Hazbin Hotel has made its way onto Amazon Prime Video as an adult animated series with an extremely unique concept. It follows the story of Charlie, the princess of Hell, who is trying to peacefully reduce overpopulation in her kingdom by rehabilitating demons and hoping their souls can be taken by Heaven. The concept is certainly one that has not been seen before and has become extremely loved by its audience ever since the first episode was released in 2019.
Vivienne Medrano, the writer and creator of the series, recently gave an interview talking about it. Here, she spoke on what was her inspiration for making a work as dark as it, while still having such theatrically quirky character designs and personalities. Interestingly enough, she mentioned that she was afraid that she would have to follow the same formula that other shows in the genre did. However, there was one series that taught her otherwise; BoJack Horseman.
Also Read: Hazbin Hotel Review: Long-Awaited Adult Animated Series Is Darkly Funny, Charming
BoJack Horseman Taught Vivienne Medrano That She Could Take Her Own Approach With Hazbin Hotel
Vivienne Medrano recently gave an interview with Polygon where she talked about her process of making Hazbin Hotel in detail. Here, she mentioned that one of the biggest challenges that she had when making the series was trying to figure out the theme she wanted to go with. When one thinks of adult animation, one of the first things that comes to mind is the formula most of these shows follow.
That being, short episodes that focus on comedic aspects and though possess a lot of darker themes, they lack the depth that is seen in other forms of cinema. This is what Medrano also believed she would have to do with her series to get even a semblance of success.
“Phenomenal show,” Medrano stated. “[BoJack Horseman] showed me that adult animation can not only just be raunchy comedy, but it can be a story that has intense development of its characters. It can have incredibly flawed characters. It can make you cry. It can really get deep and dark. [BoJack Horseman] had just started around the time that I was really making the [Hazbin Hotel] pilot and it made me go, Oh, wow, like, adult animation is starting to change, and it’s starting to evolve.”
“I can tell a story in this [medium] — because there’s always that concern, Oh, it should just be comedy […] because that’s what’s expected. But for me, I’m a storyteller. And I like development. I like emotion. I feel like I’m the strongest at writing darker or more emotional scenes.”
That was until BoJack Horseman was released. BoJack Horseman has a reputation for being one of the best adult animated series out there, not because of its humor, but the sheer amount of depth their characters are given. The series made the writer understand that she could also provide the same level of realness to her character and add her own element of theatricality without worrying that it would affect the reception of her series.
Vivienne Medrano Did Something Different With Hazbin Hotel
Vivienne Medrano then went on to talk about another big decision she took with the series that stands out from others. Hazbin Hotel has taken some very unique steps in the adult animation space and this is not just because of its storyline. Not only does it feature two female characters at the center of it, but it is also a queer story. This is a drastic step in a place that has been predominantly White male stories, from their perspectives.
“Our society and our culture has kind of shifted, and a lot more diverse stories are starting to be told, a lot more LGBT stories and things like that,” she says. “As those things just enter the mix, just naturally, stories start to evolve and change. Different perspectives just automatically open themselves up to different voices.
“The adult animation space has been a predominantly white male space for a very long time: very raunchy comedy, very, like, shock humor kind of thing. That stuff absolutely has its place, especially if it serves its purpose, but for me, I think the shift comes from more different kinds of perspectives telling stories in the space.”
She mentioned that times have become more progressive and people who haven’t had voices in the past are getting to tell their stories. It has affected all parts of cinema, including the adult animation space. Now that more perspectives are being seen, she feels comfortable enough to tell her own story.
