Phineas and Ferb

I think you all might remember some very good cartoons from back in the day. You might remember Loony Tunes, Mickey Mouse, Smurfs, He-Man, and Tom and Jerry. Some might remember Spongebob Squarepants when it was at it's glory, Ed, Edd, and Eddy, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and The Fairly Odd Parents. These were very popular cartoons of their generations and to this day remain as the greatest cartoons of all time, but why? Back in the days it was all about slapstick comedy, and it worked, but later cartoons focused more on just adding complete idiots to the show, Phineas and Ferb don't do that.

Phineas and Ferb was created by Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Dan Povenmire, two people who had worked on the classic Rocko's Modern Life. The show is about two stepbrothers who are trying to make the best out of their summer vacation by building or doing different things every day. The kids build some crazy structures at times and for some very odd reasons, their work disappears before their mom gets home every day; this is why their older sister Candace (blood related to Phineas) tries very hard to bust them. All the while this is happening there is another plot in the stories, a B-Plot of sorts. Perry, Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus, is actually a secret agent for the OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym), a secret organization ran by Major Francis Monogram with the help of his intern Carl that only has secret animal agents.

That pretty sums up the premise of the story, sounds ordinary, kind of dull maybe, but this cartoon has chosen to rise above all others by doing something bold, and something so daring it hasn't been done in many popular cartoons in the past ten years. This cartoon has absolutely no idiots whatsoever. The entire character ensemble is not made up by the smartest characters but definitely not idiots. Phineas and Ferb are like ten years old yet they manage to build giant robots, roller coasters, elevators to the moon, and even gone to outer space but they still got that kid mentality that anything is possible. They are optimistic and very cheerful characters that do what they do just to have fun and make the best out of their summer vacation. This is the main reason I like this show.

Another reason is the other characters as well. You don't know too much about these characters yet you feel a certain loving for them. There's Baljeet, the sweet, smart, victimized, nerd. Isabella, the cute, adorable, optimistic, and very independent Fireside Girl (something like the Girl Scouts); Candace, the crazy, controlling, nervous, love crazy, older sister; Buford, the big, tough, scary, bully with a soft side; Phineas, the brave, optimistic, smart, caring leader; and finally Ferb, the quiet, strong, observant British brother. These were the characters that come out in almost every show, and you get love everything about them. Isabella's "Whatchu doin'?" Baljeet's obsession with good grades, Candace's craziness, Buford's different personalities, Phineas' daring, and Ferb's quiet manner.

The other characters are from Plot B, the secret agent part. We have Perry the Platypus, Major Monogram, Carl, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, and Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. This plot is pretty much that Perry gets assigned missions by Major Monogram to stop Dr. Doofenshmirtz from achieving his latest plans for ruling the Tri-State Area. The role of Carl appears often although for not a very long time, as well as Vanessa, Dr. Doofenshmirtz daughter. Dr. Doofenshmirtz builds a different machine every day, usually based on some past experience, and tries to take over the Tri-State Area, unluckily for him Perry the Platypus stops him every time. All these characters are very likable, they're funny, cute, and have a human quality that makes their feelings seem real.

So pretty much this is a show that, believe it or not, both children and grown ups will enjoy. It is a very smartly written show with characters who don't have over the top stupidity. The characters are likable, each episode features an original song, which are very good, and it's just plain funny. This show may not be for everyone though, some might prefer the stupidity of the old cartoons, but having smart cartoons is a very nice and welcome addition. This is a great show that everyone should give a chance, you should at least try to watch it. It's very entertaining and very funny.

In the end I shall give Phineas and Ferb a 9.5/10 for its originality, music, characters, story, very good voice actors, and just because it doesn't actually rot kid's brains.