Phineas and Ferb

Ah, lazy summer days, when two kids can create cold fusion machines, travel through time, and build massive inventions in an afternoon. This is the world of Phineas and Ferb, a cute cartoon directly aimed at kids.

Red-haired, pointy-nosed Phineas (Vincent Martella) and his tall, mostly silent stepbrother Ferb (Thomas Sangster) spend each summer day coming up with new things to do, from forming a one-hit-wonder band to making the coolest roller coaster ever. Their teenage sister Candace (Ashley Tisdale, of High School Musical fame) is obsessed with busting her brothers (when not swooning over Jeremy (Mitchel Musso), a teenage boy) to Mom (Caroline Rhea). However, no matter what Phineas and Ferb come up with, it's always gone before Mom shows up -- because of a platypus.

The boys have a pet platypus named Perry, who doesn't do much except occasionally chatter his teeth -- while they're watching. When no one's looking, Perry puts on a hat and becomes Agent P, a secret agent always assigned to stop mad scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz (Dan Povenmire), who's usually out to either get rid of what he hates or conquer "the entire tri-state area!" And somehow in the process of stopping Doofenschmirtz, Perry manages to get rid of whatever Phineas and Ferb had done.

Phineas and Ferb is a fun little show. Almost every episode follows the same formula (and even has several lines repeated all the time), and the animation style is very simple. There are lots of laughs along the way, with some bizarrely funny lines ("How big was the monster, grandpa?" "Larger than a refrigerator, but not as large as a really big refrigerator") and the sort of wild creations that certainly appeal to kids. Did I mention that just about every episode includes some sort of musical number?

If you're looking for a little silly fun, tune into Phineas and Ferb. It's goofy, it's enjoyable, and it's definitely easier than putting together robot duplicates of yourself and your brother in an afternoon.

Overall grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch