About.com Rating

Bottom line: The animated cartoon Phineas and Ferb follows two scientifically brilliant brothers as they invent creative ways to pass the time during summer vacation. Generally good clean fun with a few mild rude words every once in a while.
TV Rating: TV-G
Genre: Childrens animated
Guide age recommendation: 5+
Episode length: half hour
Network: Disney Channel

Phineas and Ferb - Overview

"There's 104 days of summer vacation, and school comes along just to end it.

So the annual problem for our generation, is finding a good way to spend it..." The lyrics from the theme song outline the goal of Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother, Ferb Fletcher. These two scientifically minded kids innocently go about inventing all kinds of new contraptions that are generally, in the end, harmful to no one but great fun for them and their neighborhood friends. Well, fun for everyone except their older sister Candace, that is. Her life goal is to get her little brothers busted for their scientifically fun shenanigans.

Meanwhile, Phineas and Ferb also have a beloved pet Perry the platypus who is actually, unbeknownst to his owners, a secret agent battling the evil tactics of the hapless mad scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Phineas and Ferb think Perry is a platypus who doesn't do very much. Little do they know, he's out saving the world.

Phineas and Ferb - Guide Review for Parents

Funny and sometimes even clever, Phineas and Ferb provides relatively clean animated entertainment for kids about ages 6-11.

I love that Phineas and Ferb are so obsessed with science and inventing things. Their endeavors may be unrealistic, but they are full of ingenuity and show viewing kids that knowing about stuff can be fun.

Kids find big sister Candace's obsession hilarious as well. She just can't seem to make her mom understand the kinds of things Phineas and Ferb are doing everyday. Determined to bust them, she runs yelling for mom, but inevitably, by the time mom gets there nothing is amiss. Candace's tattling, boy crazy, somewhat ditzy character is stereotypical, but quite harmless, and there are a few episodes where sibling love prevails.

Some mild rude words like "stupid" or "jerk" are used in the show from time to time. However, the show doesn't have close to the amount of sarcasm and meanness of many other shows for the same age group. Most of the humor in the show is fairly fun-loving and relies on clever lines and situational comedy rather than sarcastic insults or crudeness. The episodes also often include songs that are likewise comical, fun and sometimes just plain silly - a great combination for making kids laugh.