NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The beloved cartoon duo Phineas and Ferb are returning for new episodes this summer after a decade away and pretty much nothing has changed. Except maybe one thing.
鈥淭he more observant of you will notice Phineas鈥� shirt has one extra stripe,鈥� says co-creator Jeff 鈥淪wampy鈥� Marsh. Dan Povenmire, Marsh's creative partner, adds: 鈥淗e hasn鈥檛 actually gotten any taller, but we鈥檙e giving him the illusion of getting taller.鈥�
Other than a fourth stripe on Phineas鈥檚 orange-and-white T-shirt, 鈥淧hineas and Ferb鈥� returns with all the characters that Gen Z viewers so adored, including Perry the Platypus, the mad scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz, the easily excitable older sister Candace and the bully Buford.
鈥淲e were a little worried at first, like are we going to get in the writer' room and just get a lot 鈥楴o, did that.鈥� 鈥楧id that.鈥� 鈥楧id that,鈥欌�� says Povenmire. 鈥淏ut it hasn鈥檛 been like that at all. It鈥檚 been great, fresh, new stories with these characters that we鈥檙e just thrilled with.鈥�
鈥業t鈥檚 like old times鈥�
The series restarts with Phineas and Ferb enjoying summer vacation, Doofenshmirtz back to his evil ways 鈥� he updates his social media status to 鈥淓vil Again鈥� 鈥� and Candace is once more on her everlasting quest to get her brothers in trouble.
鈥淚sn't it great? It's like old times,鈥� says Doofenshmirtz.
The first two episodes of the 40 ordered air June 5 on Disney Channel and Disney XD, while the first full batch of 10 episodes will premiere on Disney+ starting June 6.
The decision to restart the series was a no-brainer. According to Disney internal streaming data, the show has been streamed some 650 million hours on Disney+ globally to date. According to Nielsen, 鈥淧hineas and Ferb鈥� is among the top 10 most-watched animated kids series on streaming platforms despite not offering new episodes in 10 years.
The show 鈥� which had four seasons between 2007 and 2015 鈥� centers on the titular stepbrothers 鈥� the triangular- headed Phineas and the quiet Ferb 鈥� who stave off boredom by turning their backyard into things like ski resorts, surfing beaches or monster truck rallies.
Unbeknownst to the pair, Perry, their mute pet platypus, is a secret government agent code-named P who regularly dons a hat and trench coat to save the world from Doofenshmirtz, voiced by Povenmire.
The show is pitched to both kids and adults, mixing references to Nietzsche and Girl Scouts. Each episode also includes an original 鈥� often very catchy 鈥� song, written by Povenmire and Marsh. (鈥淪quirrels In My Pants鈥� is a proven winner.)
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that the whole family can enjoy together,鈥� says Marsh. 鈥淲e made a commitment never to cut anything just because somebody said it was too smart. We just believed kids are smarter than you think.鈥�
A labor of love
The idiosyncratic show had a hard birth, created in 1993 but not airing until 2007. Povenmire and Marsh, both veterans of shows like 鈥淭he Simpsons鈥� and 鈥淔amily Guy,鈥� hit it off and stuck with their vision.
鈥淲henever anybody would ask us to pitch them something, we would always dust this off and say, 鈥榃ell, here鈥檚 the show we really want.鈥� And most of the time people were just like, 鈥業 think it鈥檚 too complicated,鈥欌�� says Povenmire.
The creators insisted on using no double entendres, took out mean humor and refused to make the moms and dads idiots. Even the so-called villains 鈥� Candace and Doofenshmirtz 鈥� are good, deep down.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e trying to get a laugh, shocking somebody or putting somebody down are the two easiest, cheapest laughs to get,鈥� says Povenmire. 鈥淲e鈥檇 made this decision to make it nicer than the shows that we had seen on the air at the time.鈥�
The show has been a magnet for celebrity cameos and the upcoming season is no different, with Michael Bubl茅, John Stamos, 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� stars Brendan Hunt and Cristo Fern谩ndez, Alan Cumming, Leslie Jones, Anna Faris, Megan Rapinoe, Meghan Trainor and Ruth Negga all making guest spots.
A champion of engineering
Phineas and Ferb's penchant for building things like a submarine sandwich submarine or a vaporizer machine has over the years had an unintended effect 鈥� inspiring a generation of engineers.
When Povenmire visits colleges, engineering students routinely approach to say his TV show was the reason they are studying the field. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e expecting a thank-you letter from all of the engineering schools around the world,鈥� jokes Marsh.
Marsh recalls the first time he realized that he and Povenmire had a hit on their hands. He was with his child at an outdoor skating rink in Santa Monica early in the show's run when a little girl came skating by, singing their song 鈥淪鈥橶inter,鈥� a mashup of summer and winter (One lyric goes: 鈥淵ou can freeze while you get tan鈥�),
鈥淪o I started singing along with her, and she circles back and sings the entire song and then she looks at me and she goes, 鈥榃ow, how do you know that song?鈥� I said, 鈥榃ell, I watched the show,鈥� Marsh says. 鈥淚t was the first time anything I鈥檇 written I heard somebody else sing back to me. It was like, 鈥橝llright!'鈥�
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
