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Cast: Erika Henningsen, Stephanie Beatriz, Blake Roman, Keith David, Kimiko Glenn, Amir Talai, and Alex Brightman
Creator: Vivienne Medrano
Director: Vivienne Medrano
Streaming On: Amazon Prime Video
Language: English (with subtitles)
Runtime: 8 episodes, around 25 minutes each.
Hazbin Hotel Season 1 Review: What’s It About
Hazbin Hotel is the creation of Vivienne Medrano, an animator, voice actress, and producer who has made a name for herself online, amassing a fandom big enough to get her an animated show on Prime Video. This show follows the adventures of Charlie, the princess of Hell, and her mission of building a hotel that can actually rehabilitate the sinners of Hell so they can find their way to Heaven.
Hazbin Hotel Season 1 Review: Script Analysis
I came to Hazbin Hotel knowing basically nothing about Medrano and her previous work, and I was surprised to find out that even before its debut, Hazbin Hotel already had a very loyal and robust fan base that has taken the property to where it is today. So, you could say I went blind into it, only to find an excellent animated series that, at times, is incredibly hilarious, emotional, and even quite cool. Hazbin Hotel won me over as someone who doesn’t like musicals very much.
The series has this Rock n’ Roll feeling about it, not only because the genre appears here and there in a couple of songs but also because of the way that it presents its premise, knowing that it is pretty absurd. The series understands that even the more outlandish concepts can hit if they are taken seriously enough when it comes to their execution, and that is precisely what happens here. The religious aspects of the show come from a dogma followed by billions of people, but Hazbin Hotel brings this dogma down without indeed mocking it but pointing out how absurd it is at times.
This creates a setting where basically anything can happen, and characters that dare to break from the norm and act in ways that many other characters in animated shows couldn’t. Hazbin Hotel isn’t precisely an animated show for kids, but while some subjects are very adult, the show never appeals to them in bad taste. The characters are powerful in how they are designed from a visual and narrative standpoint, so even those recurring minor characters have enough charm that you love to see them whenever they come back.
The dialogue is also quite funny; sometimes, the characters can go a bit too much in one direction, affecting some jokes’ strength. Still, overall, the dialogue is witty, the use of curse words is appropriate for the setting, and the character’s personalities are well-defined, which generates enough drama to keep things interesting throughout all 8 episodes. The end result could have been more memorable, but when watching the show, all elements work well.
Hazbin Hotel Season 1 Review: Star Performance
Hazbin Hotel has the fortune of having a fantastic team of artists behind the project, including an extensive cast of voice actors who bring the characters to life in impressive fashion. The voice actors must deliver good dialogue, get emotions out of it, and sing in the many musical sequences in each episode. In this regard, the casting does its job amazingly well, giving each character a different voice and demeanor that would be difficult to get with lesser talents.
Erika Henningsen takes the spotlight on this occasion by playing the role of Charlie, the princess of Hell. This is our main character, and Henningsen strikes that perfect balance of being heroic, inspiring, and funny. Charlie is a fascinating character, and her voice performance really manages to convey her journey, facing her daddy issues and very complicated external conflicts as the relationship between Heaven and Hell deteriorates more and more. Blake Roman as Angel Dust and Alex Brightman as Adam also feel like standouts this season.
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Hazbin Hotel Season 1 Review: Direction & Music
Hazbin Hotel is Vivienne Medrano’s project, and she comes to the show not only as the creator but also as the director of each episode. This gives the entire season a great sense of continuity and style. The show’s pacing is fast and mean; something happens every single second, be it a joke, an action sequence, a musical sequence, or an important character moment. Medrano has a great talent for keeping things moving and knowing that she should only stay in one place briefly.
The musical aspect of the show is quite solid; the variety of songs and styles throughout the season is relatively high. There are a lot of pop song structures, but at one moment, you can hear a pop ballad and then a metal song. There is no whiplash between genres because the show’s tone allows this to happen and not feel jarring. The songs may not be as catchy as they could be, but they all feel relevant when relating to the story and the characters.
Hazbin Hotel Season 1 Review: Last Words
Hazbin Hotel is an excellent animated series that fuses comedy, music, and profound themes in an almost perfect blend. The musical sequences are fun even if the songs are not that memorable, but there is an innate sense of fun to the whole production, which will keep audiences, both old and new, watching the show from start to finish. The voice cast is also outstanding, and leaving things open for another season can expand the cast even further.
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