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After a decade off the air, Phineas and Ferb are returning to Disney entirely unchanged (well, almost)
The hit Disney show is coming back because streaming audiences demanded it, and it's business as usual - except for one small thing (Clue: check out what Phineas looks like now)
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After a decade away, Disney’s Phineas and Ferb are set to return this summer with ten new episodes — but the show’s producers are ready to reassure fans that everything is just as audiences remember.
The original series ran for four seasons between 2007 and 2015 on Disney Channel and Disney XD, and followed the (mis)adventures of two stepbrothers — Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher — trying to find the best way to spend their “104 days of summer vacation.” Episodes were traditionally split into two 11-minute shorts, although the format was occasionally broken as need be; a multiple award winner (including both Daytime and Primetime Emmys), the show would spin out two full-length movies, as well as additional special episodes (including crossovers with both Marvel and Star Wars) and the 2016-2019 animated series Milo Murphy’s Law.
The decision to revive the show came in 2023, fueled in large part by the show’s success on Disney+ since that platform’s launch — with more than 650 million hours streamed on D+ around the world to date, it’s officially one of the most-watched animated kids’ shows on streaming services, according to Nielsen. The new show will, crucially, air on the Disney Channel and Disney XD and also Disney+.
According to series co-creator Dan Povenmire, there was some nervousness about returning for new episodes — although such feelings quickly disappeared as soon as work started on the series in earnest.
“We were a little worried at first, like are we going to get in the writer’s room and just get a lot ‘No, did that.’ ‘Did that.’ ‘Did that,’” Povenmire told the Associated Press. “But it hasn’t been like that at all. It’s been great, fresh, new stories with these characters that we’re just thrilled with.”
The decision not to acknowledge the gap in production stands in opposition to other animated revivals — the first image from the upcoming King of the Hill revival features Hank and buddies surrounded by elements that didn’t even exist when the series first ran, while the revival of the Amazing World of Gumball has a new title and trailer that explicitly references the time the characters have been off the air. But that doesn’t mean that the show is exactly the same as it used to be, teased Povenmire’s co-creator, Jeff Marsh.
“The more observant of you will notice Phineas’ shirt has one extra stripe,” Marsh told the AP, with Povenmire explaining, “He hasn’t actually gotten any taller, but we’re giving him the illusion of getting taller.”
Phineas and Ferb returns to Disney Channel and Disney XD June 5, with episodes debuting on Disney+ a day later.
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