Summer Block Buster

The fifth season revival of ''Phineas and Ferb'' premiered on Disney Channel on June 5, 2025, and was released on Disney+ in the United States the following day. Created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, the series focuses on Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher (Vincent Martella and David Errigo Jr.), two stepbrothers on a summer vacation, while their older sister Candace (Ashley Tisdale) attempts to bust them. Meanwhile, the boys' pet, Perry the Platypus (Dee Bradley Baker)—who lives a double life as a secret agent—thwarts the evil scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Povenmire). The returning supporting cast includes Caroline Rhea as Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Richard O'Brien as Lawrence Fletcher, Alyson Stoner as Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, Bobby Gaylor as Buford Van Stomm, Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet Tjinder, and Marsh as Major Monogram.

''Phineas and Ferb'' originally ended with its fourth season in 2015, with Povenmire and Marsh continuing to do other work until Povenmire signed a deal with Disney Branded Television at the start of 2023 for a fifth and sixth season. Development began in May, with voice recording commencing by September. The writers' room featured both new and returning writers, and notably saw Vanessa Doofenshmirtz's actress Olivia Olson join her father Martin as a writer. The season has received praise for its return to form, entertainment value, cast performances and characters, although some criticised its lack of reinvention.

Premise

Voice cast

* Vincent Martella as Phineas Flynn
* Ashley Tisdale as Candace Flynn
* David Errigo Jr. as Ferb Fletcher
* Caroline Rhea as Linda Flynn-Fletcher
* Richard O'Brien as Lawrence Fletcher
* Dee Bradley Baker as Perry the Platypus
* Alyson Stoner as Isabella Garcia-Shapiro
* Bobby Gaylor as Buford Van Stomm
* Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet Tjinder
* Dan Povenmire as Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
* Jeff "Swampy" Marsh as Major Francis Monogram
* Tyler Alexander Mann as Carl Karl
* Seth Green as Monty Monogram
* Kelly Hu as Stacy Hirano
* Olivia Olson as Vanessa Doofenshmirtz

Mitchel Musso, who voices Jeremy Johnson in the series' original run, does not reprise his role for this season, with an uncredited actor voicing the character instead. Some announced guest stars include Brendan Hunt, Michael Bublé, Alan Cumming, Lake Bell, John Stamos, Leslie Jones, Anna Faris, Cristo Fernández, Megan Rapinoe, Meghan Trainor, Jonathan Banks, Rhys Darby, and Ruth Negga.

Episodes

Production

Background and development

''Phineas and Ferb'' was renewed for a fourth season in August 2011. Originally set to be the final season, it concluded with an hour-long finale, " Last Day of Summer", on June 12, 2015. Povenmire and Marsh remained with the network and together created the series ''Milo Murphy's Law'' (2016–2019), after which Povenmire solely created the series ''Hamster & Gretel'' (2022–present). In April 2019, Disney announced a one-off film, '' Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe'', and that it would be released on its then-new streaming service Disney+; the film premiered on August 28, 2020. On January 13, 2023, it was announced that a deal between Povenmire and Disney Branded Television would renew ''Hamster & Gretel'' for a second season, and revive ''Phineas and Ferb'' for two new seasons with 20 episodes each. In March 2023, it was revealed that co-creator Jeff "Swampy" Marsh would also return as executive producer and voice director for the revival.

Writing

Development on the fifth season of ''Phineas and Ferb'' began in May 2023, at which point Povenmire confirmed the then-ongoing Writers Guild of America strike would not affect its production. Povenmire and Marsh admitted their concerns that they would have trouble coming up with new ideas for the revival, but explained those concerns were alleviated due to their confidence in the writers' room, which contained both returning and new writers. They cited seven episodes in particular as standouts which they felt would appeal most to the returning audience. Vanessa Doofenshmirtz voice actress Olivia Olson joined the writers' room this season, after shadowing under her father Martin Olson—who wrote for the original run—as a writing team with him.

From this season onward, the show is script-driven rather than board-driven.

Animation

Having previously worked on the feature-length '' Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe'' (2020) and ''Hamster and Gretel'', Filipino animation studio Snipple Animation Studios animates the season in 2D using the software package Toon Boom Harmony.https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/05/phineas-and-ferb-creators-discuss-the-fun-summer-return-of-disneys-beloved-step-bros/

Recording

Voice recording began by September 2023, and was not affected by the then-ongoing 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Candace Flynn actress Ashley Tisdale was concurrently pregnant during voice recording and refused to record new screams, feeling it would "scare the baby"; she suggested the producers use any of her "17 years" worth of archive audio instead.

The opening credits theme has undergone slight changes for the new season; the first line was changed to "There's ''another'' 104 days of summer vacation" (for episodes 2 to 6 only), and Phineas Flynn actor Vincent Martella re-recorded his lines for consistency with how Phineas sounds temporally.

Release

Broadcast and streaming

The fifth season premiered in summer 2025, with the first two episodes airing on June 5 on Disney Channel, and the first ten episodes streaming on Disney+ starting June 6 in the United States and select international markets. A sneak peek of the new season premiered on May 26, 2025. A sneak peek of the first episode was released on May 21.

Promotion

In April 2023, a press release commemorating the 40th anniversary of Disney Channel confirmed that the revival will air on the network. The revival was originally scheduled to be released in 2024. At Disney Television Animation's presentation during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2024, Povenmire and Marsh made an appearance to promote the series and give details on the production. They specified the revival was being treated as "''Phineas and Ferb'' season 5", and that it would take place in the following year after the events of the season 4 finale, "Last Day of Summer", during a new summer vacation. The duo also previewed a musical animatic which introduces the first episode.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 8 critics gave the season a positive review. ''Rolling Stone''s Alan Sepinwall declared his relief at the return of something as "funny, optimistic, joyous, and inventive" as ''Phineas and Ferb''". ''Collider''s Aidan Kelley wrote the season retained the same "vibrant animation, well-written characters, and infectious sense of humor", and remarked it didn't need to differentiate itself from past seasons in order to "spread its infectious positivity"; ''The Seattle Times''s Chase Hutchinson wrote it was "plenty silly, with knowing gags galore and plenty of ridiculous musical numbers", without losing its ability to derive enjoyment from a solid forumula. ''ComicsBeat''s Tim Rooney wrote that ''Phineas and Ferb'' "reclaim its throne as the most fun family friendly entertainment on TV".

''Screen Rant''s Abigail Stevens and ''Collider''s Kelley both felt the first two episodes were only just adequate enough as a premiere, describing them as "just big enough" to serve as a return so that the series could get on with its formula, and "just a little too safe"; ''Rolling Stone''s Sepinwall noted the series addressed the "high bar" the earlier episodes set for itself by having Doofenshmirtz admit he was "starting slow" with his -inators and the titular duo insisting they could top themselves this time around; and ''The Seattle Times''s Hutchinson wrote that the season "settles back into comfortable comedic rhythms", while "playfully" acknowledging it has a "lot to live up to". ''ComicsBeat''s Rooney felt the first half of the premiere was a show of confidence while the second was a bold display of emotion and drama reflective of the collective confidence of the series's staff. ''Collider''s Kelley and ''Rolling Stone''s Sepinwall both noted the 2015 ending of the series's story as the characters embarked to college, and agreed the series needed to be innovative to justify its existence in the time between then.

Stevens felt Doofenshmirtz's return to evil was the worst character regression, ''ComicsBeat''s Rooney recognized the writing's self-reflexive-ness in returning the villain to his hero, Perry, while ''Collider''s Kelley hailed him as the standout, praising what they guessed was "stellar improvisational humor" from Povenmire and opining his dynamic with Perry was the best amongst the series's dynamics. ''Rolling Stone''s Sepinwall compared the focus on the series's supporting characters to that of the fourth season, and pointed out episodes that expanded upon previously established plot points, such as Stacy's knowledge of Perry being a secret agent and Buford having life-size molds of the main cast; ''ComicsBeat''s Rooney praised the cast for "effortlessly" returning to their roles, singling out Martella for sounding the same in his 30s as he did during the original run.

Stevens noted the signs of Phineas, Ferb, and Candace growing up despite the "debatable" idea of the series having character development during its floating timeline. She further opined the subsequent episodes were slightly inferior in quality to the original run, nonetheless praising the inventions, and the "snappy" and "dynamic" musical numbers. ''Rolling Stone''s Sepinwall admitted he saw nothing save one exception in the five episode sampler he watched that he felt could stand up to the original run's best, but lauded the series's ability to return after so long and still feel like itself as a "remarkable achievement". ''The Seattle Times''s Hutchinson wrote despite it not breaking much new ground, it still was "breath of fresh air" and its message of creativity was an amiable effort towards young people. Stevens praised the lessons about family, friendship, and creativity amongst the "small bits of growth very subtly laid out" she could see the makings of.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phineas And Ferb
2025 American animated television seasons
Phineas and Ferb seasons
Lists of Disney Channel television series episodes