The animated series "Khazbin Hotel" has been discussed since 2019. To date, the pilot episode has HAZBIN HOTEL (PILOT) / Vivziepop 94 million views. The animated series has a huge fan base that creates its own art based on the characters. Against the background of popularity, the spin‑off "Hell's Boss" started in 2019.
There was just one caveat — the animated series "Khazbin Hotel" did not exist. After the pilot was released, its author, artist Vivien Medrano, aka VivziePop, launched a fundraiser for the full season, and then began discussing the release with studios and platforms. Therefore, the continuation had to wait until January 2024.
Now four episodes of "Hotel Hazbin" have been released on the streaming service Amazon Prime, and the same number will appear before the beginning of February. This is one of the funniest cartoons of recent years, filled with black humor and harsh jokes. The animation and the plot turned out to be very cool and recognizable.
That's why you shouldn't skip the witty series.
The action of the "Khazbin Hotel" takes place in hell. To combat the overpopulation of sinners, angels organize a "purge" every year — that is, they simply destroy everyone who gets caught. You can be saved if you rise higher in the hierarchy of hell and gain access to the shelter. Therefore, the souls of sinners are fighting fiercely with each other for territory.
Lucifer and Lilith's daughter is the cheerful Charlotte (or just Charlie) Morningstar — comes up with a new plan. She opens a hotel where souls can fight for redemption and then go to heaven. But hell is inhabited by sinners who do not want such salvation at all.
So the hotel needs to be advertised and somehow run a business. Charlie will be helped only by his faithful friend Waggie, the powerful Alastor, aka the Radio Demon, former porn actor Angel Dast, and a couple of strange personalities. That's quite a company.
The very theme of the animated series already hints that the authors have no limitations in humor. Of course, hell is inhabited by inveterate scoundrels, prone to all kinds of vices. Therefore, they will joke about death and violence here — the minor characters are constantly trying to kill each other, and at the same time they attack random people.
There will be humor about sex — Angel Will Give literally any conversation turns into a stream of vulgarities, even during fights. Religion will also be hooked — the angels who arrange the "purge" are shown here as not too positive characters.
So get ready in advance: if you do not tolerate black humor "without brakes", then it is better to bypass the "Khazbin Hotel" side. But if you like hard jokes, you'll probably get in.
Among the stream of photorealistic, but often monotonous 3D animation in the style of new Disney and Pixar projects, projects with an unusual visual range are increasingly distinguished. VivziePop has a recognizable author's style: it resembles pencil drawings and old cartoons (or stylizations like "The Cup Show!"), but at the same time it is somewhat similar to "Alien Winter" and some other Nickelodeon channel projects.
The characters look angular and even schematic, but each of them has a recognizable appearance. And there are always a lot of interesting background details in the frame. If the action takes place on the street, then some unusual characters will definitely flash by or show a crazy sign or advertisement. If indoors, they will show a well-designed environment and decor.
We even worked with the voice acting. Alastor is the most interesting of all — his voice is similar to radio broadcasts from the distant past, even with interference. The lexicon, by the way, also corresponds.
The most unexpected thing that is in the "Khazbin Hotel" is the soundtrack. According to the plot, Charlie loves musicals, so sometimes she wants to express her thoughts and feelings creatively. And then the other characters pull up. Moreover, the songs here do not get out of the plot, they sometimes reveal important details.
Stylistically, the musical part will please all fans of Aurelio Voltaire Land of the Dead /
The Lair of Voltaire , by The Tiger Lillies The Tiger Lillies — Heroin (Official Video) /
The Tiger Lillies and other Dark Cabaret. These are purely musical fervent compositions dedicated to the main theme of the series, that is, death and violence.
After the pilot episode, the only concern was whether Vivien Medrano would be able to develop the plot in an interesting way and not turn the "Hazbin Hotel" into just a set of vulgar jokes. But the result was even higher than expected.
The animated series has a really cool dramatic plot.
It cannot be said that he is completely original. This is a story about a good-natured dreamer who starts her own business and wants to make the world a better place, and then faces harsh reality. But it is in combination with the insane fantasy entourage that such a plot works perfectly.
Moreover, not only Charlie's line is gradually being developed. Alastor's enemies appear, even Angel Dast becomes an interesting character, and not just a supplier of jokes. It turns out that the villains have their own motives. And somehow, imperceptibly, you begin to sincerely worry about the characters.
As we wrote at the beginning of the article, the Khazbin Hotel became famous even after the pilot episode was released. Now, the series is clearly waiting for a new wave of popularity.
Formally, only four episodes have been released so far — a total of about an hour and a half of timekeeping. But there are nice bonuses. Firstly, this foursome does not include a half—hour pilot - the plot is clear without it, but it's better not to skip the old series, there are a lot of great jokes in it.
And secondly, there are already two seasons of the spin‑off "Hell's Boss" from Medrano. The action of the animated series takes place in the same hell and tells about the team of Immediate Murder Professionals — specialists in immediate murder. This is a group of killers who fulfill orders, but constantly get into ridiculous situations. The episodes last 10 minutes and look a little simpler, but they are absolutely not inferior to the main series in humor.
"Khazbin Hotel" is a real holiday for fans of unusual animation and black jokes. Short, playful and witty episodes fly by in one breath, just have time to laugh and turn on the next one. There are no forbidden topics here, the characters are terrible and charming at the same time. This is a great option for a fun evening viewing.
