And animation has always been a comedy-centric medium. The truth is racist stereotypes make for easy laughs (ask any faux-edgy comedian). Many animators frequented vaudeville theaters after work, and were inspired by its methods. Vaudeville theater, which evolved out of the remnants of minstrel shows, often employed stereotypes and racist caricatures such as these for comedic effect. In 1907 he produced his “ Lightning-Sketches,” which involved converting the written word “Coon” into a minstrel caricature and “Cohen” into an anti-semitic stereotype. One of the first artists to make a name for himself with animation, James Stuart Blackton, would often animate in real time during vaudeville shows. Instead, I see a game that’s haunted by ghosts not those confined to its macabre boss fights, but the specter of black culture, appropriated first by the minstrel set then by the Fleischers, Disney and others -twisted into the caricatures that have helped define American cartoons for the better part of a century. Playing as a black person, ever aware of the way we have historically been, and continue to be, depicted in all kinds of media, I don’t quite have that luxury. By sanitizing its source material and presenting only the ostensibly inoffensive bits, Studio MDHR ignores the context and history of the aesthetic it so faithfully replicates. Anything else happening in that era we’re not versed in it.” But these visuals are weighed down by the history that brought them into being, despite the developers best efforts at stripping them of the more overt caricatures that are rife in cartoons for most of the first half of the 20th century. When asked in a Rolling Stone interview about the unfortunate associations of Cuphead‘s 1930s aesthetic, lead inking artist for the game, Maja Moldenhauer replies: “It’s just visuals and that’s about it. By setting their game in this aesthetic, however, Studio MDHR also dredge up the bigotry and prejudice which had a strong influence on early animation. The artists at Studio MDHR, the Canadian company which developed the game, have done an impressive job recreating the dynamic rubber-hose character animation that producers like the Fleischers and Walt Disney made famous in the 1930s. What sets Cuphead apart from its predecessors is its unique aesthetic which pays stunning homage to early 20th century American animation. Finding deeper meaning beneath the virtual surface.Ĭuphead is a 2D platformer with run-and-gun gameplay reminiscent of classic games like Mega Man.
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