Pilot (Hazbin Hotel) Explained

Series:Hazbin Hotel
Airdate:[1]
Length:31 minutes
Prev:Inside of Every Demon Is a Rainbow
Next:Overture

The pilot episode of the American animated musical television series Hazbin Hotel, entitled "That's Entertainment", premiered to YouTube on October 28, 2019. Written and directed by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano, it was independently financed and animated over the course of three years by Medrano's independent animation group, SpindleHorse Toons.[2] [3]

Following the pilot's success, a spin-off series set in the same fictional universe, Helluva Boss, was produced by SpindleHorse,[4] and a full Hazbin Hotel television series was produced by SpindleHorse in association with Bento Box Entertainment A24 for Amazon Prime Video, airing its first season in 2024.

Plot summary

Charlie, the princess of Hell, pursues her seemingly impossible goal of rehabilitating sinner demons to peacefully reduce overpopulation in Hell, as an alternative to Heaven's annual "Extermination" of sinners ("I'm Always Chasing Rainbows"). She opens the "Happy Hotel" in hopes that patients will be "checking out" into Heaven. While most of Hell mocks her goal after she announces it during a televised interview ("Inside of Every Demon Is a Rainbow"), her devoted girlfriend, Vaggie, and their first test subject, adult film star Angel Dust, stick by her side. When Alastor, a powerful entity also known as "The Radio Demon", reaches out to Charlie to assist in her endeavors, her dream is given a chance to become reality ("Alastor's Reprise"). Alastor summons Husk and Niffty to serve as the hotel's bartender and maid, respectively. He prevents Sir Pentious from destroying the hotel, and renames the hotel the "Hazbin Hotel" afterwards.[1]

Production and release

Several of the pilot's main characters had already existed for years when Medrano began working with people at School of Visual Arts on the "Misfit Demon Gang" in her webcomic series ZooPhobia. Many aspects of these characters would later become the protagonists of Hazbin Hotel.[5] [6] [7] The pilot was intended to be an adult comedy "with a raunchy, demonic aesthetic". It took over six months to write the episode, and over two years to animate it, with teasers released in the ensuing period to garner an audience of fans.[8]

A music video of the song "Inside of Every Demon Is a Rainbow", featured in the pilot, was released on October 5, 2018 as a teaser trailer for the series,[9] and it gained 54 million views by early February 2021. Additionally, an official French dub of the pilot was released on May 8, 2020.[10] The podcast series HuniCast, co-hosted by Angel Dust's pilot voice actor Michael Kovach and pilot animator Ashley Nichols, featuring several skits involving various Hazbin Hotel voice actors and crew members, was also released from 2019 to 2023.[11]

Reception

Critical reception

"Pilot"/"That's Entertainment" was critically acclaimed for its animation quality, music, and characters.[12] [13] Matthew Field of Go! & Express argued that the episode was part of the "animation renaissance" on YouTube, and said there may be "a lot more projects like Hazbin in the future".[14] [15] Lidia Vassar of the MSU Reporter praised the show, noting its "raunchy sense of humor and quirky art style".[16] She also stated that she was looking forward to future episodes, enjoyed the "diversity of character designs", and stated that it is clear that the show's creators "put a lot of time and heart into this project". In December 2019, in an article about the current state of adult animation, CBR's Reuben Baron stated that while the pilot episode had garnered "some warranted criticism" because of its inappropriate and edgy humor, it was still a "clear labor of love from an animation standpoint".[17]

Reviewers argued the pilot would have a positive influence on independent animation going forward,[18] [19] with Sean Cubillas for CBR praising the show for "quirky, ambitious, and dark humor" and some of the "fastest, wittiest, and raunchiest dialogue ever seen in independent animation".[20]

Expansion to full series

In August 2020, A24 picked up Hazbin Hotel for the production of a full series, co-produced with Bento Box Entertainment,[21] [22] with an entirely new cast of voice actors.[23] In September, the first season's premiere was announced to be on Amazon Prime Video in January 2024, alongside an announcement that "season 2 is coming".[24] The series premiered its first eight-episode season from January 19 to February 2, 2024.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Hazbin Hotel (Pilot). October 28, 2019. Medrano. Vivienne. Vivienne Medrano. October 28, 2019. YouTube. VivziePop.
  2. Web site: Vollenbroek . Tunde . April 29, 2019 . 7 Tips For Building A Successful Animation Channel On Youtube . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210205031023/https://www.cartoonbrew.com/streaming/7-tips-for-building-a-successful-animation-channel-on-youtube-173406.html . February 5, 2021 . April 24, 2021 . Cartoon Brew.
  3. Web site: September 2, 2020 . Making Your Own Cartoon with Special Guest VIVIENNE MEDRANO . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210425182500/https://tv.creativetalentnetwork.com/making-your-own-cartoon-with-special-guest-vivienne-medrano . April 25, 2021 . April 25, 2021 . Creative Talent Network.
  4. Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. Vivienne Medrano. SpindleHorse. 1194767179079512064. Blitz[o] was being developed during the making of this Hazbin [''Hotel''] scene! Fun to see what his design turned into.. https://web.archive.org/web/20201120052730/https://twitter.com/SpindleHorse/status/1194767179079512064. November 20, 2020.
  5. Web site: Vivienne Medrano. Medrano. Vivienne. Misfit Demon Gang lineup as it stands right now! Been workin' on these off an' on over the last week n' a half. Was loads of fun, Gonna be doin' more lineups as time goes on cause they are relaxing, and help me diversify designs! Some of these guys reflect their time period, some of them kinda created their own look overtime, but I did a lot of research on each to try and stay in the right mindset. Enjoys <3. Tumblr. May 24, 2013. May 24, 2013.
  6. Web site: Vivienne Medrano. Medrano. Vivienne. It's pretty safe by this point to say. This is NOT going to be my thesis film, so might as well post the crap I did for it. I realized this film is just to complex and too demanding for my current level of animation, and while it woulda been a very fun/interesting film, I have to shelf it for when my skills are able to tackle it. Also I'm very picky on the voices for these characters, so that became another issue I realized early on, not being able to find a suitable VA. Seein' these sketches still makes me twitch wanting to do it though gvbhjnm. so yeah. This film was too be titled "The Spider Brothers" and I'll prolly do it one day in future. ONE DAY.. Tumblr. September 9, 2013. September 9, 2013.
  7. Web site: Asarch. Steven. A cartoon demon musical drew in 53 million YouTube viewers. The creator of 'Hazbin Hotel' says she couldn't have predicted its success.. February 3, 2021. February 3, 2021. Insider. https://archive.today/20210203232139/https://www.insider.com/hazbin-hotel-creator-on-shows-creation-and-future-2021-2. February 3, 2021. live.
  8. Web site: Milligan. Mercedes. News Bytes: 'Sarah & Duck' Quacks Back in US, Check in to 'Hazbin Hotel,' Tellys Get Immersive & More. Animation Magazine. October 30, 2019. November 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200108020837/https://www.animationmagazine.net/features/news-bytes-sarah-duck-quacks-back-in-us-check-in-to-hazbin-hotel-tellys-get-immersive-more/. January 8, 2020. live.
  9. Hazbin Hotel – "Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow" (Original Song) Not For Kids. October 6, 2018. Vivienne Medrano. Medrano. Vivienne. October 6, 2018. YouTube. VivziePop.
  10. Hazbin Hotel (Pilot): French. May 8, 2020. Medrano. Vivienne. Vivienne Medrano. May 8, 2020. YouTube. VivziePop.
  11. HuniCast – So We Got Stamper. January 18, 2020. Nichols. Ashley. January 18, 2020. YouTube. Ashley Nichols Art.
  12. News: A Salvadoran-American Artist's Conception of Hell. Liberman. Dr Esther. December 9, 2019. BeLatina. February 26, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200226122747/https://belatina.com/hazbin-hotel-pilot-review/. February 26, 2020. live.
  13. Web site: Hazbin Hotel [Review]]. Short. Dan. November 7, 2019. Animated Views. November 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201106031732/https://animatedviews.com/2019/hazbin-hotel/. November 6, 2020. live.
  14. Web site: Field. Matthew. 'Hazbin Hotel' a bold step in indie animation. December 5, 2019. Go! & Express. February 29, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200512162723/https://www.goexpress.co.za/2019/12/05/hazbin-hotel-marks-a-turning-point-for-indie-animation/. May 12, 2020. live.
  15. Web site: Field. Matthew. 'Hazbin Hotel' and YouTube's animation renaissance. December 5, 2019. Go! & Express. July 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230219141543/https://www.goexpress.co.za/2019/12/05/hazbin-hotel-and-youtubes-animation-renaissance/. February 19, 2023. live.
  16. Web site: Vassar. Lidia. "Hazbin Hotel" worthy of a binge. MSU Reporter. November 14, 2019. November 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191205035154/http://www.msureporter.com/2019/11/14/hazbin-hotel-worthy-of-a-binge/. December 5, 2019. live.
  17. Web site: Baron. Reuben. Adult Animation Is Better Than Ever - So Why Does It Draw Ridicule?. December 2, 2019. October 31, 2020. CBR. https://web.archive.org/web/20191202122153/https://www.cbr.com/adult-animation-primal-undone-bojack-horseman-rick-and-morty-bobs-burgers/. December 2, 2019. live.
  18. Web site: "Hazbin Hotel" a great place to check into. Von Polko. Juno. November 4, 2020. The All State. Austin Peay State University. November 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201114171659/https://www.theallstate.org/hazbin-hotel-a-great-place-to-check-into/. November 14, 2020. live.
  19. Web site: Bermudez. Lucas. August 12, 2020. A24 Is Bringing Controversial Demon Cartoon Hazbin Hotel to TV. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101233720/https://screenrant.com/hazbin-hotel-a24-demon-animated-tv-show/. November 1, 2020. November 1, 2020. Screen Rant. live.
  20. Web site: Cabillas. Sean. Hazbin Hotel: 10 Funniest Lines In The Show, Ranked. November 24, 2020. November 25, 2020. CBR. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125173119/https://screenrant.com/hazbin-hotel-funniest-lines-show-ranked/. November 25, 2020. live.
  21. Web site: Amidi. Amid. August 7, 2020. A24 Picks Up Online Pilot 'Hazbin Hotel' For Series. live. April 24, 2021. Cartoon Brew. https://web.archive.org/web/20210307072738/https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/a24-picks-up-online-pilot-hazbin-hotel-for-series-195245.html. March 7, 2021.
  22. Web site: Milligan. Mercedes. A24 Checks in to VivziePop's Hellish 'Hazbin Hotel'. Animation Magazine. August 7, 2020. April 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200814180006/https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/a24-checks-in-to-vivziepops-hellish-hazbin-hotel/. August 14, 2020. live.
  23. Web site: Noraas. Dana. November 13, 2022. Hazbin Hotel: Everything We Know So Far About the A24 Animated Series. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230705202835/https://collider.com/hazbin-hotel-everything-we-know-a24-adult-animation/?newsletter_popup=1. July 5, 2023. July 5, 2023. Collider.
  24. Web site: Hazbin Hotel Animated Series from A24 & Bento Box Lands at Amazon. White. Peter. September 28, 2023. September 28, 2023. November 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231121203810/https://deadline.com/2023/09/hazbin-hotel-animated-series-amazon-vivienne-medrano-1235558187/. live.

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