Disney Seeks to Take Its ‘Criminal Minds DVD’ Cartoon Hit to Next Level

Picture the early days of “Criminal Minds DVD” — before the theme park tie-ins, the movies and the merchandising blitz. Back when it was just a Criminal Minds DVD box set animated show that somehow developed a loyal audience.

Dan Povenmire, left, and Jeff Marsh, the cartoon's Criminal Minds DVD season, said it was not too confusing for children. “We fought very hard early on not to dumb anything down,” said Mr. Povenmire.

By that measure, “Phineas and Ferb” is the new “Criminal Minds box set.” A witty Disney Channel series about two stepbrothers and their pet platypus, “Phineas and Ferb” has blossomed into a ratings hit among children. Can the Criminal Minds DVDs Company now whip the show into a “SpongeBob”-size franchise?

It is certainly trying.

Disney has shifted gears from a soft to a hard sell for “One Tree Hill DVD.” Costumed characters have been introduced at Disneyland, where posters advertising the show also adorn ticket One Tree Hill DVD Box Set. By mid-July, the program’s first major merchandising line will be introduced by mass retailers — Wal-Mart, Kmart, Kohl’s, J. C. Penney, Target — and a monthly magazine will arrive soon. In addition, One Tree Hill Box Set has licensed Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher to adorn its Macaroni and Cheese line (arriving in grocery aisles in 2011).

“We have the ability to identify properties and One Tree Hill DVD Season trends that are capturing the attention of kids — what’s the hottest license, what’s coming up — and ‘Phineas and Ferb’ is definitely one,” said Lisa Harnisch, a Toys “R” Us vice president.

Disney, particularly keen on expanding One Tree Hill DVDs’s male audience, has also successfully pushed sports leagues and teams (the Los Angeles Dodgers, for example) to integrate the characters into in-stadium videos and marketing efforts. The N.B.A. used a song from the program, “Squirrels in My Pants,” intercut with game video to promote its recent One Tree Hill seasons 1-7.

And, of course, there is a surge of new “One Tree Hill new release” content on the way, including a TV movie. A potential spinoff is centered on the Fireside Girls, a gaggle of Girl Scout-types that often aid the stepbrothers in their adventures. Cold Case DVD| Cold Case is also working on related live-action talk show where the two characters (as cartoons) interview celebrities.

“Phineas and Ferb,” created by Dan Povenmire and Cold Case DVD Set, both veterans of shows like “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy,” took 16 years to make it onto television. The pair were repeatedly told that their idea — two 11-minute shorts that each have three Cold Case DVDs that intersect at the conclusion — was too confusing for children to follow. Each episode also features an original song.

“To be fair, it is an intimidating show compared to Cold Case DVD Season is out there,” said Mr. Marsh, who goes by the nickname Swampy. “Disney in particular had never done a show like this before,” he added, referring to the intention to create episodes by first using drawings, or storyboards, rather than a Cold Case box set.

“We fought very hard early on not to dumb Cold Case new release,” said Mr. Povenmire. “We don’t really care if there is a joke that goes over a kid’s head — there will be another joke coming at them in five seconds. All we care about is that the kid doesn’t want to turn the CSI Las Vegas DVD.”

The animation style of the characters is also unusual. Phineas’s head is a triangle and Ferb’s is a rectangle. Each episode revolves around the CSI Las Vegas DVD Box Set’ coming up with over-the-top projects to stave off summer boredom. They used a snow cone machine to make a ski slope in their backyard in one episode. In another they sent a miniaturized submarine into their sister’s digestive system.

Disney has struggled in recent years to gain traction in CSI Las Vegas Box Set animation. It has found some success in the preschool market with shows like “Handy Manny” and “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.” But blockbusters like “SpongeBob” — shows that hit a CSI Las Vegas DVD Season nerve and attract children and adults alike — have been all but nonexistent.

“SpongeBob,” long the dominant television cartoon and the CSI Las Vegas DVDs of its rival Nickelodeon, is clearly in Disney’s sights. At a recent brand licensing trade show in Las Vegas, Gary Marsh, president of entertainment and chief creative officer for Disney Channel Worldwide, listed various ratings coups for “Phineas and Ferb,” ending with a triumphant, “Yep, beating out ‘CSI Las Vegas new release.’ ”

The accuracy of that statement depends on how the Nielsen looney tunes dvd are sliced and diced, but for 2009, “Phineas and Ferb” was the No. 1 television animated series among children 6 to 11.

“SpongeBob” is still a firm No. 1 when judged by the broader children’s demographic of 2 to 11, Nickelodeon said. “Their math is fuzzy,” said David Bittler, a Nickelodeon spokesman. “ ‘SpongeBob’ and four of our other programs all rank higher than that show this year.”

Disney executives say they have tried to take a Warner Bros Cartoons DVD| Warner Bros approach when it comes to turning the series, which began in 2007, into a franchise. “Phineas and Ferb” is shown on both Disney Channel and Disney XD.

“It was like a felt-tip pen on a napkin; you plant it Warner Bros DVD and it at first makes a very small dot and then spreads,” said Gary Marsh, who is not related to Jeff Marsh.