Another 104 days of summer vacation

When Disney's hit animated series, Phineas and Ferb, wrapped up its original run in 2015, it felt like the end of an era. Four seasons, over 130 wildly imaginative episodes, and countless adventures made us wish that our summer vacations were just as exciting while our pet led a double life as a secret agent.

Fast forward to 2023, and Disney decided to gift fans with the ultimate blast from the past—not one, but two brand-new seasons of Phineas and Ferb totaling 40 fresh episodes.

The first season landed on June 5 this year, and I binged them all the moment they dropped. Safe to say, Phineas and Ferb hasn't lost its spark. It's just as fun, chaotic, and whimsical as it was the first time around.

For starters, the new season retains the show's signature art style—a relief for old fans of the show who feared that the revival might opt for a smooth, rounded, and high saturation art style, something you often see in CGI reboots or spin-offs.

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The original cast has also returned to reprise their iconic roles, with the notable exception of Thomas Brodie-Sangster – the voice behind the ever-silent yet brilliant Ferb. According to various US news outlets, scheduling conflicts kept him from joining the revival.

The theme song's back too – almost exactly the same, with one cheeky twist. For the first few episodes of season five, it kicks off with "There's another hundred and four days of summer vacation…" A tiny change, but a clever wink to fans saying the gang's back, and summer's far from over.

Once you jump into the episodes, it's also clear the show didn't tinker with the things that made it what it is today. The classic formula is still alive and kicking – Phineas and Ferb are back to pulling off the impossible with wild, creative inventions. Candace is also still on her eternal quest to bust them, and Dr Doofenshmirtz continues to be up to no good with Perry the Platypus ready to save the day. Same chaos, same charm, all summer long.

Naturally, with new episodes came brand-new adventures – and Phineas and Ferb delivered in true over-the-top fashion. They weren't just building; they were building big, from submarine sandwich submarines (at least that's what the boys called them) to full-blown pet washes. Perry was back in action too, taking down Doofenshmirtz's latest batch of wildly ridiculous (and gloriously ineffective) evil schemes.

Every character got their time to shine throughout the new season, stealing the spotlight in their own quirky way. And let's not forget the music; each episode came with its own catchy soundtrack. You also had some of the more classic Phineas and Ferb music being played every once in a while. So sure, the old-school nostalgia is still there, but these new episodes proudly march to the beat of their own, very funky drum.

Now, being a revival, the new season had a few callbacks to the original run. Once again, the showrunners definitely tried using the nostalgia factor to appeal to the original fans, and it did work. But that doesn't mean that as standalone episodes, especially for a newer audience and generation, the revival leaves nothing to enjoy. The show remains just as exciting as it was when the first episode had dropped almost two decades ago.

The Phineas and Ferb revival strikes the perfect balance between nostalgia and fresh fun. Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer, the new episodes prove the magic's still there with the show still is as quirky, clever, and unapologetically weird as it ever was.