Is this animation for everyone? – review of “The Cuphead Show”

A different story, characters well implemented

The title of The Cuphead Show! has been translated into our native language (Polish = Filuś and Kubuś which means Cuphead and Mugman) in an articulate manner. Filuś and Kubuś are the names of the two main characters and the native name of their adventures. The adaptation of the game called Cuphead in its story is modeled only on the characters. The story is changed, but it has retained some climaxes. The main one is the topic of the theft of Filuś’s soul, which appears in the series as well as in the game. Of course, for other reasons. Such a change was a plus for the series, because it could start to follow the fairy tale structure of the 1930s, and in addition, it kept well-created characters. We will not only find the heroes from the game here, but the entire surreal bestiary of the Inkwell Islands.

The adventures of Filuś and Kubuś are painful. Oh, not very bright boys, resembling a mug and a cup, live with their grandfather Dzban and get into the most humorous trouble. At the end of each episode, of course due to all sorts of incidents, the brothers avoid their problems and return, as befits young people, to their home. The series consists of twelve episodes, each of which lasts an average of thirteen minutes. With each new adventure, the heroes forget about the previous ones, not counting the main plot, i.e. the stolen soul of Filuś. This allows the creators to make huge references to the 1930s. The best example is that Filuś and Kubuś are broken into pieces at the end of one episode, and in the next, if nothing else, continue their lives. Cuphead and Mugman, because that’s what they are called in the English version, they are exaggerated and camp characters to infinite might. And very good, because thanks to this, the older viewer will be able to immediately notice what he is dealing with, and the younger one will be able to laugh at these strange situations. Anyway, each character from the Inkwell Islands is an archetype of their actions and refers to the oldest Disney animations. If it has already appeared as bad, it will be bad to the end.

Cuphead ethics are not good for children

If we are talking about the target group, I have the impression that the creators aimed to please everyone. I think adults will actually be happy with the kind of animation and jokes she presents, but here I will focus on the little ones. As for the story, it’s simple, so I think they’ll understand it.

There are no scary moments in the series, except for some transformations of the Devil at the end of the story. The antagonist turns into various creatures, and this can scare the youngest and cause several nightmares in their heads. But this is probably the beauty of this type of fairy tale. There must be such a scene by now, and that’s it. I fear the message more than scary scenes. Filuś and Kubuś in each episode make a bit of trouble. They get into huge trouble, and although at first glance the solution to their problem might be simply to be someone virtuous and good, the situation is different. It is ALWAYS chance that the brothers run away from problems. Not because of a sharp mind, not because of a positive attitude, but because of coincidences. In this regard, the highlight of the episode is the one where heroes steal property data from other characters with their childlike charm. I just don’t know if such plot solutions will not affect the development of the youngest in some negative way. Especially since the animation and lines are so well done that they will invite everyone to the TV sets.

Back to the past – wonderful animation and beautiful music

The 1930s. Walt Disney brings his short Mickey Mouse animations to life. In Poland, of course, we did not experience this breakthrough, but watching The Cuphead Show! , you can pretend to feel like you are in the past. Or just discover something potentially new. The style of animation is beautiful, it refers to both those times and newer ones. The most important thing, apart from the smooth movements and funny noises, is of course the slight effect of the stereoscopic light. It is supposed to refer to how films or cartoons were made in the past. It lit up and shifted the pictures to make it look as if it was in motion. It is wonderful because it adds charm to the story and shows what would happen if someone made a fairy tale from the 1930s in the 21st century.

The sound is also amazing. Drums, jazz trumpets, saxophones, pianos – they all play, move and, best of all, if we immerse ourselves in history, it seems as if it was part of the narrative world. And finally, the most important – beautiful musical numbers. Regardless of the fact that they are simply a reference to Disney’s fairy tales , they fit perfectly into the characters who are making them at the moment. Luke Millington-Drake played the role of the Devil very well, and his musical performance will probably be on my radio for a long time. This is how I imagine the animated Devil from the Inkwell Islands, the perfect casting. The songs in the Polish version are decent, although in my opinion they lack typical American accents.

Story not always for everyone, i.e. a matter of Polish dubbing

Filuś i Kubuś seriesI watched half of it in English and the other half in Polish. I would like to point out right away that the Polish version is worse than the English one, but only in general terms. Polish voice actors played their roles well. They even interested me with their jokes. There will be a lot of references to Polish culture here, and this is a big plus. There are more disadvantages. First of all, I had the impression that English dubbing had the effect of old fairy tales. I mean the quality of the recording. I haven’t experienced anything like that in the Polish version, it sounds simply crystal clear. The most important, however, are puns, which are missing in the Polish version. Many ambiguous jokes are fading away, and while it is possible they are trying to catch up with Polish ones, there really are far too few of them. Interestingly, our native version lacked jokes about a destroyed family. I do not know why,

Short, concise and to the point, but without speed

The Cuphead Show is first mentioned ! appeared right after the premiere of Cuphead . The next ones only in 2020. We had to wait a long time for the adaptation of the computer game that was released in 2017. Once we were done, we got one main unfinished story along with a huge amount of side plots. On the one hand, it was a positive move. This allowed the creators to present the product to a larger group of people and analyze the interest in such animations.

On the other hand, people who are fans of the computer game may be a little dissatisfied. They waited a long time for some kind of continuation of the story, and they got short stories that do not come together too much. When assessing this creation as a separate product, it is worth adding that these are short stories built with heart and love. A gargantuan amount of work has been put into production, and you can feel it. Everything is perfectly animated, and the simple structure of the story will try to reach the oldest with nostalgia and jokes, and the youngest – with interesting solutions and beautiful animation.