Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against The Universe – A Disappointing Follow-up (Early Review)

For those unfamiliar with the original series, Phineas and Ferb follows Phineas and Ferb as they make crazy inventions in their backyard while their older sister Candace tries and fails to stop them. They were as simplistic as an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants or any other Saturday morning cartoon.  When it comes to Candace Against The Universe, there may be things to like and dislike but in the end, there genuinely isn’t a reason for it to exist. Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against The Universe, is the latest TV movie featuring the next adventure involving Disney’s favourite animated brothers Phineas (Vincent Martella) and Ferb (Errigo Jr.) along with the rest of the gang as they attempt to rescue their big sister Candace (Tisdale) after her and Vanessa Doofenschmirtz (Dan Povenmire) are kidnapped by aliens and taken away to another galaxy, hoping to use them to change their alien lives forever. Or, for the most part, simply a 90 minute Phineas and Ferb episode based on Star Wars lore.

Despite what one may feel about Candace Against The Universe, it is absolutely exciting to see all these characters back in action following the series finale in 2015. Surprisingly, the voice acting still holds up 5 years later. Other than Errigo Jr. taking over the role of Ferb, everyone pretty much sounds the same. The passing of time has also allowed the animation level and detail to improve quite drastically in terms of the characters and environments. Meanwhile, the amount of characters that appear over the course of the film was also a pleasant surprise, along with its overall heart the film has, especially unsurprisingly revolving the bond between the film’s three titular characters.

Unfortunately, that was where the positives ended as Candace Against The Universe has very little to offer up for the average viewer. The biggest drawback was undoubtedly the subpar plot. Despite being an adventure at its core, the space aspects arguably did not mesh well with the established mannerisms of Phineas and Ferb. The film appears more interested in taking these characters in a much different, albeit obvious, direction that tries to cash in on the Star Wars craze. This direction simply rang unauthentic from what had already been established. The film’s premise seemed more fitting for a regular episode of the series therefore because of its 84 minute running time, some viewers are sure to check out before the film ends. Nevertheless, the film may still appeal to diehard fans of the series as there is still some fun to be had thanks to some callbacks to the original series along with plenty of elements for which fans will be very familiar. However, those looking for just a taste of nostalgia, they will likely find themselves disappointed.

At the end of the day, whether we like it or not, spinoffs, reboots, and follow ups of old properties are here to stay. When it comes to continuing what Phineas and Ferb started, Candace Against The Universe is a disappointment. Knowing Disney, this most likely isn’t the last time we will see these characters on Disney+, but hopefully they will be given a better final product for the fans.

still courtesy of Disney

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Jaeden Noel