![]() ![]() Complete with the addition of era-appropriate artifacts like digitally created dust and noise, these tools help create a stunning look for The Cuphead Show This gives the illusion that the brothers are walking through that space and then they merge back into the 2D animation. ![]() The graveyard was recreated using live-action miniatures and then transferred into the animation. One of the best examples of this technique comes in the episode “Ghosts Ain’t Real,” where Cuphead and Mugman take a curious shortcut through the graveyard. The Cuphead Show uses a stereoscopic process where the 2D characters will occasionally move through live-action sets. Using techniques created by Fleischer Studios and moving them into a digital workflow, art director Andrea Fernandez and the team at Lighthouse Studios have made a compelling facsimile. But there are ways the form has been updated, too. It’s essential to consider this troubling historical context when engaging with this particular expression of the art style. It’s easy to find where The Cuphead Show took inspiration from that Silly Symphony series, because shorts like 1929’s “The Skeleton Dance” and 1935’s “Music Land” are either recreated outright or can be seen in the character designs. Disney wasn’t immune from these racist suggestions in their art, as it also appeared in their groundbreaking animation for their Silly Symphony series of shorts. The Cuphead Show never engages with the racist history of the art form, but according to Unwinnable’s Yussef Cole, “Cuphead’s imagery of gambling, heaven and hell for its setting… employs images and tropes that were established originally to make moral statements about the lazy and savage blacks of Harlem and their sinful ‘jungle music.’” Animation in this era commonly used racial stereotypes for easy laughs. Fleischer Studios was responsible for some of the more iconic characters of the 1930s, including Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor cartoons these shorts focused on dark humor, adult elements, and sexuality. When developing the characters and art for the videogame, Studio MDHR was heavily inspired by the cartoons by Fleischer Studios and Disney. It’s a striking throwback that transports viewers almost 100 years into the past. Like the game, the biggest draw to The Cuphead Show is the animation. One of the overarching plots comes from the two interacting with the series’ main antagonist, the Devil (Luke Millington-Drake), to whom Cuphead owes his soul-but he’s not going to give it up easily. Over the course of the 12-episode first season, Cuphead and Mugman get into numerous dilemmas with predictable results. Many of the antics the boys get up to involve their behavior and not upsetting their guardian, Elder Kettle (Joe Hanna). Our heroic twosome Cuphead (Tru Valentino) and Mugman (Frank Todaro) are heavily influenced by traditional comedy duos, and their mannerisms and sensibilities have been repeated throughout countless cartoons from Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to Ren & Stimpy: Cuphead is the troublemaker, while Mugman is more reserved and hesitant. The Cuphead Show has the tall task of innovating rather than being an empty homage, and it doesn’t often hit the mark-at least in terms of its story. Beyond the ability to build out the world, there is a much simpler reason that Cuphead made an ideal candidate to transition into a cartoon: its 1930s art style already borrows heavily from the animation of a bygone era. The new animated series The Cuphead Show! presents an opportunity to expand upon the videogame and bring to life a stable of unique characters. Now, as the streamer continues to dig into a potent library of videogames for adaptation, they have teamed up with Studio MDHR to bring beloved run-and-gun action game, Cuphead, to life. Last year, Netflix produced one of the most highly acclaimed videogame TV series to date, Arcane, based on the popular League of Legends franchise. ![]()
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