Phineas and Ferb

Phineas and Ferb is a Disney Channel and Disney XD animated television series that centers on two stepbrothers, one sister, and their adventures during summer vacation. The series premiered worldwide on February 1, 2008. It is also the first DCOS to premiere simultaneously worldwide. The show's official US premiere was marketed as Phineas and Ferb-uary, due to new episodes being shown on many of the days during the month of February. Many of the show's voice actors also appear on other Disney Channel shows, such as Hannah Montana, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Vincent Martella, the voice of Phineas, co-stars on the show Everybody Hates Chris as Greg on the CW Network. According to the theme song, since there's 104 days of summer vacation, it was considered that the series will consist of 104 11-min episodes or 52 22-min episodes. On August 25, 2011, the show was picked up for a fourth season on Disney Channel, a possible spin-off on Isabella and the Fireside Girls and a feature film for the series. The series also currently has a live show that will be shown in 80 different cities across the United States.

Origins
Creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh met as layout artists on The Simpsons in the mid-1990's, where they sat across from each other as layout artists on that series. They bonded over a shared sense of humor and were eventually paired as a writing team on Rocko's Modern Life for Nickelodeon where they learned more and more aspects of the animation production business.

It was during this time that the pair started to develop a show that would allow them to continue working together as writers. At the Wild Thyme restaurant in South Pasadena, California, where they have butcher paper over the tables and crayons for you to draw with, Povenmire was sharing a meal with his wife when he drew the first sketch of a triangle-headed kid. Povenmire called Marsh that evening and told him the news: he had Phineas.

Style
All the other characters grew from that simple triangle-headed kid. Phineas is a triangle, Ferb is a rectangle, and Candace and Isabella are half-circles. The goal was to create simple characters that kids could easily draw on their own. They also created characters that were easily recognizable in silhouette, which is an old animation standard that Matt Groening taught Povenmire while he was working on The Simpsons.

After the characters were set, they decided to work geometric shapes into the background to tie the whole thing together. Marsh describes this homage to legendary Looney Tunes animator/director Tex Avery, "There's a little bit of Tex Avery in there — he had that very graphic style [in his later cartoons]. A lot of what I see [in the series] now is borrowed from Tex." The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show provided additional inspiration in its format, where several different stories would be resolved together at the end of the episode.

The color palette was originally a matter of discussion. Povenmire and Marsh wanted bright candy-colored characters with natural colors for the backgrounds. Marsh emphasized the need "for all of the stuff that they do to work, their world needs to be grounded in reality." Disney wanted a more stylized palette. Povenmire recalled, "I actually had discussions with Disney about this because they wanted to come up with a cool color scheme. I just wanted it to feel like summer." The creators won out in the end.

The Family Guy Connection
Povenmire and Marsh were no longer working together. Marsh had moved to London to work on an assortment of films and series including Postman Pat and Bounty Hamster. Povenmire had started animating and directing Family Guy episodes, but continued to shop the show around to Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Fox Kids.

Studios were worried about the complexity of the plots for the time allowed. At Fox, there were a few meetings, but negotiations fizzled out. Nickelodeon kept sending it up higher and higher in the production personnel ranks, but it was eventually deemed too complicated to pull off. Their stubbornness and persistence paid off when Povenmire finally got a meeting with Disney. According to Povenmire, "Disney was the first to say, 'Let's see if you can do it in 11 minutes.' We did it in the pilot and they said, 'Let's see if you can do it for 26 episodes.'"

Disney Channel's Senior VP of Original Series Adam Bonnet was a fan of Family Guy and wasn't scared off by Povenmire's work on the series. In fact, it was because of his connections to the prime time Fox animated sitcom known for its gross-out gags and raunchy humor that Bonnet wanted to see whatever Povenmire was working on. Povenmire recalls about Bonnet, "He called me for a meeting when I was working on a different pilot for them just to tell me how much he liked Family Guy. When I came back to pitch my own show, I think he was more open to it."

Povenmire brought "some of that prime time animation timing without any of the raunch" to Phineas and Ferb. In fact, many of the blank stares and sight gags have a prime time and Tex Avery charm to them. "People think Family Guy is a success because of how raunchy the gags are. I don't think it would have been a success at all if the timing wasn't absolutely crystal pitch perfect -- if there wasn't just the right amount of pause before or after the line. Comedy is all about timing and I think that's what people are responding to."

Original Story Pitch
Unlike non-animated series, they didn't show them a script, they pitched a storyboard. A storyboard is a scene-by-scene visual breakdown of how the episode would look. When it came time to present it to the executives overseas, Povenmire edited the storyboards together into a film, adding music, sound effects and providing the voices for all the characters. This animatic can be found on the The Fast and the Phineas (DVD). The original story pitch eventually became the episode "Rollercoaster".

Writing Style
The show uses four major writers to devise story ideas according to "strict guidelines", such as that the boys' schemes never appear to be "magical". Stories are reviewed at weekly sessions on a Monday, then simultaneously scripted and storyboarded. A very rough design is built before the storyboard, featuring little more than suggested scenes and dialogue, is drafted; the writers then gather for a "play-by-play" walkthrough of the storyboard in front of the whole crew, whose reactions to the jokes are assessed before rewrites are made. The writers as well include running gags in every episode, which are generally lines spoken by characters. Almost every episode is set into two eleven-minute segments.

Animation
Rough Draft Studios in South Korea, Wang Film Productions in Taiwan, and Synergy Animation and Hong Ying Animation in Shanghai animate the series in 2D Animation using the software packages Toon Boom. Povenmire undertakes the bulk of production direction, along with Zac Moncrief and Robert Hughes. The series adopts artistic features from animator Tex Avery, such as geometric shapes integrated into characters, objects, and backgrounds. Dan Povenmire said of this inclusion, "There's a little bit of Tex Avery in there-he had that very graphic style [in his later cartoons]." Triangles are featured as an easter egg in the background of every episode, sometimes in trees or buildings.

Bright colors are also a prominent element of the animation. Marsh elaborates, "The idea at the end of the day was candy. One of the things that I think works so well is that the characters are so bright and candy-colored and our backgrounds are a much more realistic depiction of the world: the soft green of the grass, the natural woods for the fence. In order for all of the stuff that they do to work, their world needs to be grounded in reality." The designers sought to keep their characters visually simple, so that kids "would easily be able to draw [them] themselves." Characters were also crafted to be recognizable from a distance, a technique the creators say is based on Matt Groening's goal of making characters recognizable by silhouette.

Cast
Phineas and Ferb are voiced by Vincent Martella and Thomas Sangster, respectively. Sangster was one of many British actors cast; Marsh lived in the United Kingdom for seven years, and developed a fondness for the British. The rest of the cast includes Ashley Tisdale as their sister, Candace; Dee Bradley Baker as Perry the Platypus and just plain Perry, as Phineas calls him; Caroline Rhea as Linda Flynn-Fletcher, who is Phineas and Candace's mother, and stepmother to Ferb; Jack McBrayer as Irving who admires Phineas and Ferb, and creator of the Phineas and Ferb Fansite; Kelly Hu as Candace's best friend, Stacy; creators Dan Povenmire as Heinz Doofenshmirtz and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh as Major Monogram, respectively; Tyler Mann as Carl, Major Monogram's goofy super genius intern; Alyson Stoner as Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, a sweet girl who leads the Fireside Girls and has a crush on Phineas (it is revealed that Isabella's family is "Mexican Jewish" and lives across the street from the Flynn-Fletchers); and Mitchel Musso as Jeremy Johnson, Candace's crush then later her boyfriend. {C {C The show's casting organization is responsible for selecting most of the voice actors and actresses, choosing actors such as Vincent Martella and Mitchel Musso for major roles based on perceived popularity with target demographics. Povenmire and Marsh select guest stars, casting people that they "really want to work with". They also solicit guest roles from actors they feel would lend an interesting presence to the show.

Guest stars have included pop culture figures like Damian Lewis, boxer Evander Holyfield, and film stars Cloris Leachman and Ben Stiller. Povenmire and Marsh have also solicited several stars of The Rocky Horror Picture Show to make guest appearances Tim Curry and Barry Bostwick, while creator Richard O'Brien voices Lawrence, Ferb's father and Candace and Phineas's step father. In addition, guest stars have also included the likes of Tina Fey, Seth MacFarlane, Clay Aiken, Chaka Khan, and Kevin Smith. O'Brien's participation eventually became regular, as he was cast to play Lawrence Fletcher, the children's father, who appears in about half of the episodes.

Plots
The plots grew from Povenmire's childhood in Mobile, Alabama. His mother was always encouraging them to do creative things rather than watch television. One of his activities was making home movies. Povenmire says, "My mom let me drape black material all the way across one end of our living room to use as a space field. I would hang little models of spaceships for these little movies I made with a Super 8 camera."

Phineas and Ferb Scenario
Phineas Flynn (Vincent Martella) and Ferb Fletcher (Thomas Sangster) are stepbrothers who live with their older sister Candace Flynn (Ashley Tisdale) and their parents Linda Flynn (Caroline Rhea) and Lawrence Fletcher (Richard O'Brien) in the town of Danville. The brothers find themselves dissatisfied just spending their summer vacation outside of school, so they pull off unbelievable and often outlandish stunts (i.e. finding a mummy, getting a band back together, racing cars, constructing a giant roller coaster, just to name some), in order to make summer more exciting. Their sister, Candace, is aware of their unusual activities and tries to play spoil-sport by telling their mom, so that the adventures of Phineas and Ferb could be put to an end. Candace's actions emerge mostly out of jealousy because she would not be able to get away with the same acts, since she gets "busted" for things she wasn't even intending to do, like throwing a party. (Candace Gets Busted)

Agent P Sub-Plot
Phineas and Ferb's pet, Perry the Platypus (Dee Bradley Baker), is actually a secret agent named "Agent P." Normally, Perry's first appearance in a story is after someone (usually Phineas) notices his absence, and asks "Hey, where's Perry?" After the question is asked, the scene usually changes right to Perry entering secret chutes or entrances that bring him to some underground headquarters where he recieves instructions, via a monitor, from his boss Major Monogram (Jeff "Swampy" Marsh) (However, in some cases, Perry is simply shown in the base recieving a briefing [e.g."Undercover Carl"). Major Monogram thеn assigns Perry some mission that generally involves Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire), and his nefarious plans to wreak havoc on the Tri-State Area (though this is not always the case).

A majority of the Perry subplot involves him battling Dr. Doofenshmirtz in knowingly hackneyed fashion (such as Doofenshmirtz's long monologues about his plans to Perry), this sub-plot also includes, sometimes, the sarcasms of Vanessa Doofenshmirtz (Olivia Olson), Doofenshmirtz's daughter, and Norm (John Viener), Doofenshmirtz's robot. Inevitably, these battles are brought very near where Phineas and Ferb are doing whatever plan they had for the day, and generally aid in the removal of all evidence related to what they were doing before Candace can show her mother what Phineas and Ferb have been up to. Sometimes this works backwards, and Phineas and Ferb's invention destroys Doofenshmirtz's invention. ("Hail Doofania","Thaddeus and Thor", "Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the Second Dimension")

Candace Sub-Plot
Occasionally, there are subplots relating to Candace during the stories. They generally involve either Candace chatting or hanging out with her friend Stacy (Kelly Hu), or attempting to get the attention of her crush, Jeremy (Mitchel Musso). These subplots commonly weave in with Candace's many attempts to bust Phineas and Ferb.

Reception
The show has received generally very positive reviews. The New York Times commented favorably, describing the show as "Family Guy with an espionage subplot and a big dose of magical realism". It considered the pop-culture references ubiquitous "but [placed] with such skill that it seems smart, not cheap." Whitney Matheson wrote in her USA Today blog "Pop Candy" that the series was an achievement in children's programming. Matheson applauded the writing and called it "an animated version of Parker Lewis Can't Lose." Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media praised the show's humor and plot, giving it three out of five stars. The Seattle Times wrote that the story of the show was "valiant" and that the main characters of Phineas and Ferb were "young heroes".

Variety noted the show's appeal to all ages with its "sense of wit and irreverence." Similar reviews have emphasized the series' popularity with adults; Elastic Pops Rebecca Wright wrote, in a review for the volume one DVD, "As an adult, I really enjoyed watching this Phineas and Ferb DVD, and I think it is one that the whole family can enjoy." Wright also called the series' "irreverent style" reminiscent of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Wired's Matt Blum has stated in reviews on the series that he "can stand to watch just about anything with (his) kids, but he actually looks forward to watching Phineas and Ferb with them." Notable adult celebrities who have openly considered themselves fans of the series include Bob Eubanks, Anthony LaPaglia, Ben Stiller, Chaka Khan, Jeff Sullivan and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Among the negative reviews is one that charges the series with a lack of originality. Maxie Zeus of Toon Zone argued that the show is "derivative, but obviously so, and shorn of even the best features of what has been stolen." Zeus took issue with the writing, feeling that certain jokes and conventions were "ripped-off" from other shows. Kevin McDonough of Sun Coast Today criticized the show for its plot complexity, constant action, and "characters [that] can do just about anything." McDonough stated that "it's never clear whether P&F are intended to entertain children or are merely a reflection of grown-up animators engaged in a juvenile lark." Marylin Moss of The Hollywood Reporter described Phineas and Ferb as "Pretty mindless but kids of all ages might find a humorous moment in it." Moss called the plot lines redundant but did praise the music styles and guest stars.

Ratings
The first episode, "Rollercoaster", garnered a total of 10.8 million viewers when aired as a preview on August 17, 2007, holding onto more than half the record-setting audience of its lead-in, High School Musical 2. When Phineas and Ferb officially debuted in February the next year, it proved cable's number one watched animated series premiere by "tweens". Throughout the first quarter that followed, it peaked as the top-rated animated series for ages 6–10 and 9–14, also becoming number three animated series for all of cable television for viewers age 6–10. By the time the commissioning of the second season was announced in May 2008, the series had become a top-rated program in the 6–11 and 9–14 age groups.

Disney Channel's airing of "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted" was watched by 3.7 million viewers. The episodes "Perry Lays an Egg" and "Gaming the System" on Disney Channel achieved the most views by ages 6–11 and 9–14 of any channel in that night's time slot. This achievement propelled the series to the number one animated telecast that week for the target demographics. On June 7, 2009, Disney announced that the show had become the number one primetime animated television show for the demographics 6-10 and 9-14.

The premiere of "Phineas and Ferb's Christmas Vacation" garnered 2.62 million viewers during its debut on Disney XD, the most watched telecast in the channel's history (including Toon Disney) and the number three program of the night in all demographics. It received 5.2 million viewers for its debut on Disney Channel. It was the highest rated episode of the series to date and 5th highest for the week.

The premiere of "Phineas and Ferb Summer Belongs to You!" garnered 3.862 million viewers, was watched by 22% of kids 2–11, 13% of teens, 5% of households, and 3% of adults 18–49, also being the #1 program on that night and it was 25th for the week in viewership. On Disney XD, the episode ranked in the channel's top 3 telecasts of the year in viewers with 1.32 million, and Boys 6–11 with 365,000, with a 2.9 rating. The hour-long telecast on August 2, 2010 is currently the Emmy-winning animated series' No. 2 telecast of all time on Disney XD in Total Viewers, in kids 6–14 with 677,000 and a 1.9 rating, Boys 6–14 with 435,000 and a 2.3 rating, and kids 6–11 with 542,000 and a 2.2 rating, Boys 6–11 and Boys 9–14 235,000 with a 1.9 rating, behind only December 2009's "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!"

On September 9, 2011, the episode "My Fair Goalie" had 4.65 million viewers watch it, the most so far for an regular episode. Ten other episodes have also hit the 4-million mark, 5 times in 2011 alone.

Marketing and merchandise
Disney has licensed a number of products from the show, including plush toys of characters Perry, Ferb, Phineas, and Candace. Disney released several T-shirts for the show and launched a "Make your own T-shirt" program on its Disney website. Authors have novelized several episodes. Two season one DVDs, entitled The Fast and the Phineas and The Daze of Summer, have been released; the discs include episodes never broadcast in America. A third DVD was released on October 5, 2010, called "A Very Perry Christmas". A fourth one, called "The Perry Files", will be released June 5, 2012. Some reviewers were displeased that the discs covered selected episodes rather than providing box sets of whole series, but noted that Disney does not generally release full-season DVD sets.

On Feburary 3,2009, Disney licensed a Nintendo DS game, titled like the show, Phineas and Ferb. The game's story follows the title characters as they try to build a roller coaster to stop boredom over the summer (in reference to the show's pilot episode). The player controls Phineas, Ferb, and occasionally Agent P (Perry the Platypus). Phineas scavenges for spare parts for the rollercoaster while Ferb fixes various objects around town, gaining access to new areas as a result. Ferb can also construct new parts of the rollercoaster and its vehicle-themed carts. Each activity features a short mini-game. The game was well received and garners a 76.67% on GameRankings. A sequel entitled Phineas and Ferb Ride Again, was released on September 14, 2010. Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh also announced that there is a Phineas and Ferb Wii game in development. It was later confirmed that this game would be a video game adaptation of the TV movie, also available for Nintendo DS and PlayStation 3, which was released August 2, 2011.

Homages
The United Kingdom Disney Channel has aired a series entitled Oscar and Michael's Phineas and Ferb Fan Club Show in homage to the animated series. The show features two boys who attempt to be like Phineas and Ferb by taking part in adventures to alleviate boredom. The series aims at educating kids and promoting activity and creativity. It entered its second season on April 10, 2009.

Phineas and Ferb also has been briefly referenced in a few literary works in recent years. Love through the Eyes of an Idiot: A True Story of Finding the Secret of Love and Romance uses an analysis that states that a woman the author met was the "Phineas to [his] Ferb." Lost and Found: How Churches Are Connecting to Young Adults uses the titular characters of the show as an example of television characters who have an impact to the lives of children and the family they live with.

Songs
Almost every episode has had at least one musical performance (except for Lights, Candace, Action!, I Was a Middle Aged Robot, Not Phineas and Ferb, and The Lizard Whisperer). Rollercoaster: The Musical! and Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension currently tie more the record of most songs at 9 songs each. Povenmire recalls, "When we were writing Rocko, we always had one of two things, sometimes both: usually a song or a musical number, plus a big action/chase scene. Phineas and Ferb gave us a chance to write a song for every single episode, starting with the third episode, "Flop Starz." We played it and Perry's secret agent theme for the Disney executives. We were a little trepidatious because Disney has a big history of music —-- what if they hate it? The reaction was, "These are great -- can you write a song for every episode?"

The music on Phineas and Ferb goes from the whimsical to heavy metal. Composer Danny Jacob, along with Povenmire, Marsh and story editor Martin Olson strive to include all genres of music because they feel this variety enriches the animation experience and exposes kids to music they wouldn't otherwise have been aware of. Early in the show's production, Disney questioned this policy, but as Povenmire explains, "It's similar to when we realized that Bugs Bunny was using classical music. When I heard 'The Barber of Seville' for the first time after watching Bugs Bunny, I had a way of relating to it that made me think of it differently than if I had just heard it on the radio. You have a familiarity to it. Now, when kids hear a Frank Sinatra like a jazz tune, or a Busby Berkeley kind of tune, they'll have a frame of reference for it."

Running Gags
The show relies heavily on gags. These gags are seen in most episodes, though sometimes they are humorously modified:
 * Phineas and Ferb attempt to build something every day in order to avoid a boring summer. However, in "The Best Lazy Day Ever" and "Vanessassary Roughness", they don't do anything.
 * People say "You can't just expect *insert item here* to just fall out of the sky", and then they do. (e.g "You can't expect the perfect gift to just fall out of the sky)
 * Candace tries to foil the boys' plans by yelling "Mom, Phineas and Ferb are...", but by the time their mom comes, Phineas and Ferb's projects are either gone or turned into something else. The only times Candace has succeeded in "busting" her brothers occur in Perry's dream ("Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!"), 20 years into the future ("Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo") and in "She's the Mayor" but time gets reversed by Doofenshmirtz's invention.
 * Dr. Doofenshmirtz builds evil machines with names ending in -inator (e.g. "The Misbehavinator"), though in one or two episodes, Doofenshmirtz gives his weapon a name not ending in -inator, explaining to Agent P that he has worn out the -inator name too much. He also puts -inator with words that have already have -inator suffixes or closely sounding sufixes (e.g. Acceleratorinator or Space Laser-inator). He usually gives a short pause before the -inator in these cases. In one case, Doofenshmirtz makes an -inator that makes an ice age, proclaiming, "My Gloominator 3000!...-inator," maybe meaning that he doesn't always want to call them -inators but he does it because all his inventions in the past have been -inators.
 * Phineas and Ferb are asked (usually by Isabella) or ask someone else "What'cha doin'?". There have been a number of variations on it. (Ex. "What'cha eatin'?" Hail Doofania! and "What'cha watchin'?" (Out of Toon)
 * Phineas (in some episodes, other characters) asks "Hey, where's Perry?" when he notices Perry's disappearance.
 * Dr. Doofenshmirtz has plans to use his invention on the "entire Tri-State Area."
 * Ferb often remains silent until the end of the episode, when he usually touts a humorous line. This has though as of mid-Season 2, been not been seen as often, as Ferb usually has two or more lines, or in the case of The Lizard Whisperer, his line was 46 seconds long.
 * Dr. Doofenshmirtz says "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!" after his plans are ruined. Variations: "Thank you, Perry the Platypus!" (Vanessa, "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together"), "Curse you, Phil the neighbor!" (Doofenshmirtz, Put That Putter Away), "Curse you, wait, is that..." (Doofenshmirtz, "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together", "The Baljeatles"), "Bless you, Perry the Platypus!" (Phineas, "Hail Doofania!"), "Curse you, Perry the teenager" (Doofenshmirtz, Does This Duckbill Make Me Look Fat?), "Curse you, Perry the Bobblehead!" (Doofenshmirtz, "Just Passing Through"), and "Curse you, Perry the Beakapus!" (Doofenshmirtz, The Beak).
 * Perry has a unique secret entrance to his hideout in every episode (tree door, trick walls, magic hat...).
 * People ask Phineas if he is a little young to be doing what he is doing (e.g. "Aren't you a little young to be using an arc welder?"). His most common response is "Yes, yes I am", but once it is "No...". There have been numerous takes on this line by various characters. Also, Phineas and Ferb are not the only ones being asked this question. In the episode "Vanessassary Roughness" a twist is given to this gag when Ferb's mother asks him "aren't you a little bit to old to be playing in the ballpit?" and in "Isabella and the Temple of Sap", Isabella says "He does appreciate me", with Gretchen saying, "Yes, yes he does."
 * Dr. Doofenshmirtz doesn't recognize Agent P if he is not wearing his secret agent hat.
 * Phineas says "Oh, there you are, Perry" when Perry has finished his mission and become a normal pet again. An episode is named after this line.
 * Phineas accidentally causes Ferb bodily harm because of the former's obliviousness to Isabella ("One Good Scare Ought to Do It!", "The Chronicles of Meap").
 * A character says "Out, peace!" Candace has said this line the most ("Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)". "The Beak", "Phineas and Ferb Hawaiian Vacation", "She's the Mayor", "Invasion of the Ferb Snatchers", "Nerds of a Feather").
 * Occasionaly people think that what is being said is a metaphor but is real.("She's the Mayor", "Brain Drain").
 * On episodes where Phineas and Ferb build tall objects, a bird is shown flying towards it and falls, one instance where a bird is not shown is in "Gi-Ants" where a fly flies into the minature version of the "Antius Maximus".

Series launch description
Beginning Friday, Ferbruary 1 2008 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT), Disney Channel presents "Phineas and Ferb-ruary", a month-long programming event that introduces kids and families to the new 2D animated comedy, "Phineas and Ferb," created by noted animation producers Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh ("The Simpsons," "Family Guy").

Episodes are to be presented every day of the month (8:00 p.m.), concluding with a marathon of the series, Friday, February 29 (3:30-8:15 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel.

In the series, produced in traditional 2D by Walt Disney Television Animation, Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother, Ferb Fletcher, set out to conquer boredom and make every day of their 104-day summer vacation count, even if it means building a backyard beach. Their older sister, Candace, makes it her mission to get the boys in trouble. Meanwhile the family's pet, Perry the Platypus, may seem like any other house pet, but he has a secret life as suave Agent P, deftly battling the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz to save the Tri-State Area.

Design Notes

 * Occasionally, some characters are drawn with their eyebrows floating above their eyes, or partially detached from their head. Examples:
 * When Phineas is painting on Candace in the title sequence.
 * Phineas, Candace, Dad, Jeremy, the squirrels, Street Performer #2 and Dr. Doofenshmirtz in "Comet Kermillian."
 * Whenever an ear is shown on a character that isn't covered, the number 3 is used to draw the shape of the inside of the ear.

Characters
The series' main characters live in a blended family, a premise the creators considered underused in children's programming and which reflected Marsh's own upbringing. Marsh considers explaining the family background "not important to the kids' lives. They are a great blended family and that's all we need to know." The choice of a platypus as the boys' pet was similarly inspired by media underuse, as well as to exploit its striking appearance. The platypus also gives them freedom to "make stuff up" since "no one knows very much about [them]." {C Marsh called the characters "cool, edgy and clever without [...] being mean-spirited." According to Povenmire, their animation director, Rob Hughes, agreed: "in all the other shows every character is either stupid or a jerk, but there are no stupid characters or jerks in this one."
 * Phineas Flynn (Vincent Martella): One of the two titular characters, Linda Flynn's son, Candace's brother, Ferb Fletcher's stepbrother and Lawrence Fletcher's stepson. Phineas is an intelligent, creative boy inspired to make the summer as great as it can be by coming up with ideas for unusual, exciting, and sometimes impossible activities (such as building a rollercoaster in their backyard). His most important traits are oratory skills, creativity and optimism. He is very polite and is never selfish or rude to anyone. His stepbrother, Ferb, is his best friend and partner in their activities. He also gets along with his stepfather quite well, calling him "Dad". He loves his sister Candace, yet usually upsets her with his schemes. He has a normal relationship with his mom. He often wonders about the whereabouts of his pet platypus Perry. His catch phrases are, "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!" and "Has anybody seen Perry?"(or "Hey, where's Perry?"). A lot of people ask him if he is too young to be working on his current project to which he almost always responds, "Yes, yes I am".
 * Ferb Fletcher (Thomas Sangster): Ferb is a very intelligent boy who rarely speaks. He usually has at least one line in every episode. When he does speak he reveals his baritone voice and British accent. Ferb is Lawrence's son, Linda's stepson, and Candace and Phineas's stepbrother. He always helps Phineas with his nearly impossible plans. In the episode "I Scream, You Scream", he is shown to be distracted easily only by his infatuation with Vanessa Doofenshmirtz. He's good at playing the guitar, the keyboard, maracas, tambourine, bass, trumpet, bagpipes, harmonica and the drums.
 * Candace Flynn (Ashley Tisdale): Candace is a 15-year old teenage girl. She is always aware of all of the boys' plans. Usually she attempts to get the boys in trouble with their mom, but when she gets her mother to see what they are doing they always look perfectly innocent and normal. She has a love interest in Jeremy. She often uses her cell phone and acts much like a stereotypical teenager when not trying to stop her brothers' antics. She is allergic to wild parsnips, which make her face turn red and puffy. Also, it makes her voice deeper and it has her sing like a blues singer. She is also terribly afraid of heights. She has a teddy bear named "Mr. Miggins". It is revealed that she has a "Panic Room" for when she goes crazy. While she is constantly angry at her brothers, there are signs that underneath it all she loves them. Her catchphrases are, "You are so busted" and "Hey, Mom! You really need to see what Phineas and Ferb are doing!". Candace is good at singing and playing a number of instruments, all of which, begin with the letter "B". Her birthday is July 11th. She had a tree house which Phineas and Ferb remodeled.
 * Perry the Platypus (Dee Bradley Baker): Perry is Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus, who, unbeknownst to his owners, lives a double life as a secret agent. He has a lair located under the Flynn-Fletcher household that can be entered through several hidden passages throughout the house and backyard, such as Phineas and Ferb's tree, and the "Chimneyvator", (an elevator inside the chimney), or other places that lead to underground tube systems. His nemesis is the evil scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, whom he is daily sent to with the mission of foiling his plans, which he always successfully accomplishes. A running gag in the show is that his missions often end up covering evidence of Phineas and Ferb's activities inadvertently, thus Linda never finding out about the boys' schemes.
 * Linda Flynn (Caroline Rhea): Mother to Phineas and Candace, stepmother to Ferb Fletcher. She is married to Lawrence Flynn, but she seems not to use his last name as her cooking teacher called her "Miss Flynn", although in "Candace Loses Her Head", Isabella called her "Mrs. Fletcher". She is a regular American mother, although she plays in a free form jazz band with Isabella's and Jeremy's mothers, and was once a one hit wonder pop star under the name "Lindinna" in the '80s. She is generally busy, or trying to relax, while her daughter tries to get her to see that the boys are up to some crazy plan. Linda seems to think that Candace is crazy and needs professional help. Linda can play the keyboard, the triangle, and the guitar. Her favorite band is Love Handel, which thet went to on her anniversary with Lawrence Fletcher, which is June 15th.
 * Isabella Garcia-Shapiro (Alyson Stoner): She is a best friend of Phineas and Ferb. She is also the leader of the local Fireside Girls troop 46231. She often assists the boys in their plans, enlisting the whole troop of girls in the process at times, often for badges or other credits. She is a big fan of the boys and their plots, particularly Phineas, whom she has a crush on and shows feelings for him at times. Phineas apparently does not return the feelings and only views her as a friend. It is unclear whether or not he is aware of her crush and most likely is void of it. Isabella makes no efforts to get Phineas to notice her. She is also seen to have a pet chihuahua named Pinky who temporarily spazzes out as shown in "Journey to the Center of Candace". She has a mom named Vivian Garcia-Shapiro. Her catchphrase is, "What'cha doin'?"
 * Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire): He is the mad scientist, comic relief and head of "Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated". The Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated building looks like Ferb's head. His lair appears to be a standard major corporation, and even has its own theme song. All his plans tend to be thwarted by Perry the Platypus. The Doctor turned to evil because of his unhappy childhood (celebrating his birthday alone, his father using him as a garden gnome, etc). Now he attempts to wreak havoc across "the entire tri-state area". Dr. Doofenshmirtz is divorced and has a 15 year old daughter named Vanessa (who turns 16 in the episode Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together). Like Candace, Vanessa is obsessed with busting her father to her mother. She is dedicated to exposing her father's evil schemes. He is not really a doctor as pointed out by his daughter, as his Doctorate Degree has a $15 price tag on it. His catchphrase is "Curse you, Perry The Platypus!". In the episode "It's About Time", Dr. Doofenshmirtz meets Peter the Panda and makes him his new enemy. After going on a parody of Dr. Phil, Dr. Feelbetter, things are worked out and Perry and Dr. Doofenshmirtz are enemies again.
 * Lawrence Fletcher (Richard O'Brien): Father to Ferb, stepfather to Candace and Phineas. He is generally unaware of any of his kids' plans. He once became aware of one of the their plans, but was okay with it because they were trying to help their sister. He also keeps his treasured memories in a toolbox. His anniversary with Linda Fletcher-Flynn is June 15th. Isabella has once called him "Mr. Flynn". ("Greece Lightning")
 * Major Monogram (Jeff "Swampy" Marsh): He is Perry's superior on a huge screen in his secret hideout (which was shown in one episode to be a warehouse with a screen that appears when he talks to Perry, a camera, and his assistant), and tells Perry if he needs to do anything. He is the one of the employees at the Organization Without a Cool Acronym.
 * Jeremy Johnson (Mitchel Musso): Jeremy is the love interest of Candace. Whenever activities are going on in the Fletcher-Flynn house, he goes to visit just to enjoy the activity. In an interview with Mitchel Musso, he revealed that Jeremy returns Candace's feelings for him.
 * Carl Karl (Tyler Alexander Mann): The person who operates the camera for Perry's secret hideout. He is a bit forgetful and sometimes humiliates the Major, ending up with the usual screen gag. It is revealed that he is an intern to earn college credit.
 * Stacy Hirano (Kelly Hu): Candace's very enthusiastic best friend. She appears in many episodes, but is usually with Candace when something very exciting happens; in "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror", she appeared telling Candace that she could be the most popular kid in the neighborhood for having a backyard beach and that Jeremy was there. Another major appearence is in "Ready for the Bettys", joining Candace on a tour bus with a band called "The Bettys". In "Tree to Get Ready", she fights against Phineas and Ferb's treehouse.
 * Buford Van Stomm (Bobby Gaylor): The neighborhood bully. He is tough, yet not seen at all. He likes tough stuff, but is afraid of the most trivial things, as shown in "Raging Bully", in which ice-cream falls on his pants and he screams, in "Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!" in which he became afraid when he was told about Bigfoot (by Phineas), and in "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!", he dresses up as Suzy Johnson because that scares Buford while trying to scare Isabella.
 * Baljeet (Maulik Pancholy): He is a foreign child (most likely from India's Punjab region, judging by his name) who is often portrayed as weak and scared, especially around Buford. He is a math and science whiz and in "Tip of the Day", he questions why spread awareness about the aglets.
 * Irving (Jack McBrayer) is Phineas' and Ferb's self-proclaimed biggest fan. He always carries a scrapbook that he filled with images and souvenirs from Phineas and Ferb's big ideas with him (such as the roller coaster, the chariot race, and the boys with soup, from the time they created Chez Platypus, and a lock of Ferb's hair.
 * Django Brown (Alec Holden) is Phineas and Ferb's Australian American friend. He can surf, as seen in Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror. Django is the son of the artist Beppo Brown (Oil on Candace), who is famous for his work in making giant creations, from refrigerators to dental floss. He can be seen again in "Jerk De Soleil", attempting to put his foot behind his head as part of a circus act known as the 'Human Pretzel'. He plays the electric violin at the "Summer Rocks" concert in "The Baljeatles". He is also seen briefly in "Out of Toon" and "Candace's Big Day". He has seen only once past Rollercoaster: The Musical!, which was a cameo in Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, whith the shark from "The Belly of the Beast".
 * Fireside Girls Troop 46231: They are the girl scout group who are guided by Isabella. They like music and never have been seen without a smile on their faces. They usually count on Phineas and Ferb to help get their badges. Their names from the creators are Gretchen, Milly, Holly, Ginger, Adyson Sweetwater, and Katie. Three more came in the 2nd season: An unnamed blonde, an unnamed brunette, and Melissa from the Lil' Sparks, the juinor club of the Fireside Girls. A 11th Fireside Girl came in the season 3 episode "Tour de Ferb, that has brown hair, but like the ones from "Middle Aged Robot", she does not have a name yet.
 * Vanessa Doofenshmirtz (Olivia Olson): Dr. Doofenshmirtz's 16 year old teenage daughter. Her dad and mom are divorced, yet her mother still has a good relationship with him thinking he is just a bit eccentric, but Vanessa knows that he is the head of Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated and she knows about Perry. So she constantly tries to demonstrate to her mother that her former husband is evil. She is very sarcastic and mild mannered. Her character's relation to her father is similar to that of Candace's relation to Phineas and Ferb. Vanessa tries to prove her mom that Doofenschmirtz is evil, and Candace wants to prove her mom about Phineas and Ferb's schemes. In the episode "I Scream, You Scream", it is revealed that Ferb has a crush on Vanessa.
 * Charlene Doofenshmirtz (Allison Janney): Doofenshmirtz's ex-wife although she still seems to like Doofenshmirtz a little. She is in the same cooking class as Linda Flynn. Her daughter, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, tries to show her that her ex-husband, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, is evil and fights against a secret agent platypus named Agent P. Charlene is friends with Linda. Charlene seems to think that Vanessa is crazy and needs professional help.
 * Betty Jo Flynn and Grandpa Clyde Flynn (Caroline Rhea and Barry Bostwick): The Flynn-Fletcher kids' maternal grandparents (they appear in the episodes "Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!", "The Ballad of Badbeard" and "Crack That Whip"). They invite the Flynn-Fletchers and the neighborhood kids to a lake house every summer. Though they are old, they sometimes like to get the best of the kids. The names come from the creator "Swampy" Marsh's great Aunt & Uncle.
 * Norm (John Viener) is Heinz's formally evil robot. He had been trained to destroy Perry, but he failed. He was a one-time member of the Organization Without a Cool Acronym, but was fired since he wasn't an animal. In "A Real Boy", he sung for the first time, explaining (in rap form) how a real boy would be like for him. He has another head on him, as seen in "Candace Disconnected") (voiced by Joel McHale), but it was too sarcastic for Heinz to be useful, so he put the head in his basement.
 * Grandma Winifred Fletcher and Grandpa Reginald Fletcher (Jane Carr and Malcolm McDowell) are Ferb's grandparents and Lawrence Fletcher's parents that live in England. Known alternatively as the "Flying Fishmonger", Grandpa Reginald used to be a daredevil 40 years ago, driving a fish-shaped motorcycle called "The Holey Mackerel" and having an "anthem" so dreary that it automatically made it rain. This caused the postponing of several attempts to jump McGregor's Gorge, but once Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, and the Fireside Girls upped the tempo, Grandpa Reginald finally was able to jump the replica of McGregor's Gorge made in the backyard.

Television movie
According to a March 3, 2010 Disney press release, a made-for-television film, based on Phineas and Ferb entitled Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, has been aired, with a Disney Channel release date of August 5th, 2011. The film concerned Phineas and Ferb accidentally helping Dr. Doofenshmirtz with an invention of his, which took them to a parallel dimension. There, Perry revealed his double life as a secret agent to them, and to save their friends from an alternative Dr. Doofenshmirtz, who was far more devious and threatening than his prime counterpart, they team up with their alternate dimension selves to stop him.

Theatrical film
On January 11, 2011, Disney Channel Worldwide chief Gary Marsh announced that an animated/live-action feature film based on Phineas and Ferb was in development by Tron: Legacy producer Sean Bailey. Series creators Dan & Swampy are in the early stages of writing the film, for a release in 2013. In an interview, media gossiper Jim Hill revealed that Disney's idea for the movie would include the beginning and the ending of the movie being animated, but the middle portion having the characters portrayed by actors. However, the movie wouldn't be as big-budgeted as a Pixar film, would be released late in summer, and would include at least one popular actor, like Jim Carrey, as Doofenshmirtz, to get parents interested in it. As of September 6, 2011, Dan and Swampy have finished writing the script.

On October 14, 2011, the film, tentatively titled simply Phineas and Ferb, was given the release date of July 26, 2013. The date had previously belonged to Thor 2, but had been pushed back to November of 2013 in favor of Phineas and Ferb.

Airing
Disney has produced a live-action talk show where the two characters (as cartoons) interview celebrities, which is similar to Space Ghost Coast to Coast which began airing in December 3, 2010 as a two and a half minute talk-show format, featuring real-life celebrities such as Tony Hawk, Randy Jackson, Seth Rogen, Taylor Swift, Andy Samberg,, Emma Roberts, Jack Black, Regis Philbin, Howie Mandel and David Beckham.

Potential
According to a New York Times article released on June 22, 2010, Disney is considering a possible spin-off that would focus mainly on Isabella and her Fireside Girls troop which may come as early as summer 2014.

In pop culture
The phrases "What'cha doin'?" and "Yes, yes we are" are used in several cartoons, including Spongebob Sqaurepants, Johnny Test, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and the 2010 movie Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare. Before the show was made, Dory from the 2003 Pixar film Finding Nemo also used the phrase "What'cha doin'?" Phineas and Ferb were also seen in an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with Vincent Martella doing the voice of Phineas. "Yes, yes we are" was also said in a Buick commercial. "What'cha Doin'?" was also said in the December 18, 2011 comic of "For Better or Worse".