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Now that the 104 (or so) days of summer vacation have begun, your kids might be looking for something to do today. Fortunately, Phineas and Ferb (voiced by Vincent Martella and Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and their pet platypus, Perry (Dee Bradley Baker), are back with their latest DVD collection, Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files—just in time to help kids decide whether they want to spend their day building a supercomputer or soaring over the city on a magic carpet.
The Perry Files contains a whopping seven two-part episodes of the popular show, for over two and a half hours of clever cartoon entertainment. In these 14 short adventures, the precocious youngsters come up with all kinds of remarkable things to build during the long summer days—everything from a truck stop (which they build on the roof of the family’s rented RV) to a funhouse. This time around, just about every member of the family gets in on the fun, as their dad (Richard O’Brien) soars with them over the Tri-State Area on their living room turned magic carpet and big sister Candace (Ashley Tisdale) gets to enjoy a day at her brothers’ spa.
Of course, The Perry Files wouldn’t be complete without plenty of Perry—A.K.A. Agent P, the furry crime-fighter who races away during almost every episode to battle the [somewhat] evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire). Not only does he foil the use of inventions like the Moustacheinator and the Chickensoupinator, but he also manages to become the spokesanimal for a line of tools.
Though just about every episode fits into a pretty standard formula (complete with a few repeated lines), there’s nothing monotonous about this show. You never know what kind of projects the boys will come up with—or how their creations will turn out. You never know what Dr. Doofenshmirtz will come up with next—or how Perry will stop him. There are a few bigger surprises thrown in, too—including a few episodes that focus more on frustrated big sister Candace or the other members of the family. In fact, the quirky episodes are often the most fun—like “Bullseye!” which finds the kids’ dad accidentally competing in a pageant of evil against Dr. Doofenshmirtz, or “The Remains of the Platypus,” which is filled with brilliant references that will astound grown-ups.
Cleverly written with a quirky sense of humor, the episodes in this collection are filled with all kinds of funny little gems—from crazy characters to hilarious musical numbers (including a couple of wacky raps). So if your kids are looking for something to do on a rainy summer afternoon, they can do much worse than the smart but kid-friendly comedy of this ingenious little cartoon.
DVD Review:
The DVD/digital release of Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files includes a few extras—but not as many as some of the show’s other releases (and they’re not as entertaining, either).
Inside the case, you’ll find an activity package, which comes with stickers, games, a puzzle, and more. On the disc, you’ll find just a pair of special features: an O.W.C.A. recruitment video and a brief look inside the converted Airstream motor home called the Platy-Bus. Unlike some of the extras on earlier releases, though, neither one is a must-see.
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