Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against the Universe

“Phineas and Ferb” might be the last traditionally animated cartoon to be released from Disney before everything permanently became CGI and 3D. The story of two brothers who, over their three month summer vacation, went to the moon and back, created so many obscure devices, and tortured their older sister, Candace, like no tomorrow.

Now Candace is the main attraction in Disney+’s “Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against the Universe,” released back in August, the first we’ve seen of the cartoon since the show ended in 2012. For those who don’t know, this aggravated sister was always ready to snitch on her younger brother’s crazy inventions, which would permanently end their summer enjoyment. However, lady luck would never be on her side, and she never succeeded. Nate Adams compared in his review, “Like Wile E. Coyote’s countless attempts to catch Road Runner, Candace never comes close to busting her brothers.”

This is where the movie begins, as Phineas (Vincent Martella) and Ferb (David Errigo Jr) are with their friends, causing trouble while having a great summer. However, Candace, voiced by Ashley Tisdale, is not, and seeing how that it’s been this way throughout the five seasons, making her feel really down. However, everything changes for her in this film as she finally is the protagonist and tries to steal the show.

Why does she always want to get her brothers in trouble? Adams said, “Is a big gambit the show’s creators never really tackled, and in the new film we found out she’s dealt with massive insecurities because of her brother’s sensational ideas.” In her opinion, she’s not special, and when she, and her best friend Vanessa (Olivia Olson), are abducted by aliens, Phineas, Ferb, and all of their friends: Baljeet (Maulik Pancholy), Isabella (Alyson Stoner), and Buford (Bobby Gaylor) seek help from Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire, series co-creater) to find them.

The question then is: does she want to be rescued?

When she arrives on the alien mothership, Candace is welcomed with open arms as “The Chosen One” by Super Super Big Doctor, voiced by Ali Wong, and suddenly she feels like she is somebody. She’s special, but not everything looks that way and Big Doctor has a hidden plan that threatens to overturn Earth, and time as we know it!

“Candance Against the Universe” is a welcome return after a five year break, even if it’s just to see Perry the Platypus sneak around like the secret agent. Adams said, “Some of the musical jingles don’t really land as “Girl’s Day Out” and “Unsung Hero” aren’t the toe-tapping anthems one would expect, and there’s a few too many subplots happening in the background that take away from the films core missions and objectives, signaling why “P&F” worked so well as a 21 minute saturday morning cartoon. But creators Dan Povernmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh infuse the film with meta commentary and some fun bits, sure to give fans of all ages plenty to giggle over.”

Most importantly, the film strengthens the relationship between Candace and her brothers. You start to feel that, for every time she tried to get them in trouble, she actually loved her little brothers. Adams ended his review by saying, “Whether we get to see these ragtag groups of characters back in action remains to be seen, but if “Candace Against The Universe” is the culmination of the series, well that wouldn't be a terrible way to go out. I know what you should be doing today.”

I feel as though a lot of films that were released this year all revolved around the theme of family. This one is no exception as I feel this was a movie that kids can watch, as they need to know that message. Anyone can watch this, whether they have seen the show or not. I have never seen the show, and I got into this. Will I actually see the show? Maybe, but I don’t know yet. Still, this is a really good movie and I think you can all see this if you’re a subscriber to Disney+.

Now we have come to the end of “Disney Month 2020.” I hope everyone enjoyed this and I think this will be the theme of Disney Month from now on. It will just be one huge grab bag of different movies with no connecting themes.

I hope everyone enjoyed all of my reviews this year, as this year is the year that I did the least number of reviews. Next year might be the same way with the current pandemic that we’re all going through until we get the vaccine. I hope everyone closes out the year with some hope and positivity. Stay safe my online readers. Tomorrow I will start back up with my regular Friday reviews.