns out has also imprisoned her brothers.
Meanwhile, Phineas and the others have managed to convince the aliens of Cowardalia to battle Super Super Big Doctor, despite their cowardly nature. They manage to get into the alien fortress, but see Candace being loaded onto the ship. Super Super Big Doctor and her minions follow suit. Phineas and the gang quickly board too. Dr. Doofenshmirtz decides to stay as he still hasn’t found Vanessa, with her social media profile revealing she never got back to Earth like Candace thought, but is still on this planet.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz searches for Vanessa and almost gets himself killed. Again, Perry is here to save the day, but as both of them are about to fall to their deaths, they are saved by Vanessa who is riding on the back of one of the planet’s dragons. Dr. Doofenshmirtz is pleased to be reunited with Vanessa, however, they have no idea how to get back to Earth. Doofenshmirtz wants to use his Chicken-Replace-inator again, however, the chicken that was teleported to Feebla-Oot earlier is still here so they don’t move far. Doofenshmirtz wants to kill the chicken but Vanessa says they can’t. They think some more.
The gang on the ship try to get the spaceship to stop before it reaches Earth, but they end up falling out of the ship. They use Buford’s canoe and some random debris to build a boat, which also transforms into a glider, getting them home. The spaceship lands in Danville Stadium, destroying a new statue of the Tri-State Area founder, John P. Trystate, upsetting all the on-lookers, but there’s no time for tears as Super Super Big Doctor is about to enslave them all. Phineas, Ferb, and the others try to stop her by using robots of themselves but they are destroyed easily by thermal cannons. Phineas and Ferb get Isabella, Buford, and Baljeet to distract Super Super Big Doctor and her minions, while they get Candace. They find her on the treadmill and manage to free her, but Candace runs away in tears. The brothers follow her, where Candace reveals she feels bad for spending her whole summer trying to bust them. Phineas and Ferb don’t care and finally get a chance to give their gift to her. It’s a mug with World’s Best Sister written on it. But that’s not the best part; it projects holograms of all the fun moments they’ve had all together this summer. Candace is touched but now they have to fight back against Super Super Big Doctor.
Candace sees that they were giving away free t-shirts at Danville Stadium today and grabs the t-shirt cannon. If she can fire it at the aliens, then they’ll become so excited by the freebie, that they’ll explode from the waist up. It works, however, they soon run out of free t-shirts. The plant is now at full strength and begins to emit its spores once again. Phineas and the others put on gas masks to stop themselves being controlled. They are still captured though, leaving only Candace to face Super Super Big Doctor. Candace tells her that perhaps all of desires to control people come from the fact she is jealous of her brothers and has low self-esteem. This gives the leader a breakthrough but before she can mend her ways, the plant eats Super Super Big Doctor…It then goes after the others who run.
They are soon saved by Vanessa, Perry, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz on the flying dragon. They got back to Earth by changing the setting on the Chicken-Replace-inator to be the furthest chicken instead of the nearest. Who knew it had so many settings? The plant then battles with the dragon, but it’s not enough. Candace gets the idea of shooting the plant with the Chicken-Replace-inator, using the furthest setting, and sends it back to Feebla-Oot. On Feebla-Oot, the plant shrivels and dies, spitting out Super Super Big Doctor in the process who is arrested by the cowardly aliens.
Back in Danville, the mind-controlling spores dissipate. Candace then realises her mother is nearby and she could bust her brothers now at last, since all of Danville is in chaos. Candace runs over to her mother, but just as we think she’s about to bust Phineas and Ferb, she instead tells her mother to go out and get pizza, so she doesn’t see any of it. As they celebrate, they hear Perry get a call from Major Monogram, congratulating him on his mission. Perry quickly muffles the call as Phineas, Ferb, and Candace look confused!
In a mid-credits scene, Ferb’s father stumbles upon the portal to Feebla-Oot in the garden. He walks through it and ends up in Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s headquarters which is still on fire. He runs back home and the portal self-destructs.
CHARACTERS & CAST
In Candace Against the Universe, Phineas and Ferb are not the main attraction, and spend most of their time working with their friends to save Candace. This movie feels quite different to a typical Phineas and Ferb episode where they are front-and-centre and the whole plot is about them and what they are doing. Still, they have a big role to play in Candace Against the Universe, not just by saving their sister, but also by building up her self-esteem and showing that the brothers love her.
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. Although Thomas Brodie-Sangster voiced Ferb in the main series and in the first movie, he was replaced on this movie, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. Ferb is instead voiced by David Errigo Jr., who has voiced characters in series such as Ridley Jones (2021-23) and Tiny Toons Looniversity (2023-present) in recent years. Although Ferb sounded a bit different here, I didn’t notice the voice actor had changed; I’d just assumed that the fact it had been five years since the series ended meant some of the actors’ voices were a bit different.
At the start of Candace Against the Universe, Vanessa tries to tell Candace that she might be feeling a bit inferior to her brothers and that just busting them won’t really make her happy in her life because she’s not happy in herself. Candace doesn’t really listen and later relates to Super Super Big Doctor and feels wanted on this planet. Everything is going fine until Candace realises that she is being used to strengthen a mind-controlling plant and that the element she thought was unique to her is actually just carbon dioxide, meaning any human could’ve been The Chosen One, which makes Candace feeling even worse about herself, not to mention the fact she was mean to her brothers when they tried to save her. Thankfully, Phineas and Ferb don’t mind Candace’s outbursts because she’s their sister and they love her, no matter what, and they show her that whenever they can.
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 was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting for her role in Candace Against the Universe.
Candace Against the Universe begins quite normally for Perry the platypus, who stops Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s latest scheme and latest invention, the Power-Vacuum-inator. He then takes the rest of the day off, but is interrupted by the alert that Candace has been abducted by aliens and he must save her. Through his clever spy skills, he manages to follow the group undetected to Feebla-Oot and saves them from numerous difficulties without being spotted by Phineas, Ferb, or Candace, keeping his cover safe – unlike in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension. Perry is always there at just the right time, ready to save anyone that needs it. He really is an unsung hero in this movie.
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.
Although he doesn’t have quite as much screen-time in Candace Against the Universe as normal, my favourite character continues to be Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Dr. Doofenshmirtz has to forget his plans to conquer the Tri-State Area in this movie, knowing that his daughter is more important than anything else. They’ve had a bit of a difficult relationship since Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Vanessa’s mother divorced, but he cares about Vanessa a lot. His funniest moments in Candace Against the Universe are when he is talking about “adulting”, arguing with Isabella about why he should be leading them all to the alien fortress, solely because of his age and not because of skill or intellect, and when he is using the Chicken-Replace-inator. The Chicken-Replace-inator is quite a typical Dr. Doofenshmirtz invention, so when he decides to take it to Feebla-Oot, that seems like a nice little Phineas and Ferb joke to make you laugh a little. But then it becomes part of the plot and a way of transporting themselves, which is even more random and very Phineas and Ferb! Dr. Doofenshmirtz was voiced by the other creator of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire.
Outside of these main characters, there are numerous others that appear in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe. These include Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford. Isabella takes much of the leader of their quest to the alien fortress on Feebla-Oot, citing her various Fireside Girls badges as evidence of her experience, and Baljeet uses his knowledge of Space Adventure and physics to make sure their journey to the planet is successful. Buford doesn’t do much, but he brings a canoe! 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 and Cody, and as Sarah Baker in Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and its 2005 sequel. Buford was voiced by Bobby Gaylor, who was 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).
Then there is Vanessa, Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s daughter. After failing to appear in the final edit of Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, only showing up in two deleted scenes, she makes quite a return in Candace Against the Universe. As well as Candace being abducted by aliens, Vanessa is taken along for the ride. Though she has a slightly easier time of it, not being held captive by the alien leader, she doesn’t avoid all the troubles. She thinks she’s headed back to Earth in an escape pod, only to find she’s just ended up at the same planet she was trying to get away from, and then she finds herself face-to-face with a big, scary dragon. Because Vanessa is calm, cool, and collected, she manages to turn this dragon into a pet of some sorts, and instead of being the “damsel in distress”, she saves both her father and Perry the platypus. She also helps the group finally defeat the mind-controlling plant, with her pet dragon, Vlorkel, as their protector.
Olivia Olson returned to voice Vanessa in this movie. Olson is known for her role as Joanna in the movie, Love Actually (2003), with this character being the love interest of Sam, played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster, the original voice of Ferb. Around the time of the Phineas and Ferb series, Olson also voiced the character of Marceline the Vampire Queen for the series Adventure Time (2010-18). As well as acting, Olson is also known for her singing talents, having released the album Nowhere Land in 2018. Shortly after, she competed in The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019.
The villain of this movie is Super Super Big Doctor, the alien leader of Feebla-Oot. She came to this planet looking to rule over it and its people, using a mind-controlling plant to do so. Super Super Big Doctor is not as kind and caring as she seems early on, when she is manipulating Candace into believing that she is special and should remain on this planet; it was all a ruse so she could continue to be a dictator. Though Candace and Super Super Big Doctor bonded over their shared experiences having two brothers, Candace would never do the things Super Super Big Doctor is capable of, liking forcing the alien group, the Cowards, to work for her and wait on her; anyone not willing to do that is sent to prison. Super Super Big Doctor almost has an epiphany about her evil ways towards the end of the movie, but she’s eaten by her plant too quickly for the message to fully absorb. I’m sure she’d learnt her lesson by the time she was spat out by her plant and captured!
Stand-up comedian, writer, and actor Ali Wong was cast as Super Super Big Doctor. She wrote and starred in the 2019 movie Always Be My Maybe, and was cast as Doris in American Housewife (2016-21) prior to Candace Against the Universe. She has also voiced characters in other animated movies, such as Betty Bird in The Angry Birds Movie (2016); Felony in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018); and Gore in Onward (2020). Most recently, Wong starred as Amy Lau in the hit Netflix series Beef (2023), winning numerous awards for her role, including a Critics’ Choice Award, a Golden Globe award, and an Emmy award.
Then there are Gamoz and Borthos, two of the Coward aliens. Gamoz was voiced by Thomas Middleditch, who had previously starred in the series Silicon Valley (2014-19) as Richard Hendricks, and went on to star as Drew Dunbar in the sitcom B Positive (2020-22). Diedrich Bader voiced alien Borthos. He was known at the time for his role as Greg Otto in American Housewife (2016-21), but had also voiced characters in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure (2017-20); and Harley Quinn (2019-present).
Other voice actors credited in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe include Wayne Brady, best known for being a regular cast member on improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1998-present) as Stapler-Fist, one of Super Super Big Doctors’ minions, and Tiffany Haddish is even credited as “The Sound Someone Makes When They Explode from the Waist Up”. Haddish was apparently a fan of the show and happy to be involved in the movie; she just wanted some Phineas and Ferb t-shirts with Perry on them[1]!
A few other characters make their usual appearances in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, however, they do not feature much. Two are Candace’s best friend Stacy, and her boyfriend, Jeremy. They only appear in the movie at Danville Stadium and Stacy discovers that Jeremy is involved in Live Action Role Play, or LARPing, which she finds very funny. 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). Stacy was voiced by Kelly Hu. Hu had previously been cast in Martial Law (1998-2000), as Detective Grace Chen, and as China White in Arrow (2012-20). She also voiced the role of Adira in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure (2017-2020).
Phineas, Ferb, and Candace’s parents also make brief appearances here. 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). Lawrence is only seen in the mid-credits scene, and Linda is seen at the start and end of the film.
PRODUCTION
Phineas and Ferb quickly became one of Disney Channel’s most popular series, gaining millions of viewers in the years since its first broadcast. It was created by Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and Dan Povenmire.
After working on different animated series, Marsh and Povenmire had started working on an idea for a new series together around 1993. The idea for Phineas and Ferb was developed after noticing that kids didn’t seem to go out and do anything anymore, this becoming the whole premise of the show. Disney agreed to move forward with the series around 2006[2]. The series debuted its first episode on 17th August 2007, with its first season finishing in February 2009. It was then followed immediately after by a second season, which aired from February 2009 to February 2011. A third season began in March 2011, ending in November 2012, with Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension premiering partway through this season in August 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, however, this movie was quietly removed from Disney’s production schedule[3]. But that’s fine, because Phineas and Ferb Season 4 was still airing. It began in December 2012 and ended with a one-hour finale episode titled “Last Day of Summer” on 12th June 2015 to wrap up the entire show.
Four years after Phineas and Ferb had finished airing on Disney Channel, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, was announced in 2019. It was not going to be a theatrically released movie though but I’m sure that was not a concern for fans.
However, one thing that many questioned was when would Candace Against the Universe be set amidst the events of the series. Although Phineas and Ferb had four seasons’ worth of episodes, all of those episodes are set in one summer so this made fans question whether this movie would be taking place in that summer, a different summer, or not even during summer at all – though that last one would be unlikely. It was soon confirmed that Candace Against the Universe is set within the same summer of the whole series, meaning it takes place at some point before the Season 4 finale episode.
It was confirmed that Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe was in production during the D23 Expo in 2019 with a premiere date scheduled for some time in 2020. A brief description of the movie was given, with most of the voice cast announced to be reprising their roles from the series. The new voice actor for Ferb was also confirmed at this time[4].
In 2020, it was reported that the movie would premiere on Disney+ on 28th August 2020. In preparation for the movie’s release, to build excitement and anticipation for fans, Disney XD aired all episodes of the series as well as Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension from 25th August up to the premiere date[5].
The creators, director of the movie Bob Bowen, Ashley Tisdale, Vincent Martella, Dee Bradley Baker, and Maulik Pancholy, then announced a few behind-the-scenes details about the new movie at their virtual panel for San Diego Comic Con on 25th July 2020. One of these was that the cast had to finish recording their dialogue and songs at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in many countries[6]. After five years away, everyone seemed happy to be back in the world of Phineas and Ferb.
Within the movie, as usual for a Phineas and Ferb project, there are plenty of running gags and Easter eggs. The usual gags, like the jingles for Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Perry the platypus, as well as the conversation about where Perry is, remain in Candace Against the Universe. Given this is a science-fiction-themed movie, there are also plenty of space-themed Easter eggs. For example, Space Adventure, the show that Baljeet is a big fan of and gets much of his space travel information from, is a spoof on the popular, long-running franchise Star Trek. There is also a quick reference to Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), when Isabella is talking about bypassing the compressor system in Doofenshmirtz’s “Galactic-Travel-inator”; this is something Rey said in that movie. There is also a parody of Amazon Alexa in the alien mothership, which Candace engages with. As we all know, voice assistants are far from perfect when it comes to communication and understanding!
There were other references to modern day elements that did not exist in the Phineas and Ferb series since the world of technology and pop culture moves very fast these days. There is a song about “adulting” for example, a very annoying phrase that took off in the late-2010s by millennials who apparently need praise for doing basic “grown-up” tasks, like managing your finances, doing laundry, and cooking food… I don’t like this term so it was nice to have it poked fun at in Phineas and Ferb! Social media also makes an appearance, with Vanessa’s posts being a way of Dr. Doofenshmirtz figuring out she’s stuck on Feebla-Oot. Again, this is something that is seen all over social media, like “Help, I’m stuck in a terrifying place and don’t know what to do, but here’s a selfie to show just how terrified I really am!”. Not a good use of time if you really are lost or trapped somewhere. Put your phone away and use your brain – or just call someone. Flossing, as in the dance move, not the dental kind, shows up in this movie too.
Another detail that I found very clever is seen when the gang are travelling at twice the speed of light whilst stowed away on the mothership. Baljeet says he read a theory that says if you exceed the speed of light, your whole existence starts to break down. At this point, we see these animated characters turn into line drawings, then storyboards, and then we see Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh explaining this scene, breaking down the whole animation procedure to the audience. I really liked this small part of the movie.
MUSIC
Original music once again features prominently in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, as it did in the Phineas and Ferb series, as well as in their first movie, Across the 2nd Dimension. The soundtrack for Candace Against the Universe was released on 28th August 2020 to accompany the movie’s premiere. It consists of eleven original songs.
The opening song in Candace Against the Universe is “Such a Beautiful Day”, performed by Candace as she rides her bike home and tries to forget about what her brothers might be doing with their day, though she has limited success with her thoughts. Although this is the first song to feature in the movie, it was actually the last to be written, to replace an original opening scene of Candace busting her brothers as she normally does. It was felt that this would be too harsh an opening scene for non-fans of the show as the audience would need to be on Candace’s side to appreciate the story that was to come. This song was performed by Ashley Tisdale who said it was her favourite song in the film. “Such a Beautiful Day” was written by Dan Povenmire, co-creator of Phineas and Ferb, and screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick, who was a writer on Disney’s The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and Aardman Animations’ two Chicken Run movies, just to name a few credits.
This song was my favourite in the movie – I liked how it was all happy and positive one moment, and then angry the next – and one of few that I actually remembered the next day, because to be completely honest, I was not a fan of this whole soundtrack. “Such a Beautiful Day” was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Original Song.
Another song I liked was “Unsung Hero”, performed by Olivia Olson. It plays as Perry is pushing all the asteroids away from the group in their spaceship so they don’t die. It was quite funny, particularly when the song refers to the fact Perry isn’t really an unsung hero anymore because he has a song about him that’s being sung right now! This song was written by both creators of Phineas and Ferb, Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh.
Following on from that, I didn’t mind the song “Adulting” because it was making fun of a phrase that I really don’t like. It was performed by Povenmire, as Dr. Doofenshmirtz, and Alyson Stoner, as Isabella, as they argue about who should lead the group to the alien fortress: Doofenshmirtz because he’s older, or Isabella because she has the skills and knowledge. This song was written by Povenmire and longtime Phineas and Ferb songwriters Martin Olson and Michael Culross Jr.
Outside of that, I wasn’t really bothered by the other songs in Candace Against the Universe. They were kind of amusing at the time, but I didn’t remember much of them afterwards. So, let’s start with “Meet Our Leader”, performed by the aliens as Candace arrives at the fortress to meet with Super Super Big Doctor. This was going to be a scary moment for Candace, but then she is greeted with a mini-Broadway-style production and this planet suddenly doesn’t seem so bad anymore! It was performed by Phineas and Ferb songwriter Danny Jacob, and frequent singer on Phineas and Ferb Laura Dickinson. It was written by Povenmire, Olson, and comedian Kate Micucci.
Another song performed with the aliens is “Girls Day Out”, when Candace spends the day with Super Super Big Doctor. It was sung by pop singer Sarah Hudson, and written by Povenmire and songwriter and producer Emanuel Kiriakou, who has collaborated with the likes of Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and Jason Derulo. Then there is “This is Our Battle Song”, which is a song performed by the cast as they trick Super Super Big Doctor into getting into the fortress to save Candace. It was written by Povenmire and Phineas and Ferb writers Joshua Pruett and Robert F. Hughes.
There are two songs that reference the universe here too, which is quite apt given the title of the movie. The first is “The Universe is Against Me”, which Candace sings briefly in the movie when Vanessa is talking to Candace, as she feels so annoyed that she can’t bust her brothers successfully. It later appears as the second song in the End Credits. It was performed by Tisdale and written by Povenmire. It’s an angry rock song. In contrast, “Us Against the Universe” is the big finale number, as everyone comes together to celebrate their victory against the aliens. It’s an upbeat number and a fitting ending to the movie. It is performed by the whole cast and was written by Povenmire and Marsh.
Finally, there are two other End Credits song. The first is called “Silhouettes” and was performed by Robbie Wyckoff, a regular singer of Phineas and Ferb songs, written by Povenmire and Jacob. It is a rock ‘n’ roll song that didn’t appeal to me, much like how “Kick It Up a Notch” didn’t either in the End Credits of Across the 2nd Dimension. The third End Credits song is “We’re Back”, which seems to have also been used as the promo song for this movie too. It was quite a fun song, and works very well as a marketing tool. It was performed by Tisdale as Candace, Vincent Martella as Phineas, and Povenmire as Doofenshmirtz and was written by Povenmire and Marsh.
So, that’s it for full songs heard in the movie, however, there are three other songs to mention. The first is the theme song to Baljeet’s favourite show, “Space Adventure”, which is played whenever Baljeet mentions events from the show. It’s a nice little tune, and clearly makes references to other space-set television series. The second is “Chop Away at My Heart”, originally written for Milo Murphy’s Law, and is meant to be a parody of typical boyband songs. It does sound quite like One Direction. In the movie, it is heard when the spaceship’s voice assistant mishears Candace saying “chop” not “stop” and plays the song for her. Both of these songs were performed by Danny Jacob.
Finally, there was one deleted song entitled “Step into the Great Unknown”. It was meant to take place in the movie at the time that Baljeet explains to the others just what scenario might be waiting for them on the other side of their portal to Feebla-Oot. This song was meant to be Phineas’ way of encouraging the others to help him and Ferb save Candace. It was performed by Phineas, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford’s voice actors, written by Povenmire and Olson. I don’t think I needed this song in the movie so I’m glad it was cut.
This song still features on the movie soundtrack though. The soundtrack reached No. 22 on the US Billboard Kids Albums, and No. 18 on US Billboard Soundtrack Albums, which is quite a bit lower than the No. 3 and No. 4 reached on these charts by the soundtrack for Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension.
RECEPTION
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe was released on Disney+ on 28th August 2020. Being able to release this movie on the streaming platform meant it could reach viewers in multiple countries on the same day for a change. Candace Against the Universe was also the first animated Disney+ Original film.
I’ve used the term Disney+ Original film here, and not Disney Channel Original Movie. This is the factually correct term for Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, however, since its predecessor, Across the 2nd Dimension was a Disney Channel Original Movie and because Candace Against the Universe was still produced by Disney Channel, and based on a Disney Channel series, it would’ve been unfair to miss it from my list of DCOM reviews. It is part of the same category as other movies such as Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020) which debuted on Disney+ on 25th September 2020, but later debuted separately on Disney Channel. Candace Against the Universe premiered on Disney Channel much later than its Disney+ premiere, on 8th April 2023.
Like Across the 2nd Dimension, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe received 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from official critics’ reviews. Audience reviews were a bit more mixed, however, fans of the series were likely to enjoy it.
Many fans would have been disappointed about the series ending, but having even a standalone movie to recapture the nostalgic feeling of seeing Phineas and Ferb again would have been a welcomed treat for them. The positive reviews also said they liked that it was more adventurous with its sci-fi elements and that it had more an emotional, heartfelt message to it, like Candace realising she’s not been a good sister and her reunion with Phineas and Ferb when they finally save her from the aliens. Yet the same specific humour from the series remained, even with new characters and new storylines.
However, others said that Candace Against the Universe was not as good as Across the 2nd Dimension, which I do agree with; I definitely laughed less at Candace Against the Universe. Some didn’t like that Phineas and Ferb, as well as Perry the platypus, weren’t in this story as much. If you didn’t like Candace, her being the centre of the movie would’ve made watching the movie less enjoyable. Some also picked up on the fact that the storyline here felt similar to Season 1 episode “Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)” where Candace goes through a portal and ends up on Mars, becoming beloved by the Martians and dubbed their queen. There was a mixed reaction to the music in Candace Against the Universe, with some loving the music and others not. I didn’t find much of the music particularly memorable so it failed in that respect for me.
This movie may also have been a victim of pandemic boredom, where people were watching anything and everything that was new on streaming, whether they normally would’ve watched it or not, and had time to pick apart all the reasons they didn’t like it. There’s not a problem with doing this – everyone is entitled to their opinions – but I do think some movies unnecessarily suffered in their reviews because of these types of behaviours.
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe did, however, still win a Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Animated Program on this movie. It was also nominated at the Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite Animated Movie, but lost out to Pixar’s Soul (2020).
LEGACY
Despite having some breaks from being on our screens, Phineas and Ferb refuses to go away completely, having spin-off series and even Disney Parks appearances.
As well as the first movie, Across the 2nd Dimension, there was also a series called Take Two with Phineas and Ferb, this being a spin-off short-form series which debuted in December 2010, running until November 2011, where Phineas and Ferb interviewed live-action celebrities. This series only lasted for one season. There were also two crossover episodes of the show which 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.
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[7].
At Walt Disney World, there were a few Phineas and Ferb experiences. 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. Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure ran from 2012 until 2020. The game was later rethemed to be DuckTales World Showcase Adventure, beginning in December 2022.
For meet-and-greets, there was one at the Once Upon a Toy store in 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.. This meet-and-greet closed in January 2016 to make way for construction work to build Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Phineas and Ferb were also spotted at Disney California Adventure Park at Disneyland; they could be seen during Phineas and Ferb’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Dance Party from 2011 to 2014.
In more recent years, Phineas and Ferb have been seen again, this time at Disney Hollywood Studios’ festive event Jollywood Nights both in its debut year in 2023, and in 2024. Also at Disney World, at Typhoon Lagoon, the two returned to the H20 Glow Nights event in Summer 2024, having been spotted at this after-hours event the year before.
There was also a Phineas and Ferb Dance Party at Disney Channel Nite at Disneyland Resort in March 2024. At Disneyland, but this time at Disney California Adventure Park, Dr. Doofenshmirtz made his debut at the Oogie Boogie Bash, Disneyland’s Halloween event. Dr. Doofenshmirtz was situated on a treat trail in a recreation of his headquarters. He appeared as a face character with lots of prosthetics, which made him look a bit disturbing to be honest…Finally, Phineas and Ferb seemed to have been at a special Passholder Night event at Disneyland Paris in 2024.
The most exciting news for Phineas and Ferb fans came in 2023, when new episodes of Phineas and Ferb were announced, 40 in total, to be split across two seasons. It will take place in a new “104 days of summer vacation”, presumably just the year after the events of Season 4. Further details have since been released throughout 2024. At New York Comic Con in October 2024, the voice cast for this new season was announced. It would consist of the same names as the series, and David Errigo Jr. was confirmed to be the permanent new voice of Ferb. It was also confirmed that it would premiere in 2025 on both Disney+ and Disney Channel, although a specific premiere date is still yet to be disclosed[8].
As Phineas and Ferb will be making a comeback very soon, it is likely these two characters, as well as possibly others from the series, will continue to make appearances at the Disney Parks. Those involved with the show would even like a theme park attraction based on the show to be created[9]. Only time will tell if that comes true.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Because of the popularity of Phineas and Ferb as a series, in 2011 a first feature-length movie was made, to include all the best moments and elements of the show and to give their viewers a whole new story, and even a new dimension to experience.
Thanks to the success of Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, the series continued to air for another four years, before ending in 2015. But that was not the end of the story, as Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe came to Disney+ in 2020, giving fans yet another feature-length movie to watch, to see their favourite characters once more, five years after the series had ended. And still, that was not all because in 2024, it was announced that Phineas and Ferb would be returning to our screens in 2025.
For whatever reason, Phineas and Ferb has been a favourite Disney series for many for years, with the love for the show continuing from childhood into adulthood. Judging by the reaction to the revival of the show, it’s quite clear that the mania surrounding this show is not going away any time soon.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Anna Menta, ‘Yes, Tiffany Haddish Voices “The Sounds Someone Makes When They Explode” In the ‘Phineas and Ferb Movie’, Decider.com, 30th August 2020.
[2] 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.
[3] Credit: Steven Zeitchik, ‘‘Phineas and Ferb’ gets the ‘Toy Story’ treatment’, LATimes.com, 27th October 2011.
[4] Credit: Jessica Figueroa, ‘”Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against The Universe” Currently In Production for Disney+’, WDWNT.com, 25th August 2019.
[5] Credit: Michael Schneider, ‘‘Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe’ Lands Premiere Date on Disney Plus’, Variety.com, 2nd July 2020.
[6] Credit: Alex Reif, ‘Comic-Con@Home: What We Learned from Disney’s “Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe” Panel’, LaughingPlace.com, 25th July 2020.
[7] Credit: Madeline Roth, ‘Disney’s Phineas And Ferb Live: The Best Live Tour Ever!’ To Adventure To Columbus’, TheLantern.com, 23rd October 2012.
[8] Credit: Author Unknown, ‘Disney’s ‘Phineas and Ferb’ Cast Announced at New York Comic Con’, TheWaltDisneyCompany.com, 17th October 2024.
[9] Credit: Eva Miller, ‘D23 Reveals Ambitious Plans for ‘Phineas and Ferb’ Theme Park Attraction’, InsidetheMagic.net, 10th August 2024.
The Disney Purist 