Yearly, Adam (Alex Brightman) leads angels from Heaven to descend into Hell and purge demon souls to address their overpopulation of sinners. Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen), the cheerful princess of Hell, believes that demonic souls are deserving of redemption. Thus, she establishes the Hazbin Hotel to rehabilitate sinners, aiming to prevent the yearly cleanse. Charlie is not alone in her undertaking. She is supported by her long-time partner Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz), the wary and playful radio demon Alastor (Amir Talai), a murderous maid Niffty (Kimiko Glenn), and a grumpy bartender Husk (Keith David), all serving as her staff. Her only two inhabitants are unfiltered pornstar Angel Dust (Blake Roman) and a comical villain named Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman). While Charlie is still working on getting her hotel operational, a looming subplot concerning the overlord demons attempting to stage an uprising against the angels looms in the background.
“Hazbin Hotel” extends Medrano’s rosy view of Hell with lucidity. Hell’s unrestrained vulgarity is a blend of insanity and animalistic, in the literal sense given that many of the uniquely designed demons are furry animal hybrids. Similar to its creator, you can sense the passion and wild ambitions in fleshing out the background and its wide ensemble backgrounds emanating from the screen. Transitioning from the spirited, amateur, yet fervent animation quality behind that to the clean, thick-outlined, expressive quality of the entire show is a stunning, evocative jolt. Medrano’s leap from internet to streaming, where her distinctive style received its breakthrough, is undeniably intriguing.
Within the five episodes provided for review, “Hazbin” attempts to juggle Hell’s intricate worldbuilding, the influential figures, the character dynamics within its large ensemble, their relationships, and their adversaries encountered beyond the threshold. Some of these adversaries are the overlords that “govern” Hell’s inhabitants – magnates such as arms dealers, media tycoons, and fashion designers exercise complete authority.
Not since “South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut” has an adult animated project possessed such theatricality and pride in its musical identity, particularly since the trailers are reserved in showcasing its musical component. However, the show revels in being a musical comedy and bolsters its identity by featuring a host of Broadway heavyweights on screen. Performers Erika Henningsen, Blake Roman, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Alex Brightman, Sarah Stiles, Jeremy Jordan, and Keith David contribute their voices to these demonic characters and breathe astonishing life into the array of Sam Haft and Andrew Underberg’s genre-spanning compositions.
