Phineas and Ferb: Very Perry Christmas

Written by Fantasma el Rey

It's Christmas come early with Phineas And Ferb: A Very Perry Christmas now available on DVD. Phineas And Ferb is a cartoon series that airs on the Disney Channel and by taking 2009's Christmas special and adding in other episodes that are Perry the Platypus-themed we have a very nice present that can be viewed all year round. Being jam-packed with bonus features only makes this DVD that much more of an awesome Christmas gift.

Talkative Phineas and seldom-speaking Ferb are stepbrothers who spend their summer vacation creating elaborate, imaginative, sometimes massive things and making the most of every day; the opening title sequence pretty much says it all. In the meantime their pet platypus Perry, who leads a double life as Secret Agent P, slips off to stop the Evil Dr. Doofensmirts from attempting some kind of evil scheme that always involves a “____-inator” of some sort.

All this happens each day while older sister Candice tries to bust them by getting mom to come home early and catch the boys red-handed. But she never does because somehow the day’s projects are always disposed of or neatly destroyed just as mom shows up like The Cat in the Hat. The brothers also somehow manage to get their neighborhood friends involved in the fun and adventure as well. Each episode usually features a catchy song or three with clever lyrics that describe what’s going on that day.

“That’s what the whole show is about” you say? Yes, yes it is. But creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, along with their team of writers and contributors, manage to make each episode funny, smart, and entertaining. The Disney Channel usually runs two episodes back to back.

With A Very Perry Christmas we have five episodes, one being the 34-minute holiday special “Phineas And Ferb’s Christmas Vacation.” In it, Agent P must stop Dr. Doof’s evil plot to make the whole city of Danville seem naughty so Santa will pass them by. But that plan backfires, as always, and the boys with help from two of Santa’s elves bring Christmas to the city. The boys even get to meet their hero, Santa Claus, by building him a massive rest area on top of their house Thrown into the usual formula fun are snow- and winter-based projects which include giant flying snowball angels, bed sleds, massive snowmen, the city decorated by wonderful gizmos and much more (just listen to the special reworked title song). Oh, and lets not forget Santa’s rest stop. Plus we can view our lovable friends all bundled up, singing songs with holiday tones and we get to see the gang open their gifts on Christmas day.

The other four, as mentioned above, are Perry themed. “Interview With A Platypus” has the boys making a device to translate what Perry is thinking. “Oh, There You Are Perry” finds Perry or rather Agent P, temporarily reassigned to a new evil genius. “Chez Platypus” has the boys build a trendy Platypus-themed restaurant. And “Perry Lays An Egg,” has the boys and Candice mistakenly believing that Perry has laid an egg.

The bonus features are very cool and include "Dr. D’s Jukebox-Inator;" which lets you cut to one of the Christmas songs; "Christmas Perry-oki" where you can play the movie and follow the bouncing Perry during songs; and a behind-the-scenes look at how the creators write a song. The highlights have to be bonus episode “Doof Side Of The Moon;” letters to Santa where Old St. Nick reveals what Phin, Ferb, and friends have asked for; and “Phineas And Ferb’s Virtual Fireplace. That’s right a new twist on the TV Yule log with a half an hour of an animated fireplace with the cartoons characters popping in from time to time to spread some Christmas cheer and laughter

A Very Perry Christmas is true joy for those who love the show and enjoy its wit, animation, and creatively simple songs. It has wonderful appeal for fans young and old.

Article first published as DVD Review: Phineas & Ferb: Very Perry Christmas on Blogcritics.