A Phineas and Ferb Family Christmas

Given that I had reviewed the first Phineas and Ferb Christmas special last time, I thought it would be best to review the other one for this year! Unlike the last special, this only runs for about 10-15 minutes like regular episodes and follows the show's formula a bit closer to normal. So can Phineas and Ferb brings some Christmas cheer yet again, or was one Christmas special enough for them? Let's take a look!

Story: Taking the formula of a regular episode, Phineas and Ferb decide to make a live TV Christmas special in July with the help of their friends, singing Christmas songs and while Candace tries to bust them (as always). Meanwhile, Perry has to foil Dr Doofenschmitrz even though he believes it's Christmas when he watches the Phineas and Ferb special. Like many Phineas and Ferb episodes, what works the most in this is the humour. Pretty much a blender of Christmas special cliches, this parodies all of them in an endearing way. From celebrity guest stars (in this case Kelly Clarkson), musical numbers, forced product placement, family conflict & even the most cliched Christmas cabin, they're all elements you'd expect and it's funny whenever they acknowledge the cliches or the fact it's not really summer. On top of that, the fact that they give each character equal amount of screen time for each segment helps with getting to know each one and of course, include their running gags. Dr Doofenschmitrz's plot also gets a lot of laughs once you remember from the last special that he's only indifferent about Christmas. And of course, this does have heartwarming moments thanks to the Flynn-Fletcher clan and their well meaning intentions for doing Christmas in July up to the point that even Candace acknowledges it. While it may be a bit smaller and a tad predictable, the humour of the special makes it shine on top of the heart of it clearly being in the right place.

Animation: Despite having the same quality as a regular episode, the animation is actually really good in this. The character designs are still over the top and cartoony while some still have a tad more realistically caricatured look , as shown in Kelly Clarkson's design. The character animation is also pretty cute in itself, but I wouldn't consider it amazing compared to more normal episodes, even if there are some fun fast paced scenes. The backgrounds also look really nice with the fake Christmas cabin set actually creating a nice Christmas mood on top of the snowy forests and decorations. This can also lead to some funny moments because of the contrast of it obviously being summer and showing Christmas decorations. The musical numbers are definitely where the animation shines, from the creative character animation to the beautiful backgrounds. This is on top of the fact that the special is also very colourful. So, overall, I actually really like the animation. It's the right mix of fun, cartoony and best of all, Christmas-y.

Characters: The characters in this are definitely their same selves, and for this episode, it does work. Phineas is the optimistic and well meaning kid with crazy ideas of what to do during the summer while the virtually mute Ferb goes along with it. Candace just wants to bust her brothers despite her self awareness of how adorable the Christmas special is in this one and Ashley Tisdale does bring a lot of laughs. Perry the Platapus is also pretty funny as his secret super spy persona on top of inadvertantly being the cause of the forced family conflict in Phineas & Ferb's special. Dr Doofenschmirtz is his funny evil self, this time confused over what time of year it is while watching the Christmas special while still wanting to destroy (the awesome) Perry. Isabella is still her sweet self unsubtly revealing her crush on Phineas despite his obliviousness to it, Baljeet is the same timid yet smart kid and Buford is the frenemy who bullies the lot while still having his moments (with a surprising intelligent side in this). Linda and Lawrence don't really appear as much, but it is sweet seeing the latter be on board with both his son's idea for a Christmas special. Even Kelly Clarkson is pretty funny in her guest appearance, as she never gets the chance to sing despite her numerous offers to do so becoming a running gag. Overall, I still really enjoy these characters thanks to their quirky personalities and strong voice acting.

Songs: Yes, as expected from a Phineas and Ferb episode and a Christmas special, there's some enjoyable musical numbers to watch. Isabella's rendition of Let it Snow is pretty sweet and cute both visually and Alyson Stoner's singing. Baljeet and Buford's version of Good King Wenceslas gets pretty funny with the lyrical changes for Buford to sing all abut himself getting presents and show his surprisingly huge amount of knowledge of the story behind the song. Finally, the cast's version of We Wish You A Merry Christmas can get pretty funny as Isabella wants union between Christianity and Judaism in her family, Baljeet wanting to properly be bilingual & Major Monogram complaining about Carl (who happens to appear as an extra in the Christmas special). So, overall, I actually enjoyed the music in this even if it's set to the tunes of songs in the public domain.

While I don't think it's as good as their Christmas Vacation special, I still enjoyed A Phineas and Ferb Family Christmas. As a small episode, it's good for what it is with some great humour, nice animation, memorable and quirky characters and some catchy Christmas tunes. I definitely recommend this to those in the mood for a smaller Phineas and Ferb Christmas special compared to the last one, or those who are looking for a Christmas special in the traditional Phineas and Ferb formula.
Story: 8/10
Animation: 7/10
Characters: 9/10
Songs: 8/10
Overall: 8/10