Cartoon Review: 'Hazbin Hotel (Pilot)'

Now that 2020 has begun, it's time for me to update this blog and make it relevant. Today I'll be reviewing the pilot for the animated series Hazbin Hotel, created by Vivienne Medrano. Released October 28, 2019, the video as of this post has garnered over 24 million views. It's a few months after the fact as I type this, but as the saying goes, better late than never.

Before I discuss the episode proper, let me take some time to go over the creator herself, Vivienne Medrano, otherwise known online as Vivziepop. I first became familiar with her work through the web comic series Zoophobia, which is currently in indefinite hiatus. She has also posted various artwork and fan art on DeviantArt and similar websites. Looking through her drawings, it is apparent that she is very talented and has a unique art style with vibrant colors. Then a few years back she began working on the pilot for Hazbin Hotel using scrapped characters from Zoophobia. The result is the subject of this review.

Charlie

As the video begins, we see a montage of demons being slaughtered as part of the yearly purge to combat overpopulation in Hell. Charlie, princess of Hell and our protagonist, sings about why she is a failure and weeps over the deaths from the extermination. We also see cameos of other characters that are sure to be relevant in future episodes.

Angel Dust

The next day as the clock turns back to 365 days until the next cleanse, we meet the next major character, Angel Dust, as he is dropped off by someone with whom he had an implied rendezvous. As the car speeds away, Angel Dust sees an airship headed by Sir Pentious (obvious pun is obvious) and his egg minions. Moments later in the ship another demon shows up named Cherri Bomb to wreck havoc.

Sir Pentious

Cherri Bomb

A newscast comes on about the turf war between Sir Pentious and Cherri Bomb. Behind the scenes, Charlie and her partner Vaggie go over what to say during the next segment. Charlie wants to tell all of Hell about her Hazbin Hotel project.

Vaggie and Charlie

Once on the air, Charlie proceeds to explain through song, much to Vaggie's dismay, about her plan to rehabilitate demons for Heaven as a better way to deal with overpopulation. The audience laughs at her and her seemingly impossible idea.

Charlie mentions that she has one demon that is currently being redeemed in the Hazbin Hotel, and that is Angel Dust. Soon news breaks out that he and Cherri Bomb are fighting in a turf war, making Charlie's previous statement moot. She then angers the female news anchor and fighting breaks out in the news station.

All Hell breaks loose.

Later Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel Dust ride back to the hotel in a limo, Vaggie reprimanding Angel Dust about his earlier behavior. The trio return to the hotel, and Charlie sends a voice message to her mother saying that she doesn't think she can make a difference.

Just as all seems lost, there is a knock at the door and a new character named Alastor "The Radio Demon" appears offering to help Charlie in her endeavors. Once he shows up, he basically steals the show.

Charlie meeting Alastor

Vaggie tells an unknowing Angel Dust about Alastor and his reputation of being one of the most powerful demons in Hell. She warns Charlie not to trust him, but Charlie agrees for Alastor to help anyway. 

Alastor first summons a little demon named Niffty to tidy up the place. Then he adds a bar headed by a cat demon named Husk. Vaggie is against the idea of a bar in the hotel, but Angel Dust insists it stays, partly for the booze and partly because he is smitten for Husk.

Niffty

Husk and his bar

After a neon-colored musical sequence, Sir Pentious shows up again in his airship to try to destroy Alastor, but is soon outdone by Alastor's demonic powers. Afterword, the newly formed Hazbin Hotel group goes back inside as the hotel sign changes from Happy Hotel to Hazbin Hotel.

Woah.

And that was the Hazbin Hotel pilot. One positive thing I will say about it is that the animation and character designs are superb. This really is the culmination of Vivienne Medrano's art come to life. The art style reminds me of Invader Zim, Tim Burton animated works, and the short-lived series Wonder Over Yonder. The premise is interesting with redemption of sinners being a major theme, even though the setting is in Hell which traditionally is a place of eternal punishment. The characters are for the most part well done, with Alastor being my favorite of the bunch to the point that I feel he should be the main lead. The execution though leaves something to be desired. Sometimes the pacing moves too quickly to keep up, and some of the sequences are kinda juvenile for a production that is supposed to be intended for adults, the Sir Pentious scenes being a notable example. Still, this is forgivable since this is only the pilot, so if this series gets off the ground, these problems can hopefully be resolved. Whether this will be online or on cable television is still up in the air.

Overall, the pilot is passable and I found myself enjoying some scenes more than others. If this series does become its own thing and is successful, then perhaps Miss Medrano will be the next Rebecca Sugar in the animation world.

Quality Rating: 7/10

Content Rating: 18+