It's About Time! (Phineas and Ferb)
Encyclopedia
"It's About Time!" is the twenty-first broadcast episode of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb
s 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 back to prehistoric times. Meanwhile, Perry the Platypus
deals with being replaced with a panda bear as the nemesis of the mad scientist
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
.
"It's About Time!" was written and directed by series co-founder Dan Povenmire
, and storyboard
s were constructed by multiple artists in the show's production staff. The writers purposely left the time machine available to the boys at the end of the episode in order to reuse it later in the series, which they did in the season 2 episode "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo
." Critical reception was generally positive, and multiple reviewers applauded Perry and Doofenshmirtz's relationship in the episode, which they noted was portrayed with possible homosexual subtext.
and Ferb Fletcher
attend a museum, where they discover a broken time machine
built in the 1880s on display. Endeavoring to travel through time themselves, they begin fixing it to work properly. This catches the attention of their sister, Candace, who desires to inform their mother of their activities to get in trouble. When she finally gets their mother Linda to follow her and view the machine, Linda becomes distracted while Candace
continues to walk to the boys, just as their time machine activates. The three are sent back to 300 million B.C., where a tyrannosaurus rex immediately destroys the time machine. Now stranded, the three are forced to flee from the T-rex and are eventually saved by a group of brontosauruses, who's immense size scares off the meat-eating dinosaur.
Meanwhile, Perry the Platypus
arrives at Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
's hideout, where he discovers Doofenshmirtz has gained a new nemesis in the form of Peter the Panda, whom he met in Seattle, Washington
. Downtrodden, Perry reminisces about previous battles with Doofenshmirtz when he was his nemesis, while Doofenshmirtz himself grows tired of Peter due to him being much less sympathetic then Perry. Perry and Doofenshmirtz decide to appear on the talk show
Dr. Feelbetter, where they decide to once more become nemeses; however, Doofenshmirtz reveals that the whole situation was merely a scheme to capture the world's top agents (who are in the audience) and freeze them with a large ray. This results in a largescale battle where the agents come out victorious.
The boys and Candace return to a muddy area where the T-rex has left a massive footprint, which they recognize will eventually be on display in the museum in the present. Phineas leaves a message in the footprint for Isabella and the Fireside Girls to save them. The girls—in the present—immediately spot the footprint and the message and follow their handbook
to create a new time machine. They use the machine to travel back in time and rescue the three. Upon arrival in the present, though, they realize a T-rex returned with them, so Candace flees and tries to expose it to her parents. A stray ray from Doofenshmirtz's machine freezes the creature, so her parents merely believe it is an exhibit.
was assigned to develop the script, and simultaneously artists Jon Barry, Mike Roth, Kent Osborne, and Aliki Theofilopoulos constructed the episode's storyboard
s. A walkthrough of the storyboards was presented to the production staff, whose reaction determined whether certain jokes remained in the finished product. Povenmire directed the episode, which was animated at Rough Draft Studios
in South Korea
.
In the conclusion of the episode, Phineas and Ferb's time machine is left in positive condition and available for further use at the museum. The writing staff purposely ended it this way so that they could reutilize it later in the series. A concept was eventually conceived as a way to do so, having "Phineas and Ferb go into the future and actually see Candace as an adult (which) drags up all kinds of memories of not being able to bust them." This idea was used for the second season episode, "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo
."
"It's About Time!" featured two different musical numbers, entitled "My Nemesis" and "When We Didn't Get Along." During the storyboard stage, a note was simply made indicating that a song would be placed at a certain point in a sequence. As with most songs in the series, they were each written by series co-founders Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh over the course of approximately one hour. Povenmire and Marsh proceeded by singing their draft of the song into the answering machine of the series' composer, Danny Jacob, that Friday night. Jacob performed both of the songs.
The episode was originally broadcast in the United States on the Disney Channel
on March 1, 2008. "It's About Time!" became available on the DVD
compilation Phineas and Ferb: The Fast and the Phineas in 2008, along with fellow first season episodes, "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!", "The Fast and the Phineas," "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror
," "Flop Starz
," "Raging Bully
," "Lights, Candace, Action!" and "Are You My Mummy?
" Both "My Nemesis" and "When We Didn't Get Along" became available in 2009 on the official Phineas and Ferb soundtrack
.
, casting Perry and Doofenshmirtz—two males who are of different species—as the teenage couple who is "breaking up." Perry's initial suspicions over Doofenshmirtz having a new nemesis are portrayed as if a person discovers their significant other is cheating on them. Perry discovers a paw print on Doofenshmirtz's face, resembling a lipstick mark on the cheek as if from a lover. Doofenshmirtz initially tries to deny having a new nemesis, but eventually admits to the accusation, noting that he "didn't want [Perry] to find out this way," overtly detailing a common way couples discover their partner is cheating on them. Perry is depressed about their "break up" and reminisces about their past "relationship" together, while music resembling a love song
plays in the background. After feeling depressed himself, Doofenshmirtz "dumps" Peter and reunites with Perry on a talk show
prone to featuring romantic confrontations.
. During the "My Nemesis" musical number, charactures of The Archies
, a fictional garage band
in the animated television series The Archie Show
, are shown and begin to sing and play instruments during the course of the sequence. The song itself parodies the style of musician Elvis Costello
. The Dr. Feelbetter show incorporates elements of confrontational talk shows Dr. Phil
and The Jerry Springer Show
.
reviewer Aaraon Peck applauded the Perry and Doofenshmirtz B-Plot, considering it as both the official Pret episode and an example of the series' ability to allow "adults [to] enjoy the humor" and not strictly focusing on the entertainment of younger viewers. Conversely, Ed Liu of Toon Zone was critical of the episode and other early episodes available on The Fast and the Phineas, calling them "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, and refusing to sit still for any length of time." The production staff reacted positively to the episode, and said that they "really liked" its outcome.
Reaction to the episode's melodies were also positive. Wolfen Moondaughter wrote in her Sequential Tart article, "Five Reasons: Phineas and Ferb," that both "My Nemesis" and "When We Didn't Get Along" were among her personal favorite musical pieces from the series, despite the former resembling the styles of Elvis Costello, whom Moondaughter noted she carried a distaste for. A Wired magazine
review of the series' soundtrack observed that despite being drastically different from tracks that proceed and precede it, "When We Didn't Get Along" "fit perfectly" due to "the genius of the malleable songwriting style of Phineas and Ferb’s musical brain trust."
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...
s first season. It originally aired 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 March 1, 2008. The episode concerns stepbrothers 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...
and Ferb fixing a time machine
Time Machine
A time machine is a fictional/hypothetical device used to achieve time travel. The term may also refer to:-Novels and films:* The Time Machine, an 1895 novel by H. G...
on display in a museum and using it to travel back to prehistoric times. Meanwhile, Perry the Platypus
Perry the Platypus
Perry the Platypus, also known as Agent P or simply Perry is an anthropomorphic platypus from the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. Perry is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker and created by the series' co-founders, Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh...
deals with being replaced with a panda bear as the nemesis of the mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz is the main antagonist of the show Phineas and Ferb. Doofenshmirtz is voiced by Dan Povenmire and created by Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh. Doofenshmirtz first appeared in the pilot episode of the series and since then has appeared in every episode to date except...
.
"It's About Time!" was written and directed by series co-founder 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 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....
s were constructed by multiple artists in the show's production staff. The writers purposely left the time machine available to the boys at the end of the episode in order to reuse it later in the series, which they did in the season 2 episode "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo
Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo
"Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb, and the 72nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Disney XD in the United States on September 21, 2009...
." Critical reception was generally positive, and multiple reviewers applauded Perry and Doofenshmirtz's relationship in the episode, which they noted was portrayed with possible homosexual subtext.
Plot
Stepbrothers Phineas FlynnPhineas 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...
and 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...
attend a museum, where they discover a broken time machine
Time Machine
A time machine is a fictional/hypothetical device used to achieve time travel. The term may also refer to:-Novels and films:* The Time Machine, an 1895 novel by H. G...
built in the 1880s on display. Endeavoring to travel through time themselves, they begin fixing it to work properly. This catches the attention of their sister, Candace, who desires to inform their mother of their activities to get in trouble. When she finally gets their mother Linda to follow her and view the machine, Linda becomes distracted while Candace
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...
continues to walk to the boys, just as their time machine activates. The three are sent back to 300 million B.C., where a tyrannosaurus rex immediately destroys the time machine. Now stranded, the three are forced to flee from the T-rex and are eventually saved by a group of brontosauruses, who's immense size scares off the meat-eating dinosaur.
Meanwhile, Perry the Platypus
Perry the Platypus
Perry the Platypus, also known as Agent P or simply Perry is an anthropomorphic platypus from the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. Perry is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker and created by the series' co-founders, Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh...
arrives at Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz is the main antagonist of the show Phineas and Ferb. Doofenshmirtz is voiced by Dan Povenmire and created by Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh. Doofenshmirtz first appeared in the pilot episode of the series and since then has appeared in every episode to date except...
's hideout, where he discovers Doofenshmirtz has gained a new nemesis in the form of Peter the Panda, whom he met in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. Downtrodden, Perry reminisces about previous battles with Doofenshmirtz when he was his nemesis, while Doofenshmirtz himself grows tired of Peter due to him being much less sympathetic then Perry. Perry and Doofenshmirtz decide to appear on the talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
Dr. Feelbetter, where they decide to once more become nemeses; however, Doofenshmirtz reveals that the whole situation was merely a scheme to capture the world's top agents (who are in the audience) and freeze them with a large ray. This results in a largescale battle where the agents come out victorious.
The boys and Candace return to a muddy area where the T-rex has left a massive footprint, which they recognize will eventually be on display in the museum in the present. Phineas leaves a message in the footprint for Isabella and the Fireside Girls to save them. The girls—in the present—immediately spot the footprint and the message and follow their handbook
Handbook
A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference .A handbook is sometimes referred to as a vade mecum or pocket reference that is intended to be carried at all times.Handbooks may deal with any topic, and are generally...
to create a new time machine. They use the machine to travel back in time and rescue the three. Upon arrival in the present, though, they realize a T-rex returned with them, so Candace flees and tries to expose it to her parents. A stray ray from Doofenshmirtz's machine freezes the creature, so her parents merely believe it is an exhibit.
Production
"It's About Time!" was conceived by the series' four major writers. At a weekly session that Monday, the concept was reviewed and deemed acceptable enough to create. Series co-founder 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...
was assigned to develop the script, and simultaneously artists Jon Barry, Mike Roth, Kent Osborne, and Aliki Theofilopoulos constructed the episode's 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....
s. A walkthrough of the storyboards was presented to the production staff, whose reaction determined whether certain jokes remained in the finished product. Povenmire directed the episode, which was animated at Rough Draft Studios
Rough Draft Studios
Rough Draft Studios, Inc. is an animation studio based in Glendale, California, United States, with its sister studio Rough Draft Korea located in Seoul, South Korea. RDS was founded in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California by Gregg Vanzo...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
In the conclusion of the episode, Phineas and Ferb's time machine is left in positive condition and available for further use at the museum. The writing staff purposely ended it this way so that they could reutilize it later in the series. A concept was eventually conceived as a way to do so, having "Phineas and Ferb go into the future and actually see Candace as an adult (which) drags up all kinds of memories of not being able to bust them." This idea was used for the second season episode, "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo
Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo
"Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb, and the 72nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Disney XD in the United States on September 21, 2009...
."
"It's About Time!" featured two different musical numbers, entitled "My Nemesis" and "When We Didn't Get Along." During the storyboard stage, a note was simply made indicating that a song would be placed at a certain point in a sequence. As with most songs in the series, they were each written by series co-founders Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh over the course of approximately one hour. Povenmire and Marsh proceeded by singing their draft of the song into the answering machine of the series' composer, Danny Jacob, that Friday night. Jacob performed both of the songs.
The episode was originally broadcast in the United States on the 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 March 1, 2008. "It's About Time!" 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 in 2008, along with fellow first season episodes, "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!", "The Fast and the Phineas," "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...
," "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...
," "Raging Bully
Raging Bully
"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...
," "Lights, Candace, Action!" and "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...
" Both "My Nemesis" and "When We Didn't Get Along" became available in 2009 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....
.
Themes
Multiple critics have noted that the portrayal of Doofenshmirtz and Perry's relationship in the episode features a somewhat of a homosexual subtext. The concept behind it is a parody of stereotypical teen romance filmRomance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
, casting Perry and Doofenshmirtz—two males who are of different species—as the teenage couple who is "breaking up." Perry's initial suspicions over Doofenshmirtz having a new nemesis are portrayed as if a person discovers their significant other is cheating on them. Perry discovers a paw print on Doofenshmirtz's face, resembling a lipstick mark on the cheek as if from a lover. Doofenshmirtz initially tries to deny having a new nemesis, but eventually admits to the accusation, noting that he "didn't want [Perry] to find out this way," overtly detailing a common way couples discover their partner is cheating on them. Perry is depressed about their "break up" and reminisces about their past "relationship" together, while music resembling a love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
plays in the background. After feeling depressed himself, Doofenshmirtz "dumps" Peter and reunites with Perry on a talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
prone to featuring romantic confrontations.
Cultural references
"It's About Time!" features multiple cultural references. Aspects of the time machine are based on H.G. Wells' famous novel The Time MachineThe Time Machine
The Time Machine is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895 for the first time and later adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It indirectly inspired many more works of fiction...
. During the "My Nemesis" musical number, charactures of The Archies
The Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
, a fictional garage band
Garage band
The term garage band can refer to:* A band that performs garage rock* GarageBand, audio production software published by Apple Inc.* GarageBand.com, a website that helps publicize emerging bands...
in the animated television series The Archie Show
The Archie Show
The Archie Show is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation. Based on the Archie comic books, created by Bob Montana in 1941, The Archie Show debuted on CBS in September 1968 and lasted for one season. A total of 17 half-hour shows, each containing two 11 minute segments,...
, are shown and begin to sing and play instruments during the course of the sequence. The song itself parodies the style of musician Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
. The Dr. Feelbetter show incorporates elements of confrontational talk shows Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
and The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
.
Reception
The episode was mostly well received by critics. BlogcriticsBlogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...
reviewer Aaraon Peck applauded the Perry and Doofenshmirtz B-Plot, considering it as both the official Pret episode and an example of the series' ability to allow "adults [to] enjoy the humor" and not strictly focusing on the entertainment of younger viewers. Conversely, Ed Liu of Toon Zone was critical of the episode and other early episodes available on The Fast and the Phineas, calling them "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, and refusing to sit still for any length of time." The production staff reacted positively to the episode, and said that they "really liked" its outcome.
Reaction to the episode's melodies were also positive. Wolfen Moondaughter wrote in her Sequential Tart article, "Five Reasons: Phineas and Ferb," that both "My Nemesis" and "When We Didn't Get Along" were among her personal favorite musical pieces from the series, despite the former resembling the styles of Elvis Costello, whom Moondaughter noted she carried a distaste for. 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 of the series' soundtrack observed that despite being drastically different from tracks that proceed and precede it, "When We Didn't Get Along" "fit perfectly" due to "the genius of the malleable songwriting style of Phineas and Ferb’s musical brain trust."
External links
- "It's About Time!" on 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...