Phineas Flynn

Phineas comes from a blended family, a decision co-creator Marsh made to reflect his own experiences growing up. Phineas is portrayed as an intelligent, creative, innovative, and good-natured child. often participating in activities such as toy design (in "Toy to the World"); time travel (in "It's About Time!"); restaurant management (in "Chez Platypus"); all usually inaccessible to children. Phineas lives in the fictional town of Danville (part of the Tri-State Area), in a large, suburban neighborhood; he comes up with most of his ideas while sitting with Ferb in their backyard. ==Concept and creation==

originally drew Phineas on a piece of butcher paper in South Pasadena, California. Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh had conceived the idea of the Phineas and Ferb series while working as layout artists on The Simpsons. After planning the basics of the show, the two began laying out characters. Povenmire, eating dinner with his family at a Wild Thyme restaurant in South Pasadena, California, drew a quick sketch of a "triangle kid." and with reference to the character Phileas Fogg (often misreferenced as "Phineas Fogg") from Around the World in 80 Days (1873). After designing the show, the two had significant difficulties getting the series green lit. It was not picked up for fifteen years. In their final pitch to the Walt Disney Company, the creators designed a recorded storyboard, featuring a very rough outline of characters. The prototype Phineas was ruder to others than the version in the eventual show, where the creators decided to make him more good-natured. The goal while drawing characters was to make them simple enough to be drawn by child viewers and be recognized by silhouette. Phineas's eyes lie on the top of his head and are of oval shape. For his hair, three "tufts" are put in the back and front, while three freckles lie underneath. For the ear, a small 3 is used to represent the ear lobe. was cast for the role of Phineas. Martella originally auditioned for the role five months before his initial pickup, but was left without feedback for the time. When Dan Povenmire was given a tape of Martella in Everybody Hates Chris, he called him to do Phineas for the pilot. In interviews Martella has said that he enjoys working on the series and voicing Phineas, and appreciates the opportunity to work alongside guest stars, especially Malcolm McDowell. and Phineas has several recurrent lines that are featured in most episodes. When he comes up with an idea of what adventure he and his brother are going to have that day, he says "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!" During the course of an adventure, Phineas is generally asked by a disbelieving adult "Aren't you a little bit young to be..." doing whatever he's doing in that episode. Phineas generally answers "Yes, yes we are," though on a few occasions has responded "No" or "Well, I don't think so." In every episode, Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus, Perry, disappears to carry out his job as a secret agent. The kids almost always notice this, asking "Hey, where's Perry?" Then, when Perry comes home, they say, "Oh, there you are, Perry." Discussing Perry, co-creator Povenmire cited the example of his own pet cat, Sprocket, which he claimed led a "secret life" with his neighbors in order to get extra food. ==Characterization==

voices Phineas Flynn. Phineas is portrayed as being a highly intelligent, imaginative, optimistic, and adventurous boy. Povenmire also characterizes him as assertive, someone so secure in his abilities that others assume he is a prodigy. Povenmire and Marsh wanted the series to reflect their own childhood memories of going out during the summer and have fun, digging trenches and building tunnels, forts, and tree houses. He is very friendly, caring, well-mannered, and several of his plots involve helping someone out. He tries to please his sister Candace, carving her face into Mount Rushmore for her birthday in one episode Another episode has him throwing an extravaganza for his mother's birthday, and yet another has him (along with Ferb and Candace) recreating their parents' most romantic moment for their wedding anniversary. He has also been shown helping his grandparents, reenacting his step-grandfather Reginald's daredevil stunt from his youth and setting up a roller derby for a rematch race with his grandmother Betty Jo's old rival. In the episodes "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" and "Hail Doofania!", Phineas goes to great lengths to help his friend Isabella. Other episodes, like "Unfair Science Fair," "Oil on Candace," "The Bully Code," and "Voyage To The Bottom of Buford," further explore Phineas's generosity toward all of his friends. Occasionally, Phineas's ideas, plots, and schemes have upset others, intentionally or otherwise. Most notably Candace is constantly frustrated in her efforts to "bust" her brothers throughout the series, Nonetheless, Povenmire and Marsh intended for Phineas and Ferb to be motivated only by fun. Phineas also says that he wants his adventures to give him something interesting to say when he gets back to school, ==Reception==

Phineas has received mostly positive reviews. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media describes Phineas as "boisterous," and he and Ferb as "partner[s] in crime." Jean Yoo, an official press member for Disney Channel, describes him as "a precocious bundle of energy whose tolerance for sitting still is just a little thinner than his patience for the social echelon in which he finds himself." She as well notes that he is "endearing and smart." Variety calls Phineas's adventures "spectacular." Animation Insider reporter Aaron Bynum described him as a "wiz kid idea machine." The Seattle Times wrote that both Phineas and Ferb were "young heroes." The song "Ain't Got Rhythm," which Vincent Martella performed in the voice of Phineas alongside Steve Zahn and Thomas Sangster in the episode "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together," was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2008 for "Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics." ==Legacy==

Besides the series Phineas and Ferb, Phineas has been featured in several other pieces of merchandise from the series. To date, he has appeared in all Phineas and Ferb novelizations, published by Disney Press. Phineas appears in the Nintendo DS video game based on the series, simply titled Phineas and Ferb. Paste claimed that Phineas, alongside Ferb are 33rd best cartoon characters of all time. Plush toys of the character, along with toys representing Ferb and Perry, have been manufactured. Phineas is set to appear in the forthcoming comic book series based on the series, though details are unconfirmed. ==References==