Phineas and Ferb Season 5 Review: An Exciting and Refreshing Return to a Disney Channel Classic

For those that have grown up watching Disney Channel, there’s no doubt that Phineas and Ferb stuck with you in the early 2010s. As one of those kids that loved everything about this series from Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, I enjoyed every single bit of it. So, of course, when Phineas and Ferb Season 5 was announced, I couldn’t contain my excitement.

From watching those Season 1 episodes (I started out with the Love Händel episode) to seeing Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, I was heavily anticipating Season 5. However, did Phineas and Ferb Season 5’s announcement feel like it was adding onto the new wave of Disney reboots and revival? You could say that.

Fortunately, Phineas and Ferb Season 5 stays true to what made the original four seasons special and fun, crazy contraptions and all.

This begins with the two-part introduction with Season 5 Episode 1 “Summer Block Buster” and Episode 2 “Cloudy With a Chance of Mom”. As you might expect, we’re slowly, yet steadily, reintroduced to this wacky world in the only way possible: through a full-fledged song and dance number.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few songs here, with most solo and group songs being some fun bops. The one song that shines the most comes on Season 5 Episode 4 “License to Bust”, which is sung by Tisdale in this energetic fashion. It easily coincides with the episode’s title, which happens to be the song’s name as well.

Though it might not be memorable as other songs like “Queen of Mars” or “Squirrels in My Pants”, it’s still entertaining enough a solid beat.

As for the backing music in general, Phineas and Ferb Season 5 doesn’t forget the beats that made the original episodes lively. They still have the classic construction theme whenever the brothers build something as well as Perry the Platypus’ iconic stinger.

With this integral element, it does feel like the core of Season 5 is staying faithful to the charm and vision that Povenmire and Marsh sought to invigorate with this revival. Fortunately, this reverence continues with the self-contained stories its episodes hold. 

The best way to describe the first two episodes of Phineas and Ferb Season 5 is to treat them like the introduction of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. While they initially have the usual set up of Phineas and Ferb not trying to get caught by Candace and Perry fighting Doofenshmirtz, you can expect a crazy twist to happen.

However, when the story continues into “Cloudy With a Chance of Mom”, it gradually returns back to the norm we’ve known. It does make you wonder what would happen if Phineas and Ferb Season 5 actually played into flipping the formula with these intertwining stories. Although, you can suppose we already got that answer with the previous animated films.

As for the writing itself, Phineas and Ferb Season 5 still honors the original format, especially on Season 5 Episode 3 “Submarine Sandwich Submarine”.

As perhaps the only episode that’s actually self-contained, the craziness that the brothers find themselves in is about as absurd as they can get as they get into crazy chases.

Although, at some points, Season 5’s dialogue feels a lot more meta than previous seasons. This felt like an obvious decision given how Season 5 is a revival of the series, yet the way it’s implemented feels natural for some characters.

This specifically applies for the Perry-Doofenshmirtz sequences, which Povenmire infuses with this nostalgic undertone with both the ‘inator’ madness and Doofenshirtz’s dialogue.

There are actually a few jokes that either reference specific episodes or comment on the animation industry’s state that probably wouldn’t work with Povenmire’s humor.

On the references themselves, there are also a few visual callbacks to some iconic parts of Phineas and Ferb. Whether it be the Klimpaloon returning or a peculiar reference on a billboard or two, Season 5 is on top of honoring its preceding seasons.

As for characters, Phineas and Ferb still somewhat feel like their old selves even though there have been a few changes. Phineas is still as talkative as ever and Ferb does get a few lines of blank sarcasm in that work. Candace surprisingly feels like her unbridled fury has whimpered just a tiny bit, but it still shines through.

It also does feel like Season 5 lets up with some of  its side characters, particularly with Phineas and Ferb’s friend group. Isabelle feels like she’s reverted to crushing on Phineas, though retaining a hint of that Fireside Girl flair. Baljeet is more nerdier than normal, especially on Episode 2 and Buford is Buford. What can you expect?

Phineas and Ferb Season 5 honors the original format of the Disney Channel series, incorporating touches of new, eccentric elements and making it fun for both old and new fans. While I’ve only had the chance to preview four episodes, all 20 minutes each or so, this season definitely has something exciting for everyone.

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Phineas and Ferb Season 5 premieres on June 5 on Disney Channel and June 6 on Disney+.

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