Hazbin Hotel success shows animation is changing
Written by Declan Mccourt on 23rd February 2024
Vivienne Medrano’s Hazbin Hotel, released on January 18, 2024, was globally the largest release of any animated series in Prime Video’s history.
And the show’s original pilot episode, released on YouTube in October of 2019, has since gained over 100-million views on the platform. This success, both of the pilot and of the show itself, has indicated to some that modern animation may be on the rise.
Neil Ewins, an animation lecturer working for Sunderland University, believes that the internet might have had an effect, saying: “The internet has impacted on how animation and animators can promote their work.”
Hazbin Hotel’s pilot episode was funded thanks to monthly crowdfunding donations from fans of the series’ creator, Vivienne Medrano, and was produced entirely by freelance animators over a period of roughly two years.
The pilot’s overall success allowed Medrano to produce other shows as well. Helluva Boss, a similarly mature-themed animated series, was released in the years between Hazbin Hotel’s pilot episode and its official release. Featuring two seasons, both released on the Medrano’s YouTube Channel, Helluva Boss has enjoyed a similar degree of success on the platform to Hazbin’s pilot episode.
In addition to her work on Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, Medrano has also been responsible for producing a variety of animated works, the majority of which are available on her YouTube channel. One such work is Holidaze, an animated short film. And, while not as popular as Hazbin Hotel, it has still enjoyed moderate success with 10-million views on YouTube.
And now that the series itself is here, fans of the show have had a lot to say about it. Em, a long-time fan of the pilot, said: “I like it – it took a while to come out, but I think the wait was worth it – the production value is much higher than the pilot, which makes up for some of the wait.” and “I think some of the success is owed to the middle series, Helluva Boss.”
The first season of Hazbin Hotel is available for viewing on Prime Video, with a second season in production to be released at some point in the next few years.
