Cuphead-based animated series The Cuphead Show seems to be coming along nicely, as Netflix treats fans to a sneak peek at the upcoming cartoon.
In July 2019, Netflix announced that it would be producing an animated adaptation of the widely popular ultra-difficult platformer Cuphead. Studio MDHR co-founders Chad and Jared Moldenhauer—the minds behind the popular title—were brought on board as Executive Producers to oversee production.
Now, nearly a year later, the leading streaming service gave fans their first look at the cartoon in motion with a behind-the-scenes video that also features some of the show’s vocal talent and animators.
Netflix has yet to announce exactly when The Cuphead Show is set to air, though it’s likely to be sometime soon.
Take an inside peek at the intricate, nostalgic design of The Cuphead Show! pic.twitter.com/EF0kpAi973
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) June 26, 2020
A boatload of 1930s nostalgia
It’s no secret that cartoons from the 1930s inspired Cuphead, so it doesn’t come as much surprise that the 2D platformer would be making the leap to animated series. It’s a match made in heaven, after all.
Studio heads Chad and Jared Moldenhauer mainly based the game off the classic works of Fleischer and Walt Disney animated studios, which utilized “rubber hose animation”—an animation style where the characters’ limbs resembled rubber hoses, devoid of wrists and elbows.
The Cuphead Show doesn’t seem to mirror the retro 30’s aesthetic quite as closely as its video game inspiration, but it still looks like a lovably zany blast of nostalgia nonetheless.
Meet Oliver! (See what I did there? 👀) As you can see, I've been inspired by the rubber hose style, especially when it comes to Disney and Fleischer Studios. Rubber hose animation was so fluid and exaggerated, I loved it and still do.#Artist #2Dartist #Cartoon #Medibangpaint pic.twitter.com/9pjvjmZOeg
— Jadeaii (@jadeaii) June 24, 2020
Cuphead and Mugman’s gambling problems
The plot of the devilishly difficult video game revolved around the titular character Cuphead and his brother Mugman, who both enjoy nothing more than getting themselves into all sorts of mischief in the name of good fun.
One day, despite repeated warnings from their guardian Elder kettle, the duo decide to pay a visit to the Devil’s Casino for a game of craps.
As the brothers find themselves on a lucky streak, the Devil ups the ante by betting the entire fortune of his casino on the brothers’ next roll. In return, if the protagonists lose their next wager, the Devil would claim their souls.
Naturally, Cuphead and Mugman roll snake eyes, and proceed to plead for their lives. The Devil then offers them a deal, which involves the brothers tracking down “Soul Contracts” from escaped debtors by midnight the following day in exchange for their souls.
Cuphead is such a wonderful success story: The creators took a huge gamble and even mortaged their house to make Cuphead, got backing by Microsoft, the final product was a MONSTER hit with more DLC coming, a NETFLIX series, and NOW a spot in Super Smash Bros.
I love video games pic.twitter.com/L7MM3FOJcj
— Monkey D. Lenny (@MonkeyDLenny) January 17, 2020
It remains unclear whether or not Netflix‘s The Cuphead Show will be sticking closely to its source material, though it has been mentioned that that series would be aimed towards kids, which makes a few plot changes more than likely.
Featured image courtesy of CupheadShow/Twitter