Raging Bully
Encyclopedia
"Raging Bully" is the sixth broadcast episode of the animated
television series Phineas and Ferb
. In the episode, Phineas Flynn
is challenged to a thumb wrestling competition at the mall with the local bully, Buford, after he accidentally embarrasses him in the food court. Meanwhile, the evil Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz tries using a hypnotic
contraption to force everyone to celebrate his birthday and clean up their mess after the party.
"Raging Bully" was written by series co-founders Dan Povenmire
and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and directed by Povenmire. Heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield
guest starred as himself, training Phineas for the big thumb-wrestling match. The episode originally broadcast on Disney Channel
on February 6, 2008, as part of the month-long special event, "Phineas and Ferb-urary." It received generally positive reviews from television critics and the featured musical number, "He's a Bully," became available on the official Phineas and Ferb soundtrack
in 2009.
in the mall, Phineas
accidentally drops his ice cream cone on bully Buford's pants, causing the whole food court to laugh at Buford. Enraged, he challenges Phineas to a fight right there, but boxing champion Evander Holyfield
arrives and convinces them to instead fight in an organized thumb wrestling match later that day, which Buford accepts. Despite being cautioned by Phineas's friends Baljeet and Isabella, Holyfield trains Phineas through simple tasks, including punching a chain of sausages and playing Dance Dance Revolution
.
Meanwhile, Perry the Platypus arrives at an abandoned cake factory, where he is trapped in a vat of cake mix. His arch-nemesis, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, appears and explains that today is his birthday. All throughout his life, his parents never showed up to his birthday parties (even his own birth); now, he plans on using a hypnotic device to force everyone to celebrate his birthday. He then rides off with the invention on a flying machine. Perry escapes from the mix and follows after him. In the air, Perry and Doofenshmirtz fight and the machine is activated, but while trying to get Perry to let go of the wall of the flying machine he accidentally makes the machine malfunction, causing the people below to still not want to celebrate his birthday. Doofenshmirtz, defeated, drops the ice cream cone he is eating in the fight and it falls to the ground below.
Finally, the big match commences and Phineas is vigorously beaten by Buford in each round. When the final round begins, Buford overpowers Phineas and pulls him up through the air. Just then, Doofenshmirtz's ice cream cone falls and lands on Phineas's head. Buford is satisfied now that Phineas is embarrassed and calls off the match. The audience who was watching cleans up the mess (due to Doofenshmirtz's machine accidentally telling them to). At the parking lot
a few minutes later, Phineas thanks Holyfield for his help and Holyfield walks off. Ferb
makes a comment which accidentally offends Buford and he is about to be beaten up, but he knocks Buford out with a Vulcan nerve pinch
, to Phineas's surprise. When Phineas asks him why he did it he responds, "Well, he was all up in my face."
"Raging Bully" was written by Phineas and Ferb
co-founders Dan Povenmire
and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh. It was storyboarded by artists Wendy Grieb and Kent Osbourne and was directed by Povenmire, who manages the bulk of animation direction in the series along with Zac Moncrief
. It was originally broadcast in the United States on February 4, 2008, on Disney Channel
with a TV-G parental rating. It was part of the network's marathon
event "Phineas and Ferb-urary," which debuted new episodes of the series every night for the entire month.
Heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield guest starred in the episode as himself, appearing at the mall to help train Phineas for the big thumb wrestling match against Buford. Holyfield's guest performance was heavily expected since the original announcement of guest stars lined up for the series released in September 2007. Cast members response to working with Holyfield was highly positive; Vincent Martella
and Alyson Stoner
, who portray Phineas and Isabella respectively, cited working along guest stars like him as a benefit of working on the show.
In 2008, "Raging Bully" became available on the DVD
compilation Phineas and Ferb: The Fast and the Phineas, along with fellow first season episodes of the series "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror
," "The Fast and the Phineas," "Are You My Mummy?
" "Flop Starz
," "Lights, Candace, Action!" and "It's About Time!
" In 2009, the episode's song, "He's a Bully," became available on the official Phineas and Ferb soundtrack
.
's David Cornelius stated that he enjoyed Holyfield's guest appearance. Ed Liu, of Toon Zone, wrote that the episode and others included on the DVD The Fast and the Phineas were "way too manic for their own good, never giving a gag enough time to develop a proper laugh before ripping off to the next one," but considered Phineas's "He's a Bully" training montage to be one of the series' "amusing video sequences." A Wired magazine
review for the soundtrack said that the "He's a Bully" was "butt-rock," but blended nicely with other melodies of completely different genres.
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
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...
. In the episode, Phineas Flynn
Phineas Flynn
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...
is challenged to a thumb wrestling competition at the mall with the local bully, Buford, after he accidentally embarrasses him in the food court. Meanwhile, the evil Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz tries using a hypnotic
Hypnotic
Hypnotic drugs are a class of psychoactives whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia and in surgical anesthesia...
contraption to force everyone to celebrate his birthday and clean up their mess after the party.
"Raging Bully" was written by series co-founders 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...
and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and directed by Povenmire. Heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
guest starred as himself, training Phineas for the big thumb-wrestling match. The episode originally broadcast on Disney Channel
Disney 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...
on February 6, 2008, as part of the month-long special event, "Phineas and Ferb-urary." It received generally positive reviews from television critics and the featured musical number, "He's a Bully," became available on the official Phineas and Ferb soundtrack
Phineas and Ferb (soundtrack)
-Charts:-Release dates:-Other Releases:Several other soundtracks for the series have been released.*Phineas and Ferb's Christmas Vacation: A soundtrack for the Christmas special, only released digitally in December 2009....
in 2009.
Plot summary
While at the food courtFood court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
in the mall, Phineas
Phineas Flynn
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...
accidentally drops his ice cream cone on bully Buford's pants, causing the whole food court to laugh at Buford. Enraged, he challenges Phineas to a fight right there, but boxing champion Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
arrives and convinces them to instead fight in an organized thumb wrestling match later that day, which Buford accepts. Despite being cautioned by Phineas's friends Baljeet and Isabella, Holyfield trains Phineas through simple tasks, including punching a chain of sausages and playing Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
.
Meanwhile, Perry the Platypus arrives at an abandoned cake factory, where he is trapped in a vat of cake mix. His arch-nemesis, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, appears and explains that today is his birthday. All throughout his life, his parents never showed up to his birthday parties (even his own birth); now, he plans on using a hypnotic device to force everyone to celebrate his birthday. He then rides off with the invention on a flying machine. Perry escapes from the mix and follows after him. In the air, Perry and Doofenshmirtz fight and the machine is activated, but while trying to get Perry to let go of the wall of the flying machine he accidentally makes the machine malfunction, causing the people below to still not want to celebrate his birthday. Doofenshmirtz, defeated, drops the ice cream cone he is eating in the fight and it falls to the ground below.
Finally, the big match commences and Phineas is vigorously beaten by Buford in each round. When the final round begins, Buford overpowers Phineas and pulls him up through the air. Just then, Doofenshmirtz's ice cream cone falls and lands on Phineas's head. Buford is satisfied now that Phineas is embarrassed and calls off the match. The audience who was watching cleans up the mess (due to Doofenshmirtz's machine accidentally telling them to). At the parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
a few minutes later, Phineas thanks Holyfield for his help and Holyfield walks off. 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...
makes a comment which accidentally offends Buford and he is about to be beaten up, but he knocks Buford out with a Vulcan nerve pinch
Vulcan nerve pinch
In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Vulcan nerve pinch is a technique used mainly by Vulcans to render unconsciousness by pinching a pressure point at the base of the victim’s neck...
, to Phineas's surprise. When Phineas asks him why he did it he responds, "Well, he was all up in my face."
Production
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...
co-founders 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...
and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh. It was storyboarded by artists Wendy Grieb and Kent Osbourne and was directed by Povenmire, who manages the bulk of animation direction in the series along with Zac Moncrief
Zac Moncrief
Zachary Thomas Moncrief is a director of animated television programs, currently serving as a director for the Disney Channel cartoon Phineas and Ferb...
. It was originally broadcast in the United States on February 4, 2008, on Disney Channel
Disney 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...
with a TV-G parental rating. It was part of the network's marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
event "Phineas and Ferb-urary," which debuted new episodes of the series every night for the entire month.
Heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield guest starred in the episode as himself, appearing at the mall to help train Phineas for the big thumb wrestling match against Buford. Holyfield's guest performance was heavily expected since the original announcement of guest stars lined up for the series released in September 2007. Cast members response to working with Holyfield was highly positive; 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 Alyson Stoner
Alyson Stoner
Alyson Rae Stoner is an American actress, dancer and singer. Stoner is known for her roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody , Cheaper By The Dozen and Cheaper By The Dozen 2 , Step Up and Step Up 3 , and Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2...
, who portray Phineas and Isabella respectively, cited working along guest stars like him as a benefit of working on the show.
In 2008, "Raging Bully" became available on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
compilation Phineas and Ferb: The Fast and the Phineas, along with fellow first season episodes of the series "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror
Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror
"Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror" is the second broadcast episode of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. In it, stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb construct an elaborate beach complex in order to survive the intense heat wave that has struck their city...
," "The Fast and the Phineas," "Are You My Mummy?
Are You My Mummy?
"Are You My Mummy?" is the twelfth broadcast episode of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. The episode sees stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb going to an Egyptian-themed theater where they become inspired to befriend a mummy they believe is being kept in the theater basement. They confuse...
" "Flop Starz
Flop Starz
"Flop Starz" is the first segment for the first official aired episode of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. The episode was originally broadcast on Disney Channel on February 1, 2008. In the episode, Phineas and Ferb become one-hit wonders in the matter of a morning...
," "Lights, Candace, Action!" and "It's About Time!
It's About Time! (Phineas and Ferb)
"It's About Time!" is the twenty-first broadcast episode of the animated television series Phineas and Ferbs first season. It originally aired on Disney Channel on March 1, 2008. The episode concerns stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb fixing a time machine on display in a museum and using it to travel...
" In 2009, the episode's song, "He's a Bully," became available on the official Phineas and Ferb soundtrack
Phineas and Ferb (soundtrack)
-Charts:-Release dates:-Other Releases:Several other soundtracks for the series have been released.*Phineas and Ferb's Christmas Vacation: A soundtrack for the Christmas special, only released digitally in December 2009....
.
Reception
"Raging Bully" received generally positive reviews from television critics. DVD TalkDVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
's David Cornelius stated that he enjoyed Holyfield's guest appearance. Ed Liu, of Toon Zone, wrote that the episode and others included on the DVD The Fast and the Phineas were "way too manic for their own good, never giving a gag enough time to develop a proper laugh before ripping off to the next one," but considered Phineas's "He's a Bully" training montage to be one of the series' "amusing video sequences." A Wired magazine
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
review for the soundtrack said that the "He's a Bully" was "butt-rock," but blended nicely with other melodies of completely different genres.
External links
- "Raging Bully" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- "Raging Bully" at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- "Raging Bully" at the Phineas and Ferb wikiWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...