In 2009, Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment, purportedly to tap into a wider “boy” audience, as most Disney properties (i.e. the various Princesses) skewed to a “girl” fan base. Then last fall, the House of Mouse added Lucasfilm to its portfolio and immediately announced plans to release a slew of new Star Wars movies and TV shows. In addition, even before purchasing Lucasfilm, Disney had released a number of toys and other merchandising re-imagining their flagship characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. dressed as the main heroes and villains from Star Wars. But so far, we have not seen any Disney/Marvel hybrids… until now!
On Friday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m., ‘Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel’ will air on the Disney Channel, combining its popular cartoon series with some of the biggest names in Marvel Comics. Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man and Thor find themselves in Danville, robbed of their powers by the series regular villain, the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz. While the heroes turn to Phineas and Ferb for help, Dr. Doofenshmirtz allies himself with the Red Skull, Whiplash, Venom and M.O.D.O.K.
Eric Coleman, senior vp original series at Disney Television Animation, stated, “The Marvel series and ‘Phineas and Ferb’ both feature strong, memorable characters and compelling stories for kids and families alike, and we’re excited to present their great match-up to Disney Channel and Disney XD viewers this summer.”
Jeph Loeb, head of marvel Television, elaborated, “This is a real Marvel Super Hero operation. It’s an extraordinary opportunity for these two franchises to come together and create an adventure never before seen in the world of Marvel and Disney.”
After the August 14th debut, the episode will be available for download on iTunes, Amazon and Microsoft Xbox on Aug. 17th, and will then be re-aired on August 24th on Disney XD, which is the home of the existing “Marvel Universe” block of animated programing (currently ‘Avengers: The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes‘ and ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’, soon to be replaced by “Avengers Assemble” and “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.“). In addition, Disney will introduce an online video game at DisneyChannel.com/MissionMarvel on July 26th and will air daily episodes of ‘Phineas and Ferb.’
Are you a fan of Phineas and Ferb? What do you think about them meeting the Marvel Super Heroes and Villains? What other Disney/Marvel mashups would you like to see? Leave a comment below!
