Why Cuphead Looks So God Damn Good 

"While the works of Winsor Mcay were instrumental milestones in the development of animation, they weren't and aren't the most compelling pieces of entertainment. But, in 1928 one person was about to change that. And that man was Walt Disney...'s BEST FRIEND UB IWERX!" YES! YES! PATCH, I COULD KISS YOU RIGHT NOW! I'M AN ANIMATION STUDENT, AND THIS DISTINCTION IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT AND EVERYBODY GETS IT WRONG.

The achievement for beating the game is called Swing You Sinners, as if the inspiration wasn't obvious enough.

So glad that the game got popular.The developers risked so much for this masterpiece that they would be fucked if the game didn't sell well

Everyone talks about the art style, but I think the music is almost as much of a rebirth of an important genre into the public eye.

Something that should be noted is that cuphead is not as depressing or disturbing because of one of its endings. Where most cartoons of that era that I've seen end on a really dark note of characters going to hell and what not, cuphead ends with you defeating the devil, ending his casino Business, and freeing all of the souls you collected. A thematic (I hope I used that word correctly) touch that only could have happened AFTER the Great Depression ended and the economy got better.

It never ceases to amaze me on how you can create some videos with topics I've never heard of or have little to no interest in, and yet every single one of them are so well researched and executed that it grabs my attention and keeps me glued to the screen for the entirety of the video. You sir are a saint to this platform that I've felt has been devoid of originality and quality content for so long, and I'd like to thank you for bringing these long lost aspects back.

Why doesn’t anyone talk more about Max Fleischer and his studio when talking about cuphead? He gets mentioned but then people talk about Disney for the majority of the time. I’d say Fleischer studio inspired this game more than any other, just look at the movements that mimic bimbo or Betty and the 3D models in the background from Popeye. When I look at cuphead I automatically think Fleischer studios so it’s a shame more people don’t give credit where credit is due. As grand as Disney was he made sure he came out on top when it came to animation so when Fleischer studios was closed Max was also forgotten. I’m still hopeful more people remember how important Max was, as an inventor and a pioneer when it comes to animation.

I remember first seeing this game when I walked in on my cousin playing it. I was instantly mesmerized and wanted to know all about it. Old school animation rocks so hard and knowing that this exists really warms my heart.

I'm disappointed people still associate animation, well Western animation, with being childish and immature. You see this even in Western animations aimed at adults, which are purposefully made with childish qualities out of fear no one will watch them. Looking at the example set by series like Avatar, and to no lesser extent anime, it doesn't need to be childish; we're holding the medium back by keeping it this way, not "protecting the childrens" or anything silly like that.

Not to get off topic but how come everytime a game thats actually difficult comes along it is immediately compared to Dark Souls? The souls series may be known for challenging and very unforgiving gameplay but that doesn't mean that it's innovative for doing it. People made the same comparison when the crash bandicoot trilogy was remade.

If cuphead uses his head as a shot glass, does he get drunk?

I never was that great a fan of Disney until I began to watch Walt Disney's animations from this period back in 2012. The surreal nature and expression in every frame really caught my interest and regained my interest in animation as a whole. My drawing skill is somewhat limited, so all of my little animations have been made with Garry's Mod. I haven't looked at the fundamentals of animation (but I will now), but I figured some of them out myself just through replication of what I've seen. Maybe I should sit down with pencil and paper and keep drawing until I feel I've developed my own style beyond simple, crooked lines.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The style of the animations from this period is something that sticks with you. Cuphead deserves all of the praise it’s receiving.

Just so you know SEW, I feel that a good portion of your audience including me, would fuck with whatever content you post out, so long as you put the same work and feel happy doing so.

7:00 *So this is Kaiji for Americans*

4:49, sorry that's four. The grave stone from the blue ball's face is referenced from there too.

It's not that hard to wrap your head around. Cuphead and his pal Mugman like to roll the dice.

5:11 Is that... is that Mickey FRIGGIN Mouse with a GUN?

Watching Mugman drink out of his own head is disturbing.

Thank you for releasing this. I hope it attracts attention anyway from pseudo-critics who just want to rile up drama by highlighting the ugliest facets of animation's history. Cuphead is a loving tribute to a style and texture of animation that is not represented in American cinema today but is surely missed and remains thoroughly captivating.

Cuphead was something big for me, it changed my life. from there I got into indie games like bendy and the ink machine and Undertale. Cuphead means so much to me and I don't know where I would be without it.

I absolutely love your analyses. They’re always so well thought out and thorough. Good job!

You acknowledged Gunstar Heroes' existence, the video's saved

History of the early Golden Age of Animation? You really are my favorite channel on RU-vid.

My great-gramps was a notable animator during this era, and I'll never forget the look on my Dad (his grandson's) face when I showed him a trailer for Cuphead. He said it was like watching his Grandpa's designs come to life in a whole new way! Cuphead captures the style of that era beautifully. Really well done video!

10:00 or Pain punching Naruto

A video about Cuphead by SuperEyepatchWolf? It's like I died and went to heaven

I'm really glad you put emphasis on the influence of Max Fleischer and Ub Iwerks in your video. A lot of people forget about them and just talk about Disney instead.

That was an excellent video. I appreciate not just Cuphead but animation as a whole just a little bit more.

Wait...this..THIS ISN'T ANIME?! Sike nah I fucks with it keep uploading dope shit

Sure we lost the rubber hose era and moved on But now we have hentai so I'll chalk that up as a win

i'm a huge cuphead fan, but i'm an even bigger classic animation fan and as such really appreciate the effort you went too here to compile it all together. loved it! more fleischer talk the better man!

It hurts not to own this game.

some have said cuphead is surprisingly dark but they've clearly never seen those old cartoons it's based on

I'd like a game with an opening song like *the ting go skraaaaaaaa....papapapapa*

Cuphead is my favourite game of all time. Even when I die repeatedly I still know that I can prevail and so I end up just having fun instead of being frustrated. It's just so bloody fun.

Love your videos!! There are so many RU-vidrs I admire so so much who produce super fun videos (Jack Septic Eye, Clleen Ballinger, The Try Guys, Good Mythical Morning, etc.) but it's not often that you come across one that makes really amazing quality work. And as someone who's studied animation, I love how you bring attention to what an incredible art form it is!

I think Cuphead is one of those rare games where you only get every once and a while.

If you like animation or are interested in it you should pick up the book "The animator's survival kit". It teaches so many techniques that the old masters used and are still being used to this day

Cuphead is game of the year in my opinion

Excellent video. Your channel is easily one of the best on RU-vid.

Cuphead is my favorite anime. TY for covering it.

This is easily the best Cuphead analysis video I've ever seen. Great job with this! I don't usually subscribe to people based on only one video, but you are definitely an exception. Keep up the great work!

Starting a video with a shot of 2B's thigh for that anime audience extra-pandering

It's always a joy to find out something new through this channel

Your love and passion for animation and its history shined through this. I've always loved that era for the reasons you mentioned (but mostly how surreal it is). I love showing people Bimbo's Initiation and watching their reactions :D

Saun and Jen & Super Eyepatch Wolf both uploaded videos about Cuphead's animation style. Nice!

8:22 - 8:52 Thanks for giving Ub the credit that he deserves

It is amazing how much Cuphead calls back to

Man, I always forget how cathartic your videos are

I'm so glad you mentioned Ub Iwerks! I think this is one of your best videos. Rubber hose animation holds a special spot in my heart and you did justice to the subject matter while not overstaying your welcome. Excellent work!

Came for cuphead, stayed for the history. Nicely done.

Have you ever thought about doing a "Why you should listen to" series?

And that's not to mention that anime use rubber movement, like Konosuba or anime from Studio Trigger.

Finally a eyepatch wolf video that isn’t over 20 minutes long

Cuphead is a reminder of how far we can take animation to the absolute highest as it was in the Golden age of Animation.

4:03 so fan service existed since the dawn of animation.

Glad you mentioned Ubs. He gets no recognition!!!

I was expecting a video about cuphead instead I watched a video on the history of animation and I really liked that, well done

Why you should read Jojo part 7: Steel ball run

There are things I could nitpick here, but I mainly want to point out that the Private Snafu cartoons you use a couple times are from the WWII era, well after the rubberhose style was dropped.

Super Eyepatch Wolf and Game Maker's ToolKit are two of the best yt channels because of their detailed and meaningful analisis :D . Keep this great job

I'm so glad you gave credit to Iwerks here. So many people give Walt the praise for building animation, and Ub is not a common name out there. Great video!

Someone revive 2-D animation, I'm sick of the same 3-D generic, by the book, unoriginal character design animation of today. Movies like Frozen, Boss Baby, Storks, Sing, The Emojie movie etc. are some examples

OH GOD.... it's been 6 years 😭

My favorite youtuber talking about my favorite game? Someone call an ambulance my heart cant take this.

I always enjoy ur videos so much cause they feel so relaxing. Like u would lay down in ur bed and think about things more deeper than u would usually. Like a look behind the scenes. That is awesome and i hope u will continue much more years creating such awesome content ^^

Personally, I think the original title was far more dignified and fitting, but....I mean, you're not wrong.

This video was amazing, thank you for making something that I was able to learn a lot from despite having already seen dozens of videos about this era of animation already

Indie Games deserve every single dollar of my pocket

I would love to animate something short with the style that cuphead has (rubber hose?). I just don’t know how long it would take and what I would need to use

that is true i love classic cartoons and cuphead too.

I'm glad you talked about the 12 Principles a little bit cause the whole time I watch videos about Cuphead it's all I think about. It's the first thing they teach you in animating classes, and for good reason. When I think of old cartoons I think of it. Great video by the way, glad someone talked about the influences!

I'm hoping this game makes Disney want to do another hand drawn movie. Maybe even put more effort into it.

9:15 the illusion of living? Very clever TheMeatly

every video you make is so frickin good i LOVE THEM ALL

Great points about the depression

I'm actually kind of suprised a guy like SuperEyepatchWolf would cover such a recently popularized piece of media like cuphead. ...But at the same time I'm pretty damn impressed

Ahh, love your videos man. You're like the cgp grey of Anime/gaming RU-vid

man, great video as always, but i really appreciate the music you use for your vids (your favorite place sounds amazing). helped me find some cool stuff to listen to. thank you so much o7

Your videos always exceed my expectations.

Haven't played Cuphead yet but I've heard good things and I love your video. As always, amazing work! I feel that that one of the interesting things about the style choices is that the period of animation the game is based on is similar to the 16 and 32-bit era of video games. Many of those games are remembered fondly and are still played today in part because, like the early animations, they captured a pure, almost childish sense of joy and wonder. You get the sense that people were freely experimenting and creating, pushing boundaries in a way that, even today, we don't really see that often. Playing Cuphead is challenging but it's also a blast to play and I think a lot of people can relate to it because it looks and feels like a fun game. Some of the early video games were similar to the 'rubber hose' period of animation: simplistic characters and often surreal imagery and scenarios, even tackling darker themes in some cases before video games gained a distinctive identity and before they really seeped into popular culture as they do today. Once again, awesome video! Keep it up! :D

Great video! I love the rubber hose style.

And just like that you have upped my appreciation for western animation... I never even stopped to think of this era, my only experience was the ones after which was why I eventually praised anime more. Its so sad that the censorship and eventual transformation to "just for kids" part happened

I learned a lot from this video. Thank you Super-Eyepatch Wolf.

This is so well researched! Also explains the problem I have with so many new productions

One thing that I like about Cuphead, which is not often talked about, is how well the character model and the hitboxes are integrated into the world. Take the original Super Mario Bros as an example, great game but everything was made out of blocks so the programming and the game mechanics are very apparent to the player, which makes the game easier to understand I guess but it very slightly breaks immersion, it doesn't really feel like a cartoon. Even now I feel like Mario games feel similar, relatively solid feeling surfaces, you can make certain moves where you expect them, you can hold on to certain clearly distinct points in a wall, you can climb certain distinct things etc. It feels very much like what you would expect from a game. Cuphead feels more like playing a cartoon, everything merges seamlessly, it doesn't clearly separate things, that are important game mechanics, from the background, but even so it never confused me.

Goddammit Super Eyepatch Wolf, you always manage to make me interested in any topic you cover. Normally, I wouldn't care about some of the topics you cover but after watching your videos, it always gets me intrigued and makes me wanna dive deeper into said topic. And for that, I say thank you and here's (another) like

You along with Aleczandxr and What I've Learned, seems to be the same person! For the quality of your videos are too extraordinary in relation to the rest of RU-vid. Congratz!!! And ty for the inspiration!!!

You never cease to amaze

You don't actually kill the bosses, as most of them appear again in the good ending. You just beat them up for their soul contracts!

Great video SEW, love the music choice in the background, excellent choice. Also does anyone else like being referred to as "friends"? Everything is so filled, I love it

Thanks for introducing me to this game!

It had only been one-and-a-half minutes, and Eyepatch Wolf had already used three different bosses in their final phases as game footage. So I chose to wait and finish the game before watching this.

"Cuphead is a joy to play" lol

GREAT VIDEO MAN U R REALLY SMART

That was fantastic. Well done.

This actually boosted my confidence to start animating myself.

I like John's ability to cover a wide range of topics and always keep it engaging and informative. Another great video :)

Sir....that was one of the most beautiful videos I’ve seen in a long time.