Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files

The irresistible premise of this popular Disney Channel animated series finds two brothers dedicating themselves to filling each day of their summer vacation with something imaginative and creative. Despite the title, Perry—the brothers' pet platypus, who is actually a secret agent—doesn't have a noticeably principal role in most of the seven episodes collected here, but no matter, as this is a nicely representative selection of cleverly written stories. In one, an adorable bunny is revealed to be a rival agent, while in another, the brothers create a transportive cell phone for their bratty sister. The ambitious “The Remains of the Platypus” unfolds backwards (like Harold Pinter's Betrayal) and boasts 100 puns on cheese to boot. In the grand tradition of Warner Bros. cartoons, as well as Rocky and Bullwinkle and SpongeBob SquarePants, the series does not condescend to its audience. In fact, youngsters will be hard-pressed to keep up with the riotous wordplay and self-referential asides, uttered primarily by the usually thwarted evil Doofenshmirtz. DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes look at the touring Platy-bus promotional vehicle, a faux PSA for the Organization Without a Cool Acronym (which basically serves as a Perry montage), and a bonus digital copy. Recommended. Aud: P. (D. Liebenson)