Season one of The Cuphead Show will be released on Netflix on February 18, 2022.
The Cuphead
Show is a fun, surreal, and chaotic animated series based on the popular and
beloved video game, blending classic animation techniques with a modern technology of displaying media. And while Cuphead fans may miss the iconic guns from the game and
may wish for a more faithful adaptation of the story, the series still delivers
a lot of fun, with a focus on memorable characters, hilarious scenarios, and
great animation, this animated series proves that ARCANE success wasn't a
coincidence, and that Netflix is making the video game-based works we've
always dreamed of.
Based on
the award-winning video game Cuphead, and drawing inspiration from Robert House
graphics from the 1930s, including the works of the Fleischer brothers and the
Silly Symphony movies, The Cuphead Show takes place on the magical island of
Inkwell and tells the story of the Cuphead brothers ’’True Valentino’’- and
Mugman ‘’Frank T-Todaro’’, who engage
in an amazing journey that is becoming increasingly absurd and dangerous.
The first
season consists of 12 episodes, each lasting about 11 minutes, which is unusual
in the scene of anime series on broadcast networks today. The episodes are
completely independent of each other, and focus on the short, bizarre
events that Cuphead and Mugman have as they procrastinate on chores. The
only exception is a two-part episode that follows the season's overarching
story: Cuphead accidentally owes his soul to Satan (you read that right, Satan
is a real character here, and lol he is hilarious character. Although there isn't a lot of
sequential action and therefore no need or incentive to watch the series in one
sitting, the fun scenarios and memorable banter between the two brothers make
it very easy to keep watching the next episode.
On the other hand, while The Cuphead Show features Depression-era cartoon-inspired style, I can assure you that it's not a show full of gloom and doom. Of course there's a melancholic feel to the era, which you can't escape when the main villain is Satan himself, but the show's sense of humor is more modern. Exaggerated facial expressions, great sense of humor, and surreal characters make this series more Animaniacs style, one foot in the present and one firmly in the past. For example, there's an episode dedicated to Cuphead and Mugman tending to a baby's milk bottle that's been placed on their doorstep, before realizing that the baby is a maniac who loves to cause them pain and destruction, which is similar to the opening movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit with Baby Hermann, but with less harsh jokes….
Of course, The Cuphead Show's main attraction is its ANIMATION, and luckily it manages to live up to expectations on this front. Although the drawings are more polished compared to the game, it still manages to impress, mixing old techniques with new technology and offering anime fans plenty of great scenes and references that rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. The series features everything from a dance reminiscent of Betty Boop's iconic 1932 Minnie the Moocher to an entire episode honoring Silly Symphony's The Skeleton Dance, pieced together using fantasmagorical imagery and stereoscopic shots. Using real figurines with 2D animated characters to create an exotic atmosphere.
Of course,
the grotesqueness and silliness of these '30s animations have been toned down a
bit to appeal to modern audiences, but Rober House style of animation and drawings
are very present in the way the characters act with rope limbs. Whether you're
a fan of Fleischer comics, or even series based on them like Ren and Stimpy,
Animaniacs or SpongeBob, The Cuphead Show is a love letter to them, and if
you're completely new to the genre, the series still offers plenty of laughs
and unforgettable characters. And brilliant optics.
The Cuphead Show captures the essence of the popular game:
And while
you might watch The Cuphead Show for animation, it's the lovable, memorable
characters that make the show worth watching, making the Inkwell Islands a
place to explore. It's so interesting to watch the fraternal relationship
between Cuphead and Mugman, as they clearly care for each other, but also care
so much about having fun that they may leave each other to lose their souls to
the devil while they are distracted by the carnival game activities.
The season
also features Ms. Chalice, a character who will appear in the game's next DLC,
has already made her mark as the perfect opponent for the two brothers. But the
best of them all is Elder Kettle (Joe Hannah), a father who loves his two sons
but can't get a single moment of peace amid all the chaos. The show's voice
acting is so perfect, Todaro and Valentino capture the essence and energy of
their characters, and Hana adds just the right amount of seriousness to these
hilariously silly adventures.
Conclusion :
The Cuphead
Show captures the essence of the popular game, giving fans old and new a
surreal, exhilarating, chaotic and fun animation with unforgettable characters
and stunning graphics. After Arcane and Castlevania, this series joins
Netflix's hugely successful list of series based on computer consol games.
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