Featured TV on DVD Review: Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files

June 22, 2012

Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files - Buy from Amazon

Phineas and Ferb is one of the best cartoons out there today. In fact, I would argue it is one of the best shows, period. The latest DVD, The Perry Files, came out on the 5th of June. The screener arrived a little late, so let's get right to the review.

The Show

  1. No More Bunny Business
    The episode starts with Phineas and Ferb eagerly awaiting the arrival of their X-ray glasses only to be disappointed, so they decide to make their own. In the meantime, Candace discovers a cute bunny on the lawn and adopts it as her new pet calling him Mr. Cutie-Patootie. However, that's not any ordinary bunny. It's Dennis, a rogue agent of O.W.C.A. and it is up to Perry to stop it before he can find Perry's lair and hack the agencies computer. Finally, because Perry is busy with Dennis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz has no one to thwart his plan, so he decides to use a plotted plant as a Perry-substitute.
  2. Spa Day
    Candace and Stacy are planning their first Spa Day, a day of nothing but relaxation. However, they run into Jeremy, who is off to build houses for charity. Not wanting to seem shallow, Candace goes with him and drags Stacy along. Phineas and Ferb like the idea of a spa, so they decide to build one of their own, with the help of Isabella and the Fireside girls. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz finds a stray kitten, whom he immediately adopts and calls Mr. Fluffy Pants. Turns out Mr. Fluffy Pants is just as dangerous as Mr. Cutie-Patootie, only not in a malevolent way. Then there's Dr. Coconut.
  3. Split Personality
    Phineas and Ferb created a molecular separator, for no particular reason, and Candace accidentally uses it on Candace. Now there are two of her, one is super intent on busting the boys, while the other is only interested in Jeremy. Now Phineas and Ferb have put them back together, but neither Candace wants that. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz wants to prove he is a man by jumping off the high dive board at the pool. Yes, there is a scarring back story to that story. Also... a random Invasion of the Body Snatchers reference.
  4. Brain Drain
    Phineas and Ferb are sick in bed, and so are all of their friends (except Buford, who is just lazy). So they decide to have a massive video game battle. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz has made a De-Volitionator, which is a remote control hat, which he manages to get onto Perry, thus allowing him full control over Perry's actions. It works, until Phineas and Ferb's video game takes over. Meanwhile, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz is attending a mid-day rave at the local junkyard when... I really can't explain what happens. But it ends with one of the best songs from the series, "There's a Platypus Controlling Me".
  5. Candace Disconnected
    Candace has lost four cell phones in four months, so her Mom buys her the cheapest phone and warns her that if she loses this one, she'll have to go without a phone. She immediately accidentally breaks it. But, Phineas and Ferb make her a new one, one that can teleport the user. She accidentally gets stuck on Easter Island. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz actually makes an inator that works. It is also not evil, so he decides to make it evil.
  6. Magic Carpet Ride
    Phineas and Ferb's Dad shows the kids his favorite TV show, Pinhead Pierre, and his official magic carpet from the show. It's not as exciting as he remembers it, so Phineas and Ferb decide to make a real flying carpet. Meanwhile, Candace thinks fortune cookies can predict the future, so she decides to live her life according to them. Finally, Dr. Doofenshmirtz tries to get revenge of his brother Roger for destroying his art masterpiece 20 years earlier.
  7. Ask a Foolish Question
    Phineas and Ferb want to do something special for their Mom, so they build a super computer to help them decide what to do. Candace also asks the computer how to bust their brother. They both get really cryptic instructions. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz is creating big holes all over Dansville.
  8. Misperceived Monotreme
    The local zoo gets a new platypus the same day Jeremy is have a charity pet wash at the park. The zoo platypus is accidentally brought to Phineas and Ferb's place and falls into Perry's lair and is sent to battle Dr. Doofenshmirtz in Perry's place. Dr. Doofenshmirtz has build a Least-Likely-inator, which he will use to humiliate his brother.
  9. Mommy Can You Hear Me?
    Candace accidentally sprained her ankle and if she hurts it again, she'll have to miss the Tiny Cowboy concert. So she's stuck in bed all day. Phineas and Ferb are trying to send a birthday message to Sergei, a cosmonaut in space. Candace needs to bust them, but she's stuck in bed. How will she do it?
  10. Road Trip
    The family is ending their road trip and Candace mentions they haven't been to a greasy roadside diner yet. Of course, she thinks that's a good thing, while it give Phineas and Ferb an idea of what to do. When Candace tries to bust them, she slips into the role of sassy waitress so well that she doesn't even notice. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz is driving a big rig and Perry needs to figure out why.
  11. Perry the Actorpus
    Phineas and Ferb get Perry an audition to be the spokesanimal in an ad campaign. However, when he gets it, he becomes too famous to be an undercover spy. Now he's on hiatus till he's no longer famous. Of course, he's so famous that Candace will have an easy time busting them, except she's taking an Anti-Busting class to break her addiction.
  12. Bullseye!
    Candace thinks she's finally going to bust her brothers for making one of their weird contraptions in the backyard, but in reality, it's her mom's new age art piece. Meanwhile, Dad accidentally entered himself to become the leader of L.O.V.E. M.U.F.F.I.N., the evil organization Dr. Doofenshmirtz belongs to.
  13. Escape From Phineas Tower
    After their dad shows them an antique escape box that was used for stage magic acts, they decide to create a tower that will trap them, so they can test their escape prowess. However, they built it with a power A.I. that learns from its mistakes. It wouldn't be too bad, but it gets zapped by the Rude-inator. Have they finally built a device that can beat them?
  14. The Remains of the Platypus
    This is the backwards episode. It's nearly impossible to describe the plot without ruining it, so I'm not even going to try. It is one of the best, and the weirdest, on the DVD.
Of the 14 shorts on this DVD, I would rate ten as great or better. Even the weak ones have strong replay value, while there are more absolute classics than there are ones that are merely good.

The Extras

The extras on the DVD are limited to a short recruitment video for O.W.C.A. and a short featurette on the bus tour. The DVD comes with a digital copy of the episodes, plus there's an activity pack with a puzzle, stickers, postcard, fridge magnets, and a picture game. That's not a lot of extras, but the price-per-minute is much lower than the average for this type of show.

The Verdict

Phineas and Ferb is a great show and The Perry Files is absolutely worth picking up. I just wish they would release full season sets.


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