Phil of the Future

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phil of the Future
Genre	Children's television series Situation comedy Science-fiction
Running time	22 minutes
Creator(s)	Tim Maile Douglas Tuber
Producer(s)	Fred Savage (Season 2)
Executive producer(s)	Tim Maile Douglas Tuber (season 1) Michael Curtis Roger S.H. Shulman (season 2)
Starring	Ricky Ullman as Phil Diffy Amy Bruckner as Pim Diffy Alyson Michalka as Keely Teslow Craig Anton as Lloyd Diffy Lise Simms as Barbara Diffy
Country of origin	United States
Original channel	Disney Channel
Original run	June 18, 2004–August 19, 2006
No. of episodes	43
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Phil of the Future was an American comedy children's television series that was produced by 2121 Productions (a part of Brookwell McNamara Entertainment). It debuted on June 18, 2004 on the Disney Channel, and ended on August 19, 2006.

Contents 1 Characters 2 Season 1 3 Season 2 3.1 Season 2 changes 3.2 Season 2 characters 3.3 Series Finale 4 Theme song 5 Trivia 6 Video Game 7 Gadgets Used in the TV Series 8 External links

[edit] Characters

• Phillip "Phil" Andrew Diffy (born 2106), played by Ricky Ullman: Phil Diffy is a teenage boy from the year 2121 who is stuck in our time period. He seems to be the most "in tuned" with how things work in this century. Phil frequently has to make up excuses to hide the fact that he is from the future. Phil has tons of futuristic gadgets; at least one is used in each episode of Phil of the Future. He spends most of his spare time with his best friend Keely Teslow, whom he seems to have a big crush on.

• Piama "Pim" Anne Diffy (born 2109), played by Amelia Ellen Bruckner: Pim Diffy is Phil's younger sister. Pim is a mischievous girl who is constantly up to no good. Pim tries to make Phil miserable whenever she can. She hangs out with a young boy "Lil' Danny" Dawkins. She also tries to avoid Debby Berwick, her self-proclaimed best friend, by finding ways to torture her. repeatedly in the show, she looks for ways to dominate the world. She is really mad at Debbie Berwick for being happy all the time. Pim is especially known for liking to pull pranks on people (especially Phil, her brother, and Debbie Berwick.) She has pulled pranks on her vice principal, Mr. Hackett, as well; an example being the episode where she made him believe that she was psychic. Pim is also known to be always trying to take over the world and the universe. One time, in an attempt to take over school (her first step for her plan to take over the world), she convinced everyone Mr. Hackett was a liar by using her Wizard. Because of her scheme, she became principal for a day instead of Mr. Hackett. Then, with the help of Lil Danny, she ran him out of the school. However, Phil and Keely (and Lil Danny, who felt bad) caused an angry mob to get things back to normal. Even though Pim often causes trouble for Phil, and has a tough attitude, she also cares about her brother but keeps it hidden most of the time. Pim's archrivals are Candida and The Fashion Zombies. They are constantly mocking Pim's fashion sense and call her 'Pimple'.

• Keely Lisa Teslow (born 1989), played by Alyson Renae Michalka: Keely Teslow is Phil's best friend/girlfriend. She is the only person who knows Phil and his family are from the future. Keely Teslow is an energetic and bubbly girl who aspires to be a reporter, she reveals in the episode My Way that she secretly wanted to be a singer but that notion seems to disappear after that one episode. She seems to have a crush on Phil, which Phil seems to share; although neither will admit it until the series finale "Back to the Future" where they decide to be a couple and start a relationship. She sometimes uses Phil's gadgets as a shortcut for schoolwork. She is notable on the show for her numerous hairstyles and colorful clothes. Early in the series Keely wanted to become a popstar, but she suffered from stage fright and hid her performing ambitions by claiming that she wanted to be a cat psychologist. She performed several songs early in the run of the show, but eventually her singing career was set aside and she currently aspires to be a reporter. In the later episodes of the show, she hosts her own, daily news program on the school's closed circuit broadcasting system. She begins her broadcasts by announcing, "And now... LIVE, with Keely Teslow, I'm Keely Teslow," and her program is, in fact, entitled, "LIVE: With Keely Teslow: I'm Keely Teslow." In the episode The Giggle, she gets to look ahead at her own future and she learns that she does become a successful news reporter. It is implied throughout the series that Keely and Phil are strongly attracted to each other, but they remain just friends until the series finale, Back to the Future, in which they become a couple just before Phil learns his family is returning to the future. Phil promises to wait for Keely in the future; he points out that in the 22nd century she will be "really, really old," but quickly adds that that won't matter. (In fact, Keely would be well over 100, making it somewhat unlikely she would even be alive in Phil's time. In The Giggle it is hinted that Keely will get married, so unless Phil ended up going back in time, it seems likely Keely eventually marries somebody else.) Other friends of Keely include: Tia, Seth, Olivia (Via), and Owen.

• Lloyd Michael Diffy (born 2083), played by Craig Ward Anton: Lloyd Diffy is Phil's goofy dad, who is working on repairing the time machine. Although in the last episode, Pim easily fixed the time machine and realized that her father wanted them to stay because he knew everyone was happy here. He was an engineer in 2121, and loves "older music". He is paranoid about the government figuring out he and his family are from the future. He currently works at the Mantis hardware store.

• Barbara Louise Speckle Diffy (born 2085), played by Elisabeth Caroline Simms: Barbara Speckle-Diffy is Phil's mom. She is very good at communicating with her kids, and they often consult her in situations in which they need advice. She is sweet and kind. Unlike other mothers though, Barbara seems to let her kids figure things out on their own, and she can't cook food, but loves to cook the old fashion way, although that never works out without something being wrong in the food, (a plot device used to parody the sitcom moms who are excellent cooks) because in 2121 they spray food out of a can.

[edit] Season 1

Phil Diffy, with his family, Pim, his sister, Barbara, his mom, and Lloyd, his father, are from the year 2121. One day they rent a time machine from Marty's Used Time Machines and Water Slide, for vacation and due to an accident they are stuck in the Christmas of the year 2003, and then progresses throughout natural time. The family must adjust to life in the early 21st century while making sure that no one finds out they're from the future, hoping one day Lloyd will find all the missing parts to the time machine and they can go back home to the year 2121. Phil has a best friend named Keely Teslow who is the only person who knows his secret.

Episodes usually revolve around Phil and Keely. A secondary plot involving Pim is also shown in the episodes.

[edit] Season 2

The second season of Phil of the Future continued the scenario of the Diffy family being stranded in the past. However, the show's focus shifted to focusing on Phil Diffy and Keely Teslow's relationship and the foreshadowing of a romantic relationship between the two friends.

Some of the major episodes in season two have included: "The Giggle" (Phil uses a futuristic search engine to see Keely's future), "Virtu-Date" (Phil gets jealous of a robot when he and Keely go on a virtual reality date), "Get Ready to Go-Go" (Phil and Keely finally go to the school dance), "Stuck in the Meddle With You" (Keely tries to hook up two of her classmates), and "Back to the Future" (Phil and his family go back to the future just as Phil and Keely decide to be a couple).

[edit] Season 2 changes

Season 2 deals less with the futuristic gadgets and Phil trying to blend in, but more emphasis on Phil and Keely's friendship turning into something more, and trying to get back to the future. Spearheading the new direction was a new creative crew, including Michael Curtis (Friends) and Roger S. H. Schulman (Shrek) as Executive Producers.

The Season 1 characters consist of Tia, played by Brenda Song (Keely's friend), Seth Wosmer (Phil's friend), Debbie Berwick, played by Kay Panabaker (Pim's perky nemesis), and Bradley Benjamin Farmer, who are no longer on the cast for Season 2.

[edit] Season 2 characters

The second season adds new characters, who show up less than the characters from the first season, including: smooth-talker Owen, British and all-knowing Via, Pim's new sidekick, Lil' Danny Dawkins ( who has a huge crush on Pim,) and her enemies, The Fashion Zombies who were led by Candida, played by Spencer Locke.

There is also larger emphasis on J.P. Manoux's character, Vice-principal Neil Hackett in Season 2, but less with his other character, Curtis the Caveman.

Also the second season featured a brand new opening credits sequence. In addition, Michael Curtis (Friends) and Roger S.H. Schulman (Living Single) were brought in as executive producers.

[edit] Series Finale

The series finale, Back to the Future(Not The Movie), first aired on August 19, 2006.

Phil and Keely finally start dating. However, Pim discovers that Lloyd knew how to fix the time machine for a while but has chosen not to tell the family due to their happiness in the current century. Pim fixes it herself right before Lloyd's eyes. Eventually Phil tells Keely that he is leaving, and Keely walks away crying. Once they begin the journey back to 2121, they cannot travel back in time because of a new law called the "Thanks to the Diffys Law". The entire family, including Pim, individually choose to destroy the time engine, but Phil stops them because he doesn't want them to sacrifice their future lives for him and Keely. The Diffys leave, and at first they leave right as Keely is running to the time machine to say goodbye, and she sits down on the ground and cries. However, Phil convinces Lloyd to turn the time machine around, and they arrive back in time for Phil to meet Keely. He kisses her and she kisses him back, right while she's doing the school news and then he returns to the time machine. After a while, the family realizes that they have left Curtis back in the present, and Lloyd reluctantly throws the time machine into reverse to pick him up.

[edit] Theme song

The title theme song for Phil of the Future was written by John Adair and Steve Hampton. It was sung by Loren Ellis and The Drew Davis Band [1], who also sang the theme song of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

[edit] Trivia

• The series working title was going to be "The Out of Timers" but was later reworked to "Phil of the Future."
• Wilder Shaw was originally going to play the role of Phil Diffy.
• Phil Diffy's character was supposed to be age 12 instead of 15 and 16.
• Phil's working name was going to be Felix Diffy.
• The series was created and executive produced by Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile (Lizzie McGuire).
• The name of the school Phil and Pim go to is called Herbert G. Wells High School. Herbert G. Wells, better known as H.G. Wells, was the author of the book The Time Machine. This may be a joke, as the Diffys arrive in present-day in a time machine.
• At the beginning of the series, Lloyd tells Pim and Phil that they'd be in the seventh and ninth grades. Later on, it's stated that the school they go to is H.G. Wells Junior/Senior High a combined Junior High and Senior High School found in many small towns.
• The picture of the school in "Back to the Future"looks like the one in (Lizzie McGuire)

• In the final episode (when Lloyd fixes the time machine), Barbara tells Pim that she cannot be near a time machine during "flux" (start-up). However, in the end, Keely chases after Phil and is about ten feet away from the time machine when it starts. Nothing happens to her.
• On August 13, 2004, Disney aired a Blast from the Past special. They premiered the episodes Future Tutor, Future Jock, and You Say Toe-Mato. Each of these episodes were one of the first ones filmed. They also took place before Keely found out Phil was from the future in You Say Toe-Mato.

[edit] Video Game

Phil has a new adventure in his video game "Phil of the Future", which is published by Buena Vista Games.

[edit] Gadgets Used in the TV Series

• DNA Scrambler - Manipulates the DNA of the person it is used on
• Dress-Me Hoop - Used to automatically dress a person when he or she goes through it
• Holographic Tracking Sensor - Can be used to track a subject
• I Want Straight Hair - Makes frizzy, messy hair instantly neat
• Insta Morph - Morphs the appearance of the subject into that of another. (As seen in "Not-So Great-Great-Grandpa")
• Invisi-Spray - Used to make someone invisible
• Laser Squash - A futuristic version of handball
• New-Ager - Can make objects look and/or act older or younger (Such as people or plants)
• Omnimatic Grabifiers - Works as a laser operated gripping device, used for climbing
• Penny Missile - Springing clip
• Replicator - Replicates (or clones) the subject
• Skyak - A futuristic flying vehicle, which resembles a jet-ski
• Spray Food Cans - Spray cans that make any kind of food
• The Giggle - A futuristic version of the internet that can view the future
• Time Machine - A vehicle for traveling through time. Has the external appearance of an early 21st century motorhome, but a futuristic internal appearance (as seen in the episode Back to the Future(Not The Movie)).
• Virtu-Goggles - Strap-on goggles that lets people view and experience a virtual reality world
• Wizard - Can perform multiple functions
• Brain Switcher - Changes the consciousness of two people so they are in each other's body

[edit] External links

• Save Phil of The Future
• "Brookwell McNamara Entertainment"
• Phil of the future RPG

Disney Channel Original Series (2000 - present)

Television series:

American Dragon: Jake Long • Brandy and Mr. Whiskers • The Buzz on Maggie • Cory in the House • Dave the Barbarian • The Emperor's New School • Even Stevens • Hannah Montana • Kim Possible • Lilo & Stitch: The Series • Lizzie McGuire • Phil of the Future • The Proud Family • The Replacements • The Suite Life of Zack & Cody • That's So Raven