The Cuphead Show! trailer brings the retro-style video game to life for Netflix's animated series. The show is based on the 2017 run-and-gun video game Cuphead created by Chad and Jared Moldenhauer for Studio MDHR. The game focuses on two protagonists, Cuphead and his brother Mugman, who live on Inkwell Isle and end up in trouble with the devil and are forced to fight their way through multiple levels and boss battles to save the day. Cuphead is best-known for its retro-style animation that's an ode to the golden age of animation from the 1920s through the 1960s.
The Cuphead Show! was greenlit by Netflix for an animated show back in 2019 with Studio MDHR and the Moldenhauer brothers serving as Executive Producers for the series, which is being produced by Dave Wasson and Cosmo Segurson. The voice cast of the show consists of Tru Valentino (Cuphead), Frank Todaro (Mugman), Joe Hanna (Elder Kettle), Luke Millington-Drake (Devil), Grey Griffin (Ms. Chalice), and Wayne Brady (King Dice). The Cuphead franchise has been a popular, award-winning, multi-platform game for a while, and has expanded into comic books, merchandise, and DLC content, although a Cuphead game sequel has yet to be announced.
Netflix has released the first trailer for The Cuphead Show!, which highlights the retro-animation style of the game to great effect. Billed as a "character-driven comedy series" The Cuphead Show! follows the "misadventures of loveable, impulsive scamp Cuphead and his cautious but easily swayed brother Mugman." The 12-episode animated series, which runs 12 minutes per episode, combines "nostalgic delights, side-splitting gags, and a healthy dose of the heebie jeebies—especially when a ridiculously weird nemesis, The Devil himself, arrives on the scene to toy with our heroes." The trailer retains the spirit, style, and humor of the game, which has all the familiar faces, locales, etc. that fans would expect from a Cuphead show. Check out the trailer below:
Videogame adaptations are on the rise as of late, with multiple new adaptations debuting in 2022. On the film side, there are plenty of projects on the way, including Tom Holland's Uncharted, The Division starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Eli Roth's Borderlands, Metal Gear Solid with Oscar Issac, a Tomb Raider sequel starring Alicia Vikander, and a Super Mario Bros. movie from Nintendo. In addition to features, there are plenty of series adaptations to accompany The Cuphead Show!, including Paramount+'s Halo, Amazon's Mass Effect, as well as Fallout, with so many more in the works.
Animation fans are sure to be excited for The Cuphead Show! as it looks to honor the retro style that's made it so appealing to begin with. It's always a little tricky to adapt a video game as it takes away the player aspect. However, with Cuphead, the ode to 30s-style animation offers more of what makes it special, allowing the animation to stand on its own outside of gameplay. It's a tricky challenge for any video game adaptation, as the content has to stand on its own, but The Cuphead Show! looks like it will do just that. The Cuphead Show! debuts on February 18, 2022.
Source: Netflix