Hazbin Hotel is shaping up to be the hottest musical of 2024, with some of the biggest Broadway names. Coming to Prime Video this Friday, the Hazbin Hotel animated series finally makes its official debut. When the original animated pilot was uploaded to the internet in 2019 as an indie project, the story, created by Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano, stole the hearts of millions. Now with the help of A24 and Fox Entertainment’s Bento Box Entertainment, Hazbin Hotel looks ready to steal some more.
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Viewers won’t be able to resist falling in love with Charlie, the princess of Hell, and the motley crew standing by her side. Which by the way includes her devoted girlfriend, Vaggie, the hotel’s first guest and adult-film star, Angel Dust, the extremely powerful and scary at times “Radio Demon”, Alastar, the snarky barkeep, Husk, and lastly the homicidal housekeeper, Niffty. Those descriptors alone should be enough to get you to hit play.
HAZBIN HOTEL BOASTS A STACKED CAST
Whoever was in charge of casting, deserves their own golden ticket upstairs. Especially after casting the one and only Stephanie Beatriz, who is well known not only for her character Rosa Diaz, from Brooklyn Nine-Nine but also for her extensive catalog of voice acting for some of the biggest animated shows. Her new role as Vaggie seems a perfect fit. The same could be said for Amir Talai, who seems to have really understood the balance between the chaotic and charming personality of Alastor.
Erika Henningsen who plays Charlie, is best known for originating the role of Cady Heron for Mean Girls on Broadway. The girl can sing and the songs in Hazbin Hotel are created in ways to let her shine. In fact, it seems as if a lot of the songs we come across are crafted in ways to best suit all the actors’ talents. Alex Brightman, best known for his role as Beetlejuice on Broadway, absolutely kills in his song as Adam, while also delivering some great voice acting for Sir Pentious.
Keith David (Husk), Jeremy Jordan (Lucifer Morningstar), Christian Borle (Vox), and Daphne Rubin-Vega (Carmilla Carmine) all deliver in their roles and songs. However, the only thing that might leave you feeling heartbroken is that Wicked legend, Jessica Vosk, as Lute, doesn’t have a song in the first five episodes. However, fingers crossed that might change as more episodes air.
Rounding out the cast as two of the best characters in this collection of damned souls, are Blake Roman as Angel Dust and Kimiko Glenn as Niffty. Honestly, these two, steal whatever scene they are in.
EVERY SONG IN THE SHOW DELIVERS
The new series breaks down into a total of eight episodes with the first four available upon release. Hazbin Hotel is an adult animated comedy that also happens to be a musical. Each episode runs shorter than 30 minutes and averages about two songs an episode, which creates a nice pace. Viewers aren’t left feeling like songs are being shoehorned in or that they are singing just because. Every song crafted by Sam Haft and Andrew Underbeg has a purpose and it delivers it beautifully.
Melodies alter slightly to build upon the character’s personality. For example, with Charlie, we see more of that bubbly show tune, pop, and wide-eye optimism. Compare this to Angel Dust who has more of a darker look at life, even if he tries to hide it through a don’t care mentality. His song “Poison” hits so hard with the upbeat sound that could be a pop hit on its own. However, if you take a second to listen to the lyrics there is a twinge of helplessness.
The songs don’t just work to strengthen the connection with the characters but also work to showcase important topics. There are a variety of styles when it comes to musicals, but for the most part, the ones that succeed tend to be more than just a nice song. For example, there is a song between Vox and Alastor that hits the nail on the head regarding the battle between TV and radio. A battle that we have seen play out in society for decades.
HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER
Musical series are always hit or miss, with a lot more failing. It’s hard to create that musical magic in an episodic format, but Hazbin Hotel seems to do it with ease. Not only that but due to the song balance, it might be just the amount needed to connect with people who might not like musicals. Because at the end of the day, Hazbin Hotel is more than just a musical. Between the voice acting, the animation itself, and the writing, this show hits on every level.
It might seem a little cruder than it needs to be in the first episode, but that teeters off rather quickly as the characters and plot get developed. Whereas some shows might add extra crude humor to solidify the series as an adult show, it seems like Hazbin Hotel plays on it more because they are in Hell. Angel Dust isn’t there just to make sex jokes, even if we do enjoy them, but has a story that connects to real issues one might see in the adult entertainment world.
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It’s the blend of all these elements that made fans fall in love with the creator, VivziePop, and the Hazbin Hotel pilot to begin with. Now, fans get to dive even deeper into that beautiful chaotic world as Hazbin Hotel the series releases on Prime Video on Friday, Jan. 19.
About Hazbin Hotel
Release Date: Jan. 19, 2024
Creator: Vivienne Medrano
Executive Producers: Vivienne Medrano, Joel Kuwahara, Dana Tafoya-Cameron, and Scott Greenberg
Distribution: Prime Video
Cast: Erika Henningsen, Jeremy Jordan, Stephanie Beatriz, Amir Talai, Christian Borle, Alex Brightman, Blake Roman, and Jill Harris
Synopsis: Hazbin Hotel follows Charlie, the princess of Hell, as she pursues her seemingly impossible goal of rehabilitating demons to peacefully reduce overpopulation in her kingdom. After a yearly extermination imposed by angels, she opens a hotel in the hopes that patrons will be “checking out” into Heaven. While most of Hell mocks her goal, her devoted partner Vaggie, and their first test subject, adult film star Angel Dust, stick by her side. When a powerful entity known as the “Radio Demon” reaches out to assist Charlie in her endeavors, her crazy dream is given a chance to become a reality.
What do you think? Are you looking forward to Hazbin Hotel? Were you a fan of the original animated pilot? Let us know your thoughts about the show on The Illuminerdi’s social media.
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