Animation genius: Dan Povenmire

DAN POVENMIRE (CREATOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "PHINEAS AND FERB"), JEFF "SWAMPY" MARSH (CREATOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "PHINEAS AND FERB")

Doofenshmirtz

Dan Povenmire is best known as the co-creator of hit US animated series Phineas and Ferb. He's also had success as an animator and director on iconic shows SpongeBob SquarePants, Family Guy, Hey Arnold! and The Simpsons. As if this wasn't enough, he also finds the time to voice Phineas and Ferb's arch nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz. I caught up with Hollywood's “nutty professor” during his visit to Paris.

FERB, PHINEAS

Who are Phineas and Ferb? Where did the idea come from?

Phineas and Ferb are two step-brothers who are trying to make the absolute most of every single day of their summer vacation. They wanted to say “when we get back to school we should have something spectacular to tell people that we did.”

Tell us something about the show…

Phineas and Ferb have a pet platypus who is a secret agent battling Doctor Doofenshmirtz – an evil scientist. The basic idea of the show is that whatever they are doing, somehow Mom never sees it.

It’s like a science show isn’t it?

Yes, sometimes. We get a lot of blogs talking about how we sing songs about physics. Swampy [series co-creator Swampy Marsh] and I are science geeks.

Did you get into trouble in your own childhood?

Myself and Swampy both had very creative families. We were always doing some project somewhere with my friends... sometimes silly or dangerous things!

What will Phineas and Ferb be doing next?

In an upcoming episode Phineas and Ferb go into the sewers to look for an escaped alligator. And their sister Candace actually wrestles the alligator!

Why is music so important to you?

I feel like music is the closest thing you can get to immortality. Kids who are now on YouTube will always remember the song Squirrels in My Pants from Phineas and Ferb. There’ll be singing those songs when I’m long gone.

Is it more complicated to make a show with original songs?

Yes but it also makes it more fun. We try to make the show visually funny. There are big sections of the show that you can watch with the sound down but you would still laugh. That makes it a cartoon and not illustrated radio. The Simpsons is illustrated radio: if you turn the picture off you can still understand what’s going on. In Bugs Bunny, if you turn the sound down, you understand what’s going on. We’re somewhere in the middle.

Is there pressure on you when you create a show and was it difficult to get the show made?

There’s definitely pressure on us because it’s our show. Most shows I’ve worked on have become successful despite the studio’s view of the show. With SpongeBob the studio was apathetic. They didn’t know what a hit they had yet. Family Guy became successful despite hostility towards the show. The studio tried to kill it: they cancelled it for three years. Phineas and Ferb has been a singular experience: the studio has been behind it 110 per cent since the pilot. Their enthusiasm for it has contributed to everybody seeing it.

Why choose to do a show about step-brothers? And why is Ferb British?

Ferb wasn’t always going to be British. The fact there is a British character makes it interesting and it sets up the fact that he is a step-brother. We wanted step-brothers because Swampy comes from a big blended family. He calls his stepdad “Sev”, for Seven. We felt like that was something that was really unrepresented in kids’ TV. We had to have meetings about whether or not we could say the word “divorce” in the show. Everyone said “what if the kids’ parents are going through a divorce?” We said “no, it’s going to make them feel more normal”. Now we receive letters from parents saying “thanks for doing a show with a blended family. It helped our kids feel more normal”.

First published on Wordpress. Photo: Disney.