Phineas Flynn
Encyclopedia
Phineas Flynn is the main protagonist
of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb
. Voiced by Vincent Martella
and created and designed by Dan Povenmire
, Phineas first appeared along with the rest of the series' main characters in the pilot
episode "Rollercoaster." Phineas, along with his stepbrother Ferb Fletcher
, star in each A-Plot
of every episode.
The series concerns Phineas's attempts to avoid boredom by finding something new to do for each day of his summer vacation
. His sister's name is Candace Flynn
, who tries to reveal their outrageous creations, but to no avail. He does this with his less-talkative stepbrother Ferb
, and often with many other neighborhood children. The activities they devise usually involve outlandish contraptions, including roller coasters, haunted houses, roller rinks, and a backyard beach etc. which Phineas designs and Ferb builds.
Phineas comes from a blended family. The creators chose this arrangement because they considered it underused in children's programming as well as from creator Jeff "Swampy" Marsh's past experiences in one. As a character, Phineas has received positive critical response, with one reviewer describing him and his brother as a "comical pairing." Phineas appears in Phineas and Ferb merchandise, including plush toys, t-shirts, and a video game
.
Phineas is portrayed as a selfless, intelligent, and creative child. As a means to beat boredom, he and his brother devise outrageous activities throughout their summer vacation, often participating in activities – toy design (in "Toy to the World"); piracy
(in "The Ballad of Badbeard"); engineering
(in "It's About Time!"); restaurant management (in "Chez Platypus"); usually inaccessible to children. Phineas lives in the fictional town of Danville, in a large, suburban neighborhood; he comes up with most of his ideas while sitting with Ferb in his backyard.
and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh had conceived the idea of the Phineas and Ferb series while working as layout artists on The Simpsons
. After planning the basics of the show, the two began laying out characters. Povenmire, eating dinner with his family at a Wild Thyme restaurant in South Pasadena, California
, drew a quick sketch of a "triangle kid." Povenmire named the triangle doodle
"Phineas," saying he "look[ed] like [one] ", and with reference to the character Phileas Fogg
(often misreferenced as "Phineas Fogg") from Around the World in 80 Days. (1873) Povenmire tore the paper out and called Marsh that night, telling him "Hey, I think we have our show."
After designing the show, the two had significant difficulties getting the series green lit
. It was not picked up for fifteen years. In their final pitch to the Walt Disney Company, the creators designed a recorded storyboard
, featuring a very rough outline of characters. The prototype
Phineas was ruder to others than the version in the eventual show, where the creators decided to make him more kind. Citing comedy's "big duos" including Wallace and Gromit
and Jay and Silent Bob
, the creators chose to give Phineas most of the dialogue while Ferb remains almost silent.
's style, with geometric shapes being included in their structure; Phineas in particular is that of a triangle. The triangle face has been stated in the series as being just his nose that covers the entire head. The goal while drawing characters was to make them simple enough to be drawn by child viewers and be recognized by silhouette
. Phineas's eyes lie on the top of his head and are of oval shape. For his hair, three "tufts" are put in the back and front, while three freckles lie underneath. For the ear, a small 3 is used to represent the ear lobe. Povenmire uses thin, spindly arms for every character as a simple reason to add fun.
, previously known for The CW series Everybody Hates Chris
, was cast for the role of Phineas. Martella originally auditioned for the role five months before his initial pickup, but was left without feedback for the time. When Dan Povenmire was given a tape of Martella in Everybody Hates Chris, he called him to do Phineas for the pilot. He designed a different voice than his own which he describes as "wacky [and] crazy." The creators were afraid of him losing it when his voice changed, though he was still able to retain it for the most part even afterward, though the tone is now slightly different than the original sound.
While in recording sessions, Martella has a large amount of enthusiasm and describes it as humorous to watch him while doing a take. In interviews Martella has said that he enjoys working on the series and voicing Phineas, and appreciates the opportunity to work alongside guest stars, especially Malcolm McDowell
.
Martella once wrote as an article for Popstar! Magazine
his thoughts on the role and of the show itself:
, a park ranger
asks him "Aren't you boys a little young to be restoring a national monument?" Phineas generally answers "Yes, yes I am," though on a few occasions has responded "No" or "Well, I don't think so."
In every episode, Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus
, Perry, disappears to carry out his job as a secret agent
. The kids almost always notice this, asking "Hey, where's Perry?" Then, when Perry comes home, they say, "Oh, there you are, Perry!" Discussing Perry, creator Povenmire cited the example of his own pet cat, Sprocket, which he claimed led a "secret life" with his neighbors in order to get extra food.
promos for Phineas and Ferb describe him as someone who "thinks big", refusing to let any day be ordinary. Povenmire also characterizes him as confident, someone so secure in his abilities that others assume he is a prodigy. Povenmire and Marsh wanted the series to reflect their own childhood memories of going out during the summer and have fun, digging trenches and building tunnels, forts, and tree houses.
The creators wanted Phineas, like Ferb, to be a character who would never "[do] anything with any animosity," or to agitate his sister or outsmart his mother purposely. Instead, the character was supposed to be motivated only by enjoyment and free from mean spiritedness. He is generous, kind, and optimistic, and several of his plots involve helping someone out. He tries to please his sister Candace, carving her face into Mount Rushmore for her birthday in one episode and helping her retrieve a tape detailing his summer adventures even though she intended on using the footage as evidence to "bust" him and Ferb. Another episode has him throwing an extravaganza
for his mother's birthday, and yet another has him (along with Ferb and Candace) recreating their parent's most romantic moment for their wedding anniversary. He has also been shown helping his grandparents, reenacting his Grandfather Reginald's daredevil stunt from his youth and setting up a roller derby
for a rematch race with his Grandmother Betty Jo's old rival. In the episodes "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" and "Hail Doofania!", Phineas goes to great lengths to help his friend Isabella. Other episodes, like "Unfair Science Fair," "Oil on Candace," "The Bully Code," and "Voyage To The Bottom of Buford," further explore Phineas's generosity toward all of his friends. He even has plans at the beginning of "The Bully Code" for a jellybean currency system for emerging nations.
On other occasions, though, Phineas's adventures have upset others, intentionally or otherwise. Most notably Candace is constantly frustrated in her efforts to "bust" her brothers throughout the series, and in rare cases Phineas has deliberately caused misfortune to others. For example in the episode "Get That Bigfoot Outta My Face," Phineas intentionally gives all the kids at camp a fright when he tricks them into thinking Bigfoot
is attacking, though this is mostly getting into the spirit of spooky story telling.
Nonetheless, Povenmire and Marsh intended for Phineas and Ferb to be motivated only by fun. In one episode, "Thaddeus and Thor", Phineas says that fun is his only goal in his daily schemes – though Ferb adds that they also do it "for the ladies." Phineas also says that he wants his adventures to give him something interesting to say when he gets back to school, a setting the creators have confirmed they will never put him in.
, describes him as a "a precocious bundle of energy whose tolerance for sitting still is just a little thinner than his patience for the social echelon in which he finds himself." She as well notes that he is "endearing and smart."
Variety
calls Phineas's adventures "spectacular." Animation Insider reporter Aaron Bynum described him as a "wiz kid idea machine." The Seattle Times
wrote that both Phineas and Ferb were "young heroes." The song "Ain't Got Rhythm," which Vincent Martella performed in the voice of Phineas alongside Steve Zahn
and Thomas Sangster
in the episode "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together
," was nominated for an Emmy Award
in 2008 for "Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics."
. Phineas appears in the Nintendo DS
video game based on the series, simply titled Phineas and Ferb
. Dan Povenmire has said that he saw nothing of the game until its release, on which he was given a copy for free.
Plush toys of the character, along with toys representing Ferb and Perry, have been manufactured. Phineas also appears on most of the Phineas and Ferb t-shirts. Phineas is set to appear in the forthcoming comic book
series based on the series, though details are unconfirmed. Phineas and his brother Ferb have as well both been referenced in the book Lost and Found: How Churches Are Connecting to Young Adults as examples of how media and television characters can be influential in people's lives.
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
. Voiced by Vincent Martella
Vincent Martella
Vincent Michael Martella is an American teen actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Greg Wuliger on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, and for the voice of Phineas Flynn in Disney Channel's original animated show Phineas and Ferb...
and created and designed by Dan Povenmire
Dan Povenmire
Daniel Kingsley "Dan" Povenmire is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz...
, Phineas first appeared along with the rest of the series' main characters in the pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
episode "Rollercoaster." Phineas, along with his stepbrother Ferb Fletcher
Ferb Fletcher
Ferb Fletcher is the deuteragonist from the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. The character, voiced by British actor Thomas Sangster, was created by Phineas and Ferb co-founders Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and first appeared in the show's pilot episode, "Rollercoaster."Ferb and...
, star in each A-Plot
A-Plot
A-Plot is a cinema and television term referring to the plotline that drives the story. This does not necessarily mean it is the most important, but rather the one that forces most of the action....
of every episode.
The series concerns Phineas's attempts to avoid boredom by finding something new to do for each day of his summer vacation
Summer vacation
Summer vacation is a vacation in the summertime between school years in which students and instructors are off school typically between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on the country and district.-Students:In some countries, students participate in programs such as organized sports, summer camps, and...
. His sister's name is Candace Flynn
Candace Flynn
Candace Gertrude Flynn is a main character of the popular Disney Channel animated television series Phineas and Ferb, voiced by Ashley Tisdale and created and designed by Dan Povenmire. She acts as the main antagonist of the series in her endless attempts to "bust" her brothers, but in some...
, who tries to reveal their outrageous creations, but to no avail. He does this with his less-talkative stepbrother Ferb
Ferb Fletcher
Ferb Fletcher is the deuteragonist from the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. The character, voiced by British actor Thomas Sangster, was created by Phineas and Ferb co-founders Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and first appeared in the show's pilot episode, "Rollercoaster."Ferb and...
, and often with many other neighborhood children. The activities they devise usually involve outlandish contraptions, including roller coasters, haunted houses, roller rinks, and a backyard beach etc. which Phineas designs and Ferb builds.
Phineas comes from a blended family. The creators chose this arrangement because they considered it underused in children's programming as well as from creator Jeff "Swampy" Marsh's past experiences in one. As a character, Phineas has received positive critical response, with one reviewer describing him and his brother as a "comical pairing." Phineas appears in Phineas and Ferb merchandise, including plush toys, t-shirts, and a video game
Phineas and Ferb (video game)
Phineas and Ferb is an action platform video game published by Disney Interactive Studios about the animated television series of the same name for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America on February 3, 2009, while its United Kingdom release was on March 23. The Australian release...
.
Role in Phineas and Ferb
Phineas is part of a blended family, a decision creator Marsh made to reflect his own experiences growing up. His stepbrother, Ferb, is his best friend. Phineas's birth father is never present or discussed in the series. It is established that his mother, Linda Flynn-Fletcher married Ferb's father, Lawrence Fletcher, after dating him for a while in the 1990s. They truly fell in love at a concert of the fictitious band "Love Händel" after they were put on the kiss cam.Phineas is portrayed as a selfless, intelligent, and creative child. As a means to beat boredom, he and his brother devise outrageous activities throughout their summer vacation, often participating in activities – toy design (in "Toy to the World"); piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
(in "The Ballad of Badbeard"); engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
(in "It's About Time!"); restaurant management (in "Chez Platypus"); usually inaccessible to children. Phineas lives in the fictional town of Danville, in a large, suburban neighborhood; he comes up with most of his ideas while sitting with Ferb in his backyard.
Creation and conception
Dan PovenmireDan Povenmire
Daniel Kingsley "Dan" Povenmire is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz...
and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh had conceived the idea of the Phineas and Ferb series while working as layout artists on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. After planning the basics of the show, the two began laying out characters. Povenmire, eating dinner with his family at a Wild Thyme restaurant in South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, drew a quick sketch of a "triangle kid." Povenmire named the triangle doodle
Doodle
A doodle is an unfocused drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be abstract shapes....
"Phineas," saying he "look
Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg is the main fictional character in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days.Fogg attempts to circumnavigate the late Victorian world in eighty days, or less, for a wager of £20,000 with members of London's Reform Club. He takes the wager and leaves with Passepartout,...
(often misreferenced as "Phineas Fogg") from Around the World in 80 Days. (1873) Povenmire tore the paper out and called Marsh that night, telling him "Hey, I think we have our show."
After designing the show, the two had significant difficulties getting the series green lit
Greenlight
To green-light a project is to give permission or a go ahead to move forward with a project. In the context of the movie and TV businesses, to green-light something is to formally approve its production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development phase to...
. It was not picked up for fifteen years. In their final pitch to the Walt Disney Company, the creators designed a recorded storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
, featuring a very rough outline of characters. The prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
Phineas was ruder to others than the version in the eventual show, where the creators decided to make him more kind. Citing comedy's "big duos" including Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
and Jay and Silent Bob
Jay and Silent Bob
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most films, comics and television by Smith, which began in Clerks....
, the creators chose to give Phineas most of the dialogue while Ferb remains almost silent.
Design
All characters in Phineas and Ferb were drawn in a design borrowed from Tex AveryTex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
's style, with geometric shapes being included in their structure; Phineas in particular is that of a triangle. The triangle face has been stated in the series as being just his nose that covers the entire head. The goal while drawing characters was to make them simple enough to be drawn by child viewers and be recognized by silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
. Phineas's eyes lie on the top of his head and are of oval shape. For his hair, three "tufts" are put in the back and front, while three freckles lie underneath. For the ear, a small 3 is used to represent the ear lobe. Povenmire uses thin, spindly arms for every character as a simple reason to add fun.
Voice
Young actor Vincent MartellaVincent Martella
Vincent Michael Martella is an American teen actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Greg Wuliger on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, and for the voice of Phineas Flynn in Disney Channel's original animated show Phineas and Ferb...
, previously known for The CW series Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
, was cast for the role of Phineas. Martella originally auditioned for the role five months before his initial pickup, but was left without feedback for the time. When Dan Povenmire was given a tape of Martella in Everybody Hates Chris, he called him to do Phineas for the pilot. He designed a different voice than his own which he describes as "wacky [and] crazy." The creators were afraid of him losing it when his voice changed, though he was still able to retain it for the most part even afterward, though the tone is now slightly different than the original sound.
While in recording sessions, Martella has a large amount of enthusiasm and describes it as humorous to watch him while doing a take. In interviews Martella has said that he enjoys working on the series and voicing Phineas, and appreciates the opportunity to work alongside guest stars, especially Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
.
Martella once wrote as an article for Popstar! Magazine
Popstar! Magazine
Popstar! Magazine is a worldwide released teen magazine featuring news stories on celebrities.-History:Popstar! Magazine is a nationally recognized teen-entertainment magazine for kids ages 10 to 16. It was founded by editor in chief Matthew Rettenmund and was first published on October 15, 1998,...
his thoughts on the role and of the show itself:
Hallmarks
Phineas and Ferb makes liberal use of running gags, and Phineas has several recurrent lines that are featured in most episodes. When he comes up with an idea of what adventure he and his brother are going to have that day, he says "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!" During the course of an adventure, Phineas is generally asked by a disbelieving adult if he is not "a little young to be..." part of whatever occupation he is currently carrying out. For example, while constructing a shrine to his sister on the face of Mount RushmoreMount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
, a park ranger
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
asks him "Aren't you boys a little young to be restoring a national monument?" Phineas generally answers "Yes, yes I am," though on a few occasions has responded "No" or "Well, I don't think so."
In every episode, Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
, Perry, disappears to carry out his job as a secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
. The kids almost always notice this, asking "Hey, where's Perry?" Then, when Perry comes home, they say, "Oh, there you are, Perry!" Discussing Perry, creator Povenmire cited the example of his own pet cat, Sprocket, which he claimed led a "secret life" with his neighbors in order to get extra food.
Personality and traits
Phineas is portrayed as being an intelligent, fun-loving, extremely naive, and a kind, confident child. The Disney ChannelDisney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
promos for Phineas and Ferb describe him as someone who "thinks big", refusing to let any day be ordinary. Povenmire also characterizes him as confident, someone so secure in his abilities that others assume he is a prodigy. Povenmire and Marsh wanted the series to reflect their own childhood memories of going out during the summer and have fun, digging trenches and building tunnels, forts, and tree houses.
The creators wanted Phineas, like Ferb, to be a character who would never "
Extravaganza
An extravaganza is a literary or musical work characterized by freedom of style and structure and usually containing elements of burlesque, pantomime, music hall and parody. It sometimes also has elements of cabaret, circus, revue, variety, vaudeville and mime...
for his mother's birthday, and yet another has him (along with Ferb and Candace) recreating their parent's most romantic moment for their wedding anniversary. He has also been shown helping his grandparents, reenacting his Grandfather Reginald's daredevil stunt from his youth and setting up a roller derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
for a rematch race with his Grandmother Betty Jo's old rival. In the episodes "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" and "Hail Doofania!", Phineas goes to great lengths to help his friend Isabella. Other episodes, like "Unfair Science Fair," "Oil on Candace," "The Bully Code," and "Voyage To The Bottom of Buford," further explore Phineas's generosity toward all of his friends. He even has plans at the beginning of "The Bully Code" for a jellybean currency system for emerging nations.
On other occasions, though, Phineas's adventures have upset others, intentionally or otherwise. Most notably Candace is constantly frustrated in her efforts to "bust" her brothers throughout the series, and in rare cases Phineas has deliberately caused misfortune to others. For example in the episode "Get That Bigfoot Outta My Face," Phineas intentionally gives all the kids at camp a fright when he tricks them into thinking Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
is attacking, though this is mostly getting into the spirit of spooky story telling.
Nonetheless, Povenmire and Marsh intended for Phineas and Ferb to be motivated only by fun. In one episode, "Thaddeus and Thor", Phineas says that fun is his only goal in his daily schemes – though Ferb adds that they also do it "for the ladies." Phineas also says that he wants his adventures to give him something interesting to say when he gets back to school, a setting the creators have confirmed they will never put him in.
Reception
Phineas has received mostly positive reviews. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media describes Phineas as "boisterous," and he and Ferb as "partner[s] in crime." Susan Stewart, reviewing the show in the New York Times, notes that Phineas and Ferb "work on a heroic scale and are apparently not limited by the laws of nature." Jean Yoo, an official press member for Disney ChannelDisney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
, describes him as a "a precocious bundle of energy whose tolerance for sitting still is just a little thinner than his patience for the social echelon in which he finds himself." She as well notes that he is "endearing and smart."
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
calls Phineas's adventures "spectacular." Animation Insider reporter Aaron Bynum described him as a "wiz kid idea machine." The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
wrote that both Phineas and Ferb were "young heroes." The song "Ain't Got Rhythm," which Vincent Martella performed in the voice of Phineas alongside Steve Zahn
Steve Zahn
-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
and Thomas Sangster
Thomas Sangster
Thomas Brodie Sangster is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles in Love Actually, Nanny McPhee, The Last Legion, and voice of Ferb Fletcher in Phineas and Ferb.-Personal life:...
in the episode "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together
Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together
"Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together" is the 22nd aired episode of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. The episode aired originally on the United States Disney Channel on March 8, 2008...
," was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in 2008 for "Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics."
In other media
Besides the series Phineas and Ferb, Phineas has been featured in several other pieces of merchandise from the series. To date, he has appeared in all Phineas and Ferb novelizations, published by Disney PressDisney Press
Disney Press is a department of The Walt Disney Company specifically used to produce books of various genres and for various age groups . Many of the books Disney Press produces are picture books based on Mickey Mouse and friends and other characters from many popular Disney animated features...
. Phineas appears in the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
video game based on the series, simply titled Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb (video game)
Phineas and Ferb is an action platform video game published by Disney Interactive Studios about the animated television series of the same name for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America on February 3, 2009, while its United Kingdom release was on March 23. The Australian release...
. Dan Povenmire has said that he saw nothing of the game until its release, on which he was given a copy for free.
Plush toys of the character, along with toys representing Ferb and Perry, have been manufactured. Phineas also appears on most of the Phineas and Ferb t-shirts. Phineas is set to appear in the forthcoming comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series based on the series, though details are unconfirmed. Phineas and his brother Ferb have as well both been referenced in the book Lost and Found: How Churches Are Connecting to Young Adults as examples of how media and television characters can be influential in people's lives.
External links
- Phineas Flynn on Phineas and FerbPhineas and FerbPhineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
WikiWikiA wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
, an external wiki