Tag: Phineas and Ferb

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe (Aug. 28, Disney Plus)

I’m coming to this stone cold as in, I had never watched a single episode of the “Phineas and Ferb” series before screening this film. What can I say? Animation isn’t a regular part of my TV diet. Nonetheless, I suspect that fans will be pleased with this movie sequel to the stepbrothers’ adventures and that non-fans like me will find it a charming introduction.

The adventure starts on familiar ground, with Candace (Ashley Tisdale) trying to ruin her little brothers’ fun, except she and Vanessa (Olivia Olson) end up being transported to another planet.

Naturally, Phineas (Vincent Martella) and Ferb (new voice actor David Errigo Jr.) set off to rescue Candace with the help of Isabella (Alyson Stoner), Baljeet (Maulik Pancholy), Buford (Bobby Gaylor) and Perry the Platypus (Dee Bradley Baker). And they’re forced to team up with evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz, voiced by series co-creator Dan Povenmire.

Every character gets a chance to stand out during the rescue mission, even Doofenshmirtz. And the fact they’re on another planet gives Povenmire and co-creator Jeff “Swampy” Marsh a new animation palette to play with, and new characters and creatures to have fun with.

Chief among these is alien ruler Super Super Big Doctor (Ali Wong), who gives Candace all the validation and attention she’s been craving, although you know what they say: be careful what you wish for.

I’m not sure if it was intentional on Povenmire’s and Marsh’s part, but some sequences will put you in mind of other pop culture properties, like “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Game of Thrones.”

And don’t forget the music, which is a delight throughout.

The Hunt for Escobar’s Hippos (Aug. 26, 9 p.m., Smithsonian Channel)

Don’t tune into this documentary expecting a cute animal story, although you will glimpse a baby hippo or two. This is a cautionary tale about the harm caused when wild animals are removed from their natural habitats to serve human greed and hubris.

Although by all accounts the four hippos that drug lord Pablo Escobar illegally imported into Colombia were well cared for at his private zoo, their descendants have run amok since the original four escaped from Escobar’s Hacienda Napoles ranch. (Escobar himself was killed in 1993 and the other exotic animals at the ranch died or were shipped to zoos. There are numerous documentaries out there about Escobar, but I recommend the Netflix drama series “Narcos” and Wagner Moura’s frighteningly good portrayal of the cocaine king.)

Ever since the backlash in 2009 when the Colombian military killed Pepe, an Escobar escapee that was devouring cows, it’s been illegal to kill hippos in the country. But the remaining hippos have been thriving – and breeding – in Colombia’s lush climate and spreading into the countryside. The problem with that is they threaten the ecological balance necessary to native species like manatees and turtles, and are a threat to humans – although miraculously the hippos, which have been known to wander into towns, have yet to kill a person.

The doc focuses on the uphill battle of Colombian wildlife vet Gina Serna (whose father died in one of Escobar’s bombings) and South African conservationist Chris Hobkirk to devise a humane way to deal with the 60 or so hippos (and counting) roaming Colombia.

The answer is sterilization, but the film makes clear just how monumental a task it would be to catch and operate on dozens of dangerous animals weighing up to two tons each. In the doc, Serna and her team manage to sterilize one three-year-old female, but the surgery takes seven hours and the journey by truck to a zoo that can supervise her recovery takes another 30, including a tense roadblock in territory controlled by criminal cartels. 

Luckily the young hippo survives, but Serna says it will take millions of dollars of government money and mass education of the hippo-loving Colombians to be able to sterilize the rest – so it seems Escobar’s hippos aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

CORRECTION: The Amazing Gayl Pile (CBC Gem)

Last week I told you that old episodes of “The Amazing Gayl Pile” were coming to CBC Gem, but I was wrong. A whole new fifth season of this oddball Canadian comedy is now available on the streaming service, subtitled “The Last Resort.” Home-shopping pitch man Gayl (Morgan Waters) has somehow survived the apocalypse and opened a resort near Orillia. Not just that, his old business partner J.D. (Andy King), Reverend Dave (Brooks Gray), Stolfi (Daniel Stolfi) and his nemesis Renee (Inessa Frantowski) have survived too.

Odds and Ends

I’ll be honest, despite the fact I started my TV writing career with reality TV, I never took to “Love Island” last summer. Five nights a week are too much to commit to any show. I am curious, however, to see how the show will adapt with the cast sequestered in a pandemic bubble at a Las Vegas hotel, so I’ll at least check out the first episode, which debuts Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. on CTV. Subsequent episodes air Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

The bad news for Earpers is that the midseason finale of “Wynonna Earp” is already here: Aug. 30 at 10 p.m. on CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The good news is the next six episodes of Season 4 are in production so you’ll get more Wynonna eventually. If you want to read my pre-season interview with Melanie Scrofano you can find it here.

Season 2 of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” doesn’t kick off till Sept. 4, but you can start building anticipation for the Toronto-shot show with “Prime Rewind: Inside the Boys” (Aug. 28), the after-show hosted by Aisha Tyler — although I guess in this case it’s more of a before-show.

HGTV stars Bryan and Sarah Baeumler have a new show rolling out on Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. “Renovation, Inc.” promises to take viewers back to how the Ontario couple built their home renovation business.

Acorn has a new legal drama streaming Aug. 24 but, instead of handling criminal cases, mother and daughter Astrid (Catherine Marchal) and Audrey Lartigues (Ophélia Kolb) practise family law in a female-centric firm in Lyon, France, in “Family Business.” Naturally, the lawyers have their own family battles to fight outside the office. The show is subtitled.

NOTE: The dates and times listed here are provided to me via press release and checked, wherever possible, against network and streaming service schedules, but please check your local listings.