Phineas and Ferbare officially getting another 104 days of summer vacation on theDisney Channel, andVincent Martellahas some ideas for how the brothers can spend that time. A trailer wasrecently released for the upcoming animated revivalfromDan PovenmireandJeff Marshthat teased a back-to-basics approach for the series, featuring plenty of schemes with the dynamic duo and secret missions with Perry the Platypus. With the series soon getting a new lease on life, though, the voice of the titular Phineas sat down with Collider’sAidan Kelleyto discuss it all, including his desire for another crossover with a pop-culture giant. Specifically, he wants the brothers, their friends, and even the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz to take a simple walk into Mordor.
Throughout their four-season run from 2007 through 2015,Phineas and Ferbsolidified themselves as Disney Channel iconsto the point that they enjoyed crossovers with other shows on the network, likeMilo Murphy’s Law, along with the Mouse House’s big IPs, Marvel andStar Wars. Perhaps their most bizarre collaboration came withShaun of the Dead, whenSimon PeggandNick Frostreprized their iconic roles as Shaun and Ed in the middle of the Doofenshmirtz apocalypse in “Night of the Living Pharmacists.” Given how flexible the fantastical world of these two boys with seemingly infinite resources is, a crossover withThe Lord of the Ringsdoesn’t seem all that farfetched. Rather, Martella believes the show is set up perfectly for a story tying in withJ.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy series.
“The one that I would want to do the most, because we could do this over multiple parts, we could do this over 3 episodes. I want us to do aLord of the Ringscrossover,” the actor said to Kelley, adding, “I loveLord of the Rings, and that would be so cool.” When it came to deciding which characters would play iconic roles from the franchise, he had a few ideas already, considering how expansive the cast of the Disney series already is compared to the books andPeter Jackson’s beloved trilogy. There are hurdles, particularly with Amazon’s ongoing relationship forThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but it’s an idea he believes is too good to pass up:
“We have enough characters to fill out a fellowship, we have Buford and Baljeet and Isabella and Candace and Jeremy, and Doctor Doofenshmirtz makes a perfect Gollum. Like he is such a perfect Smeagol or Gollum, and I would love for us to do that. Obviously we can’t because Amazon owns the rights to Lord of the Rings now withRings of Power, but that would be one I would love to see. And we have the characters. We have enough pieces.”
Martella Would Love an Original ‘Phineas and Ferb’ Story Set in Middle-earth
As they continued talking about the logistics of sendingPhineas and Ferbto Middle-earth, Martella appreciated Kelly’s suggestion of making Danville’s town bully, Buford, play the axe-wielding dwarf Gimli while his frequent victim/protectee Baljeet becomes the Elven archer Legolas. “That would be perfect!” he exclaimed. “That’d be hysterical! Like, their dynamic is already so similar. I don’t know who would be who in that. I think Buford would probably be Gimli.” However, he also believes that what worked about their past crossover withStar Warswas that the characters weren’t just inserted in established parts, like in the case ofFamily Guy’s “Blue Harvest,” but carved out their own roles within the story ofStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
While he really likes the idea of reflectingthe relationships built among the Fellowshipto those of the kids in Danville, he sees a more original idea likePhineasand Ferb: Star Warspotentially working better. Instead of simply joining the journey to take the One Ring to Mount Doom, “It would have to be something that’s threatening the existence of summer,” for the brothers to get involved in the affairs of Middle-earth with Frodo and Samwise. Martella continued:
“Like, it would have to be tied in that way. But no, I love that in the Star Wars crossover too is that it’s all the things happening at the same time as the New Hope and so then you have like Isabella grabbing a drink with Han Solo, but they’re not on the same path. I thought that was a cool and very original way of doing it instead of just… Like I love this episode, but even when likeFamily Guydid Blue Harvest, it was a nice way to not do exactly that and to do something a little bit more original. But I do love that episode of Family Guy.”
Martella’s voice will be heard once again in thePhineas and Ferbrevival coming to the Disney Channel starting June 5. New episodes will arrive the day after on Disney+. Stay tuned here at Collider for more as the show nears its return.
