Phineas and Ferb- Candace Against the Universe Movie Review: A hilarious adaptation that retains the soul of the original   

Phineas and Ferb- Candace Against the Universe Movie Review: A hilarious adaptation that retains the soul of the original   

Five years after its finale got screened, the famous kids of Danville are now back with another fun adventure
Rating:(3.5 / 5)

Disney’s Phineas and Ferb, the animated series, was the perfect comic recipe for children, with hilarious gags, good representation of broken families and races, and plenty of innocence. Five years after its finale got screened, the famous kids of Danville are now back with another fun adventure. While film adaptations of TV series often end up being underwhelming—on account of the difficulty innate in stretching a 20-minute episode into an hour-and-a-half story—director Bob Bowen and creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh manage to deliver a joyful story tailor-made for the feature format, even while retaining all the key elements of the source material. 

Director: Bob Bowen
Cast: Ashley Tisdale, Vincent Martella, Ali Wong and Dan Povenmire
Streaming Platform: Hotstar

While the TV series focussed mainly on the adventures of the step-brothers Phineas and Ferb, and the show-stealing pet/secret agent, a platypus named Perry, the new film prefers to be centred on their sister, Candace. After yet another failed attempt at busting her brothers in front of her mother, Candace gets kidnapped by aliens, who deem her to be the chosen one to save their planet. She begins enjoying this attention and becomes the soul-sister of the alien empress, Super Super Big Doctor. Meanwhile, Phineas and gang set out on a mission to save her, along with evil Dr Doofenshmirtz and Perry, who sneak into their spaceship. 

You are probably thinking it sounds like a generic rescue film, but Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe offers much more gratification than you would expect. While delivering the joys of the genre, the film also engages in mature exploration of issues like the insecurities of young adolescents.

The main draw, of course, is the humour of Phineas and Ferb. There’s breaking of the fourth wall, cutaway gags, slapstick... It’s credit to the makers that this show that began airing in 2007, still feels fresh today. 

I was also pleasantly surprised by the effective usage of songs in the film. For this film that runs around 90 minutes, the soundtrack lasts almost one-third of its runtime. The hilarious lyrics and the catchy tunes keep any restlessness at bay.

The new Phineas and Ferb film, much like a couple of other animation films that had an OTT release like The Willoughbys and Animal Crackers, stresses on the importance of holding on to one’s family, even if there were a big battle outside. In today’s times, this message can’t be emphasised enough.

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