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Overture (Hazbin Hotel)

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"Overture"
Hazbin Hotel episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byVivienne Medrano
Written byVivienne Medrano
Sam Haft & Andrew Underberg (songs)[1][2]
Original air dateJanuary 19, 2024 (2024-01-19)[a]
Running time23 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous
"That's Entertainment" 		Next →
"Radio Killed the Video Star"

"Overture" is the first episode of the first season of Hazbin Hotel. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 19, 2024,[a] and was written and directed by series creator Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano.

The episode was well received and with "Radio Killed the Video Star" was the largest global debut for a new animated series on Prime Video.[4] The songs "Happy Day in Hell" and "Hell is Forever" received critical acclaim.

Plot

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Taking place one week after the events of the series' pilot, Princess Charlie Morningstar of Hell (voiced by Erika Henningsen)[5] reveals in a backstory that her father Lucifer was originally an angel, who fell in love with Lilith, the first woman. They gave the second woman, Eve, the gift of free will, inadvertently creating Hell, where Lucifer and Lilith were banished to by Heaven. To ensure the sinners of Hell don't rebel, an annual Extermination of the sinners is created by Heaven. As Hell is still recovering from the last Extermination, Charlie mentions that she and her mother have not spoken to each other in seven years.

Later, Charlie receives a call from her father asking her to take his place in his annual meeting with Heaven, and heads over to the Heaven embassy ("Happy Day in Hell"), where Charlie pitches to Adam (voiced by Alex Brightman)[6] – the first man, leader of the angelic legions, and Lilith's ex-husband – and his second-in-command Lute (voiced by Jessica Vosk), her plan to save sinners through redemption in her hotel, the "Hazbin Hotel", to allow them to go to Heaven, as an alternative to being exterminated. Her pitch is ignored and laughed at, and Adam tells her that the next Extermination will happen in six months rather than a year ("Hell Is Forever"). Meanwhile, Vaggie (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz),[7] Charlie's girlfriend, and Alastor (voiced by Amir Talai), her business manager, enlist the staff of the hotel to make a commercial to promote the hotel, but the final product is cut short by a news broadcast announcing the Extermination date being moved. As Angel Dust (voiced by Blake Roman), a patron at the hotel, wonders why it is being moved forward, Lute shows the corpse of an exterminator killed in Hell the week before to Adam. The two plan to kill every sinner in Hell during the next Extermination.

Production and release

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The animation was produced by SpindleHorse Toons, with Bento Box Entertainment.[8][9] A teaser for "Overture" was released on December 21, 2021,[10] with the episode's first song, "Happy Day in Hell", being released as a further teaser on October 14, 2023.[11][12][13][14] Following the episode's release on January 19, 2024,[a] Henningsen expressed interest in the song being used in a future stage adaptation of the series, saying:

"That [song] was thrilling because as I heard the song, I thought, ‘Oh, I know who this character is now. Our composer[s] and lyricist[s] Sam Haft and Andrew Underberg did such an incredible job. They nailed it while still staying true to Charlie's character and what she would sound like when she breaks into song. I remember the first time singing it in the booth — my body got hot with excitement and joy. Hopefully people will feel a fraction of that when they see it. Throughout the season, they switch genres so beautifully depending on who they're writing for. Their skills [as music producers] are limitless.”[15]

Released to Amazon Prime Video simultaneously with "Radio Killed the Video Star", the episode marked the largest global debut for a new animated series on the streaming service,[4] also being released on YouTube a day earlier for a limited release.[16] A sing-along version of the episode's second song, "Hell is Forever", was released to YouTube by Amazon Prime Video to promote the series on January 20, 2024.[17]

Reception

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The Geeky Waffle called “Overture” "a beautiful opening salvo for Hazbin Hotel", complimenting the "well-written, unlikable characters" in Adam and Lute, "Brandon Rogers as Katie Killjoy [as] the best casting in the history of ever", and the songwriting of Sam Haft and Andrew Underberg as "stunning".[18] That Shelf criticized Medrano's "lack of professional experience" in directing the episode, comparing it to "Tumblr fan fiction [with] simultaneously too much forced background exposition establishing a deep lore, and not enough basic explanation of who the characters are and why they’re there".[19] MovieWeb conversely complimented her writing as "obviously heretical to fundamentalist Christians [but] weird to the max".[20] The Review Geek called the episode "crude, funny, and endlessly creative", complimenting the music as "a delight", although criticizing the lack of "heart" as compared to the pilot episode, and Medrano's other animated series, Helluva Boss.[21] Medium called the episode "solid, enjoyable, and efficient" with "light, breezy" writing and "exquisite" comedy and characterization, lauding the vocal performances of the cast of characters before concluding to call the premiere "an entertaining, well put-together first episode [that] keeps the audience engaged and packs in some great musical numbers".[22] Seriangelo praised the "captivating guise of arrogant warmongers" in Adam and Lute, whose song "rewards the characterization of the characters and the setting".[23] Reviewing the episode's songs, Screen Rant called out "Happy Day in Hell" as being "a bit perky [but] too shot", but "Hell Is Forever" as "a villain song that works well for the show", ranking it as the series' third-best song.[24]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Prior to its release to Amazon Prime Video, "Overture" and "Radio Killed the Video Star" were released on January 12, 2024 to those who pre-ordered or purchased merchandise on the Hazbin Hotel website.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Edwards, Lewis Noke (July 15, 2023). "Gear Talks: Sam Haft". Mixdown Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Mullinax, Hope (December 10, 2023). Sam Haft on Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, FNAF, His Music Process, and More!. The Geeky Waffle. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Navarro, Meagan (October 16, 2023). ""Hazbin Hotel" Clip – It's a Happy Day In Hell with Original Song and Voice Cast Announcement for A24 Series". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 16, 2023. Fans can check-in early at HazbinHotel.com to sign up for updates and gain access to exclusive news and materials. Pre-order special packages that include exclusive Season One merchandise, digital access to the first two episodes before they release on Prime Video, and a virtual Q&A event with Vivienne Medrano and special guests. Early access episodes will be available to stream for a limited time on the A24 App.
  4. ^ a b @HazbinHotel (26 January 2024). "Management is happy to report #HazbinHotel was fully booked on opening weekend!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Coulston, John Connor (January 17, 2022). "TV Show Replacing Most Its Cast in Startling Shakeup". PopCulture. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Noraas, Dana (November 13, 2022). "'Hazbin Hotel': Everything We Know So Far About the A24 Animated Series". Collider. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Laudenbach, Sarah (December 26, 2022). "Hazbin Hotel Videos Reveals New Look At A24 Animated Series". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Amidi, Amid (August 7, 2020). "A24 Picks Up Online Pilot 'Hazbin Hotel' For Series". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (August 7, 2020). "A24 Checks in to VivziePop's Hellish 'Hazbin Hotel'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  10. ^ Hazbin Hotel [@hazbinhotel] (December 21, 2021). "See you in hell. @HazbinHotel opens soon. 😈" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Shaunette, Morgan (October 14, 2023). "A24's Hazbin Hotel Teases a 'Happy Day in Hell' With NSFW Musical Clip". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  12. ^ Yeo, Amanda (October 16, 2023). "'Hazbin Hotel' teaser takes an optimistic view of Hell". Mashable. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  13. ^ Mullinax, Hope (October 20, 2023). "It's a "Happy Day in Hell" in the First Song From 'Hazbin Hotel'". Collider. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  14. ^ Sarto, Dan (October 25, 2023). "A24 Music and Prime Video Share First Song from 'Hazbin Hotel'". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  15. ^ Archer, Greg (January 18, 2024). "Exclusive: Hazbin Hotel Stars Chat Up the Series Epic World-Building, LGBTQ+ Characters, and More". MovieWeb. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  16. ^ Medrano, Vivienne. Hazbin Hotel Official Full Episode "OVERTURE" | Prime Video. VivziePop. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ Haft, Sam; Underberg, Andrew; Brightman, Alex; Henningsen, Erika (January 20, 2024). "Hell is Forever" Sing-Along | Hazbin Hotel | Prime Video. Amazon Prime Video. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Mullinax, Hope (January 19, 2024). "Hazbin Hotel Spoiler Review: "Overture"". The Geeky Waffle. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  19. ^ Milner, Sarah Bea (February 1, 2024). "Hazbin Hotel Review: This Hellish Cartoon Should Have Stayed In Limbo". That Shelf. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  20. ^ Roman, Julian (January 19, 2024). "Hazbin Hotel Review: A Devilishly Delightful Animated Musical Series". MovieWeb. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Ham, Ally (January 19, 2024). "Hazbin Hotel – Episode 1 "Overture" Recap & Review". The Review Geek. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  22. ^ Hunter, Rory (January 31, 2024). "Hazbin Hotel S1 E1 "Overture": Review". Medium. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  23. ^ Barberio, Massimiliano (January 22, 2024). "Hazbin Hotel – 1×01 "Overture"". Seriangolo.it. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  24. ^ Hansen, Charlotte (February 9, 2024). "Hazbin Hotel Season 1's 16 Songs, Ranked From Worst To Best". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
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