Featured TV on DVD Review: Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars
November 8, 2014
Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars - Buy from Amazon: DVD
It has been a year since I last reviewed a Phineas and Ferb DVD. This week, their Star Wars crossover special comes out on DVD. How is the special? Will it appeal to fans of both Phineas and Ferb and Star Wars? And is the DVD worth picking up?
Meanwhile, we meet Candace, Baljeet, and Buford, who are stormtroopers. Candace signed up to bust rebels, but she's stuck trying to find socks for Lord Vader. When she sees Perry with the plans, she defies orders and goes after him.
Meanwhile, Heinz Darthenshmirtz is working on his latest Inator, the Sithinator. It will turn anyone it hits into a powerful force for evil. He plans to use it on himself. However...
I've seen a lot of Star Wars parodies and the like over the years. Many of them are funny, quite a few sucked. Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars is one of the better ones. Granted, I really like Phineas and Ferb, so keep that in mind. That said, seeing the story play out from a different perspective and not just plugging the main characters into the main roles, which is what usually happens, allows both franchises to shine and it also takes more creativity. The writing is great, as usual, while there are a number of excellent songs. It's a great way to start the DVD.
There are no extras on the DVD, not unless you count the bonus episodes. However, the DVD did come with a Perry in Carbonite keychain.
Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars is one of the better releases from the series. The price-per-minute for the DVD is excellent and the keychain is a great added bonus.
The Show
Of the nine stories here, Star Wars and Doof 101 are classics, while none of them are misses.
This nearly hour-long movie follows the plot of Star Wars quite closely, except instead of focusing on the main cast of the movie, we focus on the main cast of Phineas and Ferb, who are dragged into the plot of the movie. For instance, we learn it was Perry who stole the plans for the Death Star. Phineas and Ferb get ahold of these plans by accident and decide to leave Tatooine to get them to the Rebels. They need a ship, so they hire Isabella, who pilots a chihuahua shaped space ship. She also has a rivalry with Han Solo.
Phineas and Ferb get to play some hockey during the second intermission of a local hockey game, so they decide to make it more extreme. Meanwhile, Candace tries to trick Jeremy into thinking she's a fan of hockey. Meanwhile, Dr. Doof tries to turn himself into a Yeti with an abominableinator.
This is a good episode, but not a great episode. I like the inclusion of hockey into the mix, but Doof's plan was lackluster and not entertaining.
It's New Year's Eve and Phineas and Ferb are planning to drop a New Year's Day Ball from space. Isabella just wants a New Year's kiss. Candace and Stacy get to go to their first party as adults and Candace tries to act mature by not trying to bust her brothers. Meanwhile, Dr. Doof created a Redolution-Changer-inator, which will change everyone's New Year's Resolution to follow him.
This is a better episode. The various plots flowed together better than the previous episode and I especially like how Perry foiled Doofenshmirtz's plan. Also, the song at the end is excellent.
This episode takes place in 1903 where Phineas and Ferb try to make a steam-powered chore doing device. Meanwhile, Professor von Doofenshmirtz plans to smash the world's fair, because the new inventions are bring hope and optimism.
This is not the first time they've done a Phineas and Ferb episode in another time and / or place. It is no longer original, but the episode is a good one.
Phineas has plans, but everyone else is busy, everyone but Isabella. Isabella really wants to spend some alone time with Phineas, She gets the help of Gretchen, Ginger, and the other Fireside Girls, including Candace, to help plan the perfect picnic. But after Doof accidentally sends Ferb back, Phineas decides to turn the picnic into their latest super project, Candace decides to bust them.
I really like the Isabella crushing on Phineas sub-plot in this series, so this is a fun episode for me.
Normally, each episode is divided into two stories, but this time it is divided into three Halloween stories. In the first one, Candace accidentally causes her doll to come alive and become evil. In the second one, Dr. Doof comes across the giant floating baby head, which is a recurring joke in the show. The head grants wishes, but like all wish-granters, the wishes come out wrong. In the final one, Perry is accidentally cloned, and they are evil clones or Gremlins.
This starts out really good, but the ending is ... out there.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz is arrested but given community service. For community service, he becomes a high school science teacher. He becomes a high school science teacher in Vanessa's class.
Two words: "Weclom Ginats!" This is such a strange episode that I think it might be a backdoor pilot. If this becomes a spin-off, I would watch it.
It's Father's Day and Phineas and Ferb build their Father a replica of his father's stunt bi-plane and the four of them go flying. The bigger part of the episode involves Doofenshmirtz trying to repair his relationship with his father.
This is a really good episode with more heart than you would expect from a cartoon.
The DVD ends with a two-part episode. This is a follow-up to Across the 2nd Dimension, which I previously reviewed. In the alternative dimension, Candance is having trouble adjusting to a normal life without the resistance. She's convinced new evil is rising. And she's right. The kids are attacked by giant robot ants and Perry is kidnapped. Who could be behind this attack?
This episode is not as good as the movie was, mainly because it ended too abruptly. It felt like the first half of a movie with the ending tacked on when they realized the running time was only going to be 22 minutes and not 44. It is still good, but not a classic.The Extras
The Verdict
- Submitted by: C.S.Strowbridge
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