Phineas and Ferb are back on August 28th in a brand-new Disney+ original movie, their first non-cameo adventure in five-years. However, the focus isn’t on them this time around, with their big sister Candace taking center stage. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe finally gives Candace her big break in a feature film that’s hilarious, exciting, and touching.
It’s “A beautiful day” in Danville, one of “104 days of summer vacation” where Candace, once again, has found her brothers, Phineas and Ferb, doing something unbelievable that conveniently disappears just as their mother gets home. Feeling like the universe is against her, when a space pod lands in her front yard, she naturally assumes that it’s just another one of her brother’s crazy inventions and climbs aboard. Abducted by aliens along with her friend and Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz’s daughter Vanessa, her brothers and their friends team up with the head of Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated for an intergalactic rescue mission.
This movie instantly sets itself apart from the 222 episodic adventures of the original animated series, which also inspired a Disney Channel Original Movie (Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension), by shifting the focus to Candace. While the boys still occupy about half of the film’s running time, Candace is the character that drives the plot forward. Candace suffers from some hubris during the second act, but she doesn’t need saving in the traditional sense and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and Dan Povenmire have done a great job of keeping the plot true to her character while also letting her grow enough to provide an impactful finale.
With so much show behind it, the film is full of Easter Eggs for diehard fans, but also manages to be quite accessible for a newcomer unfamiliar with the series. It would be wise, however, for all viewers to see at least a handful of episodes before going into Candace Against the Universe because there are some things the 90-minute film doesn’t have time to dive into, particularly anything about Dr. Doofenshmirtz's existence or any of Perry’s backstory, which would otherwise be very confusing.
While Candace Against the Universe has a good amount of fan service moments, it doesn’t overdo them and instead gives fans what they really want: a brand-new, exciting and hilarious adventure with some of their favorite characters. It’s best to go into the film with little knowledge about it beyond the basic premise and I’ve kept this review as spoiler-free as possible for that very reason. There are so many laugh-out-loud moments, a few scenes of genuine excitement, and a theme of sibling bonding that will touch even the most calloused of hearts.
I give Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe 5 out of 5 seasons of the classic “Space Adventure” TV series on DVD.