This 77-minute adventure is more like an animated action film with jokes and songs than like a longer episode of the television series.
A typical episode to P&F entails a three-way collision of the child-like genius of Phineas and Ferb, of the childish genius of Heinz Dofenschmirtz, and of the just-plain childishness of Candace Flynn. Phineas and Ferb have great fun, Doofenschmirtz is hoisted on his own petard, Candace is thwarted, and the only one who has any clue as to what has really happened is, well, a platypus.
But this time there's a different three-way collision, and the result is that Phineas and Ferb, oblivious to the sort of fellow that Doofenschmirtz is, help him to create a portal into a parallel universe. Not that big of a deal, perhaps, except that in that next universe, there is a Doofenschmirtz who is more genuinely evil, and with greater practical sense than the familiar Doof. This Doofenschmirtz has conquered his Tri-State Area, and imposed a totalitarian regime, with violent robotic enforcers. This alternate Tri-State Area has its comedic touches; but, for the most part, it isn't written for laughs.
Ultimately, an alliance is formed that draws together Perry, children of two worlds, and finally even the familiar Heinz Doofenschmirtz, to stop a man who has crushed one land and seeks to crush another. In the course of things, various people and at least one aquatic mammal learn what they have really meant one to another.
(And the viewer might also see what some of the characters have come to mean to the writers.)
As an action film for kids, this is pretty well written, Whoever did the story-boards had a very solid understanding of the What, Where, and When of an action film. Even when one knows what is about to be delivered, the delivery is usually very satisfying. There are some coherence issues here and there, but nothing really dreadful; and they would have been hard to resolve without making this film far too strong for some of its intended audience.
A typical episode to P&F entails a three-way collision of the child-like genius of Phineas and Ferb, of the childish genius of Heinz Dofenschmirtz, and of the just-plain childishness of Candace Flynn. Phineas and Ferb have great fun, Doofenschmirtz is hoisted on his own petard, Candace is thwarted, and the only one who has any clue as to what has really happened is, well, a platypus.
But this time there's a different three-way collision, and the result is that Phineas and Ferb, oblivious to the sort of fellow that Doofenschmirtz is, help him to create a portal into a parallel universe. Not that big of a deal, perhaps, except that in that next universe, there is a Doofenschmirtz who is more genuinely evil, and with greater practical sense than the familiar Doof. This Doofenschmirtz has conquered his Tri-State Area, and imposed a totalitarian regime, with violent robotic enforcers. This alternate Tri-State Area has its comedic touches; but, for the most part, it isn't written for laughs.
Ultimately, an alliance is formed that draws together Perry, children of two worlds, and finally even the familiar Heinz Doofenschmirtz, to stop a man who has crushed one land and seeks to crush another. In the course of things, various people and at least one aquatic mammal learn what they have really meant one to another.
(And the viewer might also see what some of the characters have come to mean to the writers.)
As an action film for kids, this is pretty well written, Whoever did the story-boards had a very solid understanding of the What, Where, and When of an action film. Even when one knows what is about to be delivered, the delivery is usually very satisfying. There are some coherence issues here and there, but nothing really dreadful; and they would have been hard to resolve without making this film far too strong for some of its intended audience.