It`s something more than just a cartoon. This thought arises with the first notes of the signature songs opening the fifth season of “Phineas and Ferb,” our good old acquaintance, returning after a 10-year hiatus. It also marks the end of a short, yet just as warm and pleasant story as it was back then.
Everyone had their favorite cartoons growing up: some were separated by time, others had different channels. From Soviet moralizing to the fantastical madness of Jetix, the sharp irony of Fox Kids, and the thrilling adventures of Nickelodeon – even among all this colorful chaos, Disney`s “Phineas and Ferb” always held its unique place.
Its return after such a significant pause felt like fantasy – and fantasy it turned out to be, despite all the skeptics. You can understand them – time flies, kids grow up. It`s hard to look at old childhood cartoons with the same eyes; you have to accept that much remains in the distant past, and some beloved shows have faded away. But here, the young geniuses proved to be just as fresh, their flight of imagination breathtaking, and the narrative structure lost none of its sophistication and multifaceted nature. Now is the perfect time to gather around the screens and witness a masterclass in a successful comeback.
Before getting carried away with praise for the quantity and quality of content in the new season, let`s remember (or learn for some) the basics of the show. The animated series tells the story of two young inventors who are constantly building unimaginable contraptions with their friends. Their older sister, Candace, is perpetually trying to catch them in the act to reveal the full extent of their secret antics to their mother, but the monstrous inventions always disappear just before she can bust them.
The reason for these miraculous disappearances lies in the evil activities of Professor Doofenshmirtz, operating somewhere across town. His plans to cause harm to the residents are consistently foiled by secret agent Perry the Platypus – who also happens to be Phineas and Ferb`s pet, secretly working as a spy. The ensuing battles between the professor and the platypus frequently lead to various mishaps that inadvertently make the brothers` creations vanish (though they don`t seem to mind too much).
Over time, the title grew, adding a cast of secondary characters and delving deeper into their personalities and interactions. Recall the joint storyline of Vanessa and Ferb`s romance, or Stacy and Perry`s arc revealing his secret job. The show began playing with the structure of parallel narratives – the standard template could change, sometimes featuring a common threat for everyone, sometimes no threat at all, and sometimes the Fletchers and Doofenshmirtz simply cross paths in mundane situations.
When you start watching the new season, you remember just how good and well-thought-out this show was for its time. In a sense, it was even ahead of its time, which allows it to still feel fresh – the original approaches and plot tricks seamlessly fit into the existing framework.
If I had a nickel for every time Candace wanted to show me something, I`d have five dollars and 20 cents. That`s 104 nickels!
From the very first episodes, the show, just like in the good old days, hits you with a barrage of visual gags, absurd inventions, and wonderfully silly conventions. The characters have long since broken free from any plot constraints; now their only task is to put on a spectacular show for the viewer and keep them constantly surprised. Here, the Professor and the Platypus might team up, an entire episode might be dedicated to a tertiary character, or they might invent a new physical phenomenon altogether (say hello to the fifth season).
Wouldn`t it be cathartic to beat a bunch of carnivorous plants with a book until they submit?
The characters` philosophical-tinged lines are a riot. It feels as though the continuation was made for those grown-up fans. It`s hard to imagine modern young viewers pausing their “reels” to watch a show that uses words like “ephemeral,” “cathartic,” or “forced perspective.” Even your humble servant with a higher education found himself too dense to fully appreciate the postmodern triumph of the ninth episode. Of course, this might also be due to having largely forgotten the lore.
Yes, don`t be surprised – the creators have a deep love for their creation, so they regularly reference events and characters from previous seasons. These references touch not only the show`s past but also current societal trends.
And of course, there are songs – as always, something for every taste. There are simple, hummable tunes, and extreme stuff for enthusiasts, like the guitar screeches in the sixth episode. When gentle, conflict-free Girl Scouts are baking cupcakes one minute and then beating each other up to the sound of hellish rock wails the next, you realize that conventional, conformist modern anime made of quick cuts cannot even come close to the creative freedom of this cartoon, which changes colors so rapidly yet remains organic.
The nuance is that everything listed is undeniably good on paper, but even better in practice. Believe it or not, throughout the entire fifth season, I was thinking about how to convey the almost inexplicable feelings that arise while watching. After ten years, “Phineas and Ferb” didn`t just come back to play on nostalgic feelings, but to genuinely surprise – even by modern standards. Such remarkable originality is possible only thanks to its narrative structure.
Did something happen on one end of the story with Phineas and Ferb? You can certainly expect a response on Doofenshmirtz`s side. Along the way to the event, town eccentrics, random passersby, characters with affected feelings will join, and based on all this, the writers will build the appropriate tension.
In one episode, the writers even ironize about themselves, as the characters attempt to overcome the effects of plot barriers that constantly shape the course of the story. All of this demonstrates the extraordinary level of thoughtfulness in the production of this animated series, setting it apart from other products on the shelf. If you`ve spent years building a narrative structure that allows you to do anything you want, it would be a sin not to use it. And believe me, in this season, the creators gave their all.
It is with a quote from the season itself that I want to summarize the return of the beloved cartoon. Over the years, I`ve often looked sadly at the ceiling, realizing that shows like “What`s with Andy?” or “Jimmy Two Shoes” probably won`t be made again, and these stories are forever buried under the sands of time. But it turns out that if they are buried, they`re not all buried – at any moment, a familiar star can shine again in the animation sky, and for this, first and foremost, I want to thank the production team of the continuation, who did everything to ensure “Phineas and Ferb” returned in the best possible way.
Moreover, the fifth season is so impressive in its freshness that it makes you wonder if not everything is lost for old cartoons either? Back then, they took originality by storm – remember “Quest World,” where toilet humor created situations so sensitive and dramatic they felt unintended. Now the level of punchlines there might seem weak, but perhaps even such things could be revitalized if their return to the screen is approached with genuine heart? This show is magnificent, if only because it gives hope that other legends of yesteryear might one day return.
Finley Holt