SpindleHorse Toons

Last updated
SpindleHorse Toons
Company type Private
Industry Animation
Founded2018;6 years ago (2018)
Founders Vivienne Medrano
Headquarters
Burbank, California
,
U.S.
Key people
  • Vivienne Medrano (owner and founder)
  • Sam Miller (art director)
  • Cécilia Goncalves (lead character designer)
  • Michael James Ruocco (animation director)
  • Sam Haft (lead composer)
Products Hazbin Hotel
Helluva Boss

SpindleHorse Toons, or simply SpindleHorse, is an American animation production company founded by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano in 2018, based in Burbank, California. It is responsible for the Hellaverse shared universe animated series, [1] whose main series Hazbin Hotel is co-animated with Bento Box Entertainment and co-produced with A24. It is the sole animation studio of its spin-off series, Helluva Boss .

Contents

SpindleHorse has also produced several animated shorts, including "Holidaze" and "Bad Luck Jack", all of which are available on Medrano's YouTube channel. Medrano has stated that the company's name comes from a childhood character of hers named Spindle.

History

Vivenne Medrano founded the animation studio SpindleHorse Toons, under which the pilot for Hazbin Hotel, the pilot and first two seasons of Helluva Boss, and several animated shorts would be released. [2] Medrano serves as the director, lead writer and lead character designer for SpindleHorse Toons. [3] In an interview with Cartoon Brew, she said that much of the Hazbin Hotel pilot was funded by money from her Patreon, rather than income from YouTube's algorithm. [4] The company Horseless Cowboy assisted Medrano with voice casting during the first season of Helluva Boss, with Richard Steven Horvitz serving as the voice director. [5] Cartoon Brew described her as a "paragon of indie success in animation." [6]

In October 2019, the pilot episode of Hazbin Hotel was released on Medrano's YouTube channel. [7] In November 2019, the pilot episode of Helluva Boss was released to her YouTube channel as well. [8] On December 25, 2019, a short entitled "Holidaze" was released. In July 2020, Medrano released an animated music video for Hazbin Hotel called "Addict", featuring the Silva Hound song of the same name. [9] [10] In August 2020, Hazbin Hotel was picked up for a full series by A24. [11] [12] Animation Magazine said that A24 was taking a "bold step" by picking up the series. [13] In 2023, scholar Ben Mitchell described Medrano's Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss as series which were "sensationally popular" and an effective use of Patreon to subsidize the show's art "through monthly tiered payments." [14] Hazbin Hotel would go on to be released in January of 2024 to critical acclaim.

On September 30, 2020, Medrano released an animated short film titled "Bad Luck Jack", based on her webcomic ZooPhobia . [15] The short was nominated for and won for a Ursa Major Award in the "Best Dramatic Short Work" category. [16] [17] The short was also listed as a "Recommended Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work" on the Ursa Major Award website. [18] From 2020 to 2021, Medrano released several "Voxtagram" animated clips of the characters of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss in a crossover slice-of-life setting to a series of in-character Instagram accounts run by SpindleHorse employees, alongside normal posts of character art depicting characters' selfies. [19] [20]

Animation productions

Television series

TitleReleasedOriginal network(s)NotesRef(s)
"That's Entertainment"2019 YouTube Hazbin Hotel pilot [21]
Hazbin Hotel 2024–present Amazon Prime Video Co-production with Bento Box and A24 [22]

Web series

TitleReleasedOriginal network(s)NotesRef(s)
Helluva Boss pilot 2019 YouTube Pilot [23]

[24]

Helluva Boss 2020–presentSeries [24]

Music videos

TitleReleasedOriginal network(s)Ref(s)
"Inside of Every Demon Is a Rainbow"2018 YouTube [25]
"Oh Millie"2020 [26]
"Addict" [27]
"Just Look My Way"2023 [28]

Shorts

TitleReleasedOriginal network(s)Ref(s)
"Holidaze"2019 YouTube [29]
"Bad Luck Jack" 2020 [15]

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<i>Helluva Boss</i> Animated YouTube series by Vivienne Medrano

Helluva Boss is an American adult animated musical web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P, a company in Hell that offers hitman services in the realm of the living. The pilot was released on November 25, 2019, while the first episode of the first season was released on October 31, 2020. Set in the same fictional universe as Hazbin Hotel, the show is produced by SpindleHorse Toons. The first season was released exclusively on Medrano's YouTube channel, as she has done for other animations. The second season premiered on July 30, 2022. On March 27, 2023, the show was confirmed to be renewed for a third season, in active production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaggie</span> Fictional character

Vaggie is a fictional character created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano who appears in the musical adult animated series Hazbin Hotel, primarily voiced by Stephanie Beatriz. She helps Charlie Morningstar, her girlfriend and the princess of Hell, run a hotel known as the Hazbin Hotel, where they hope to redeem the souls of those in Hell and help them earn a place in Heaven.

<i>Hazbin Hotel</i> American adult animated musical television series

Hazbin Hotel is an American adult animated musical comedy television series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. The series revolves around Charlie Morningstar, princess of Hell, on her quest to find a way for sinners to be "rehabilitated" and allowed into Heaven, via her "Hazbin Hotel", as an alternative to Heaven's annual "Extermination" of souls due to Hell's overpopulation. The series is produced by independent entertainment company A24 and animation studio Bento Box Entertainment, in collaboration with Amazon Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Rogers (YouTuber)</span> American sketch comedian, actor, and writer

Brandon George Rogers is an American YouTuber, actor, and comedian. He plays many characters in his eponymous YouTube channel and co-wrote the adult animated web series Helluva Boss, in which he primarily voices the main character Blitzo, as well as voicing reporter Katie Killjoy in Hazbin Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivienne Medrano</span> American animator and producer (born 1992)

Vivienne Medrano, also known by her online alias VivziePop, is an American, YouTuber, animator, writer, director, producer, and voice actress. She is best known as the creator of the musical television series Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. She also created the webcomic ZooPhobia.

<i>ZooPhobia</i> Webcomic

ZooPhobia is an American webcomic originally published in 2012 by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano, from which she later loosely adapted characters and plotlines for her animated musical television series Hazbin Hotel. It follows a young woman named Cameron, who travels to an interspecies sanctuary named Safe Haven. Two ZooPhobia short films, "The Son of 666" and "Bad Luck Jack", were released in 2013 and 2020, respectively.

Pilot (<i>Helluva Boss</i>) Episode of Helluva Boss

The pilot episode of the American animated musical web series Helluva Boss was written by series creators Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano and Brandon Rogers, and directed by Medrano and Rick Zieff. It premiered to YouTube on November 25, 2019. It was mostly positively received, and has been viewed over 62 million times, which led Medrano to expand Helluva Boss into a full show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder Family</span> 1st episode of the 1st season of Helluva Boss

"Murder Family" is the series premiere of the adult animated web series Helluva Boss, following the demonic employees of the assassination company I.M.P on a mission. It premiered on YouTube on October 31, 2020, was written by series creators Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano and Brandon Rogers, and directed by Medrano and Rick Zieff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loo Loo Land</span> 2nd episode of the 1st season of Helluva Boss

"Loo Loo Land" is the second episode of the first season of the adult animated web series Helluva Boss, following demon royalty Stolas as he hires the assassination company I.M.P to accompany him and his daughter Octavia to the titular theme park. It premiered on YouTube on December 9, 2020, and was written by series creators Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano and Brandon Rogers. It was directed by Medrano and Rick Zieff.

The Circus (<i>Helluva Boss</i>) 1st episode of the 2nd season of Helluva Boss

"The Circus" is the first episode of the second season of the adult animated web series Helluva Boss, exploring the story of Stolas' life. The episode premiered on YouTube on July 30, 2022. It was written by series creator Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano, and directed by Medrano and Rick Zieff.

"Overture" is the first episode of the first season of Hazbin Hotel. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube on January 18, 2024, and was written and directed by series creator Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano.

Alastor (<i>Hazbin Hotel</i>) Fictional character

Alastor "the Radio Demon" is a fictional character created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano who primarily appears in the musical adult animated series Hazbin Hotel as one of the overlords of Hell. He was voiced by Edward Bosco and Gabriel C. Brown in the pilot and a series of music videos from 2019 to 2024, and by Amir Talai in the animated series since 2024. A constantly-smiling sinner, Alastor returns after a seven-year absence to run a hotel known as the Hazbin Hotel with Charlie Morningstar, princess of Hell, whom Alastor seeks to guide and control, while also wanting to free his own soul from the service of an unknown being. He is often accompanied by the hotel's bartender Husk and housekeeper Niffty, and he is considered a rival by fellow overlord Vox and Charlie's father Lucifer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Morningstar</span> Fictional character

Princess Charlotte "Charlie" Morningstar is a fictional character created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano who appears as the protagonist of the musical adult animated series Hazbin Hotel as the princess of Hell. She is primarily voiced by Erika Henningsen. Charlie runs the titular Hazbin Hotel, where she hopes to redeem the souls of those in Hell and help them earn a place in Heaven. She is the daughter of Lilith and Lucifer Morningstar and is also dating Vaggie.

<i>Hazbin Hotel</i> (soundtrack) 2024 soundtrack album

Hazbin Hotel (Original Soundtrack) is an extended play soundtrack album released in three parts from the adult animated streaming television musical series Hazbin Hotel. The first part was released on January 19, 2024, the second on January 26, and the third on February 1. The music was composed and written by Andrew Underberg and Sam Haft.

Angel Dust (<i>Hazbin Hotel</i>) Fictional character

Angel Dust, or simply Angel, is a fictional character created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano who appears in the musical adult animated series Hazbin Hotel as the first guest of the titular hotel, a resident of Hell seeking redemption at the titular hotel, while bonding with the hotel's other occupants. He is also seen to be a professional pornographic film actor whose soul is owned by an abusive overlord named Valentino, who is also his boss. He is primarily voiced by Blake Roman.

References

  1. ↑ Medrano, Vivienne (January 31, 2024). Hazbin Hotel Live Q&A with Cast. VivziePop. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via YouTube.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ "Making Your Own Cartoon with Special Guest VIVIENNE MEDRANO". Creative Talent Network. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ Vollenbroek, Tunde (April 29, 2019). "7 Tips For Building A Successful Animation Channel On Youtube". Cartoon Brew . Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ "'Hazbin Hotel' creator Vivziepop teams with Horseless Cowboy on devilishly twisted 'Helluva Boss'". Skwigly . October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  6. ↑ Dudok De Wit, Alex (September 23, 2021). "6 Unmissable Events At This Week's Ottawa International Animation Festival". Cartoon Brew . Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  7. ↑ Brueheim, Jackson (May 13, 2020). "Hazbin Hotel: 10 Astonishing Pieces of Fan Art". CBR . Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ Short, Dan (December 18, 2020). "Helluva Boss". Animated Views. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ Troup, Margaret (November 2, 2020). "'Hazbin Hotel' creator releases new episode of spinoff series 'Helluva Boss'". Iowa State Daily . Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  10. ↑ James, Tito W. (July 17, 2020). "'Hazbin Hotel' Returns With A New Music Video 'Addict'". Comicon.com . Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ Dudok de Wit, Alex (September 1, 2020). "Here's The Biggest Animation News You Missed In August". Cartoon Brew . Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ Alexa, Laurén (September 1, 2020). "Unconventional A24 Picks Up Controversial 'Hazbin Hotel'". Animation World Network . Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Mitchell, Ben (2023). Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 87. ISBN   9781000849189. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Short, Dan (October 5, 2020). "ZooPhobia: Bad Luck Jack". Animated Views. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Voting". Ursa Major Awards. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  17. ↑ O'Reily, Rod (May 2, 2021). "The Ursa Major Awards for 2020". FurteanTimes.com/Flayrah. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Recommended Furry Art and Literature List". Ursa Major Awards. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  19. ↑ Medrano, Vivienne (June 21, 2020). "Voxtagram". Hellaverse. Retrieved June 21, 2020– via Tumblr.
  20. ↑ Veggie Gamer (August 28, 2020). 🐀❤️ Val & Vox are an Item? ❤️📺 – Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss Instagram Part 2!. VivziePop. Retrieved August 28, 2020– via YouTube.
  21. ↑ Hemenway, Megan (December 27, 2023). "Why Hazbin Hotel Season 1 Is Releasing 5 Years After The Pilot". Screenrant . Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  22. ↑ Shuman, Sean (November 19, 2023). "Hazbin Hotel: What Changed From the Pilot?". MovieWeb . Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  23. ↑ Dumas, Zoe (July 2, 2023). "Why Helluva Boss Is the Best Web Series Right Now". MovieWeb . Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  24. 1 2 Dumas, Zoe (July 2, 2023). "How Does Helluva Boss Replace Hazbin Hotel?". MovieWeb . Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  25. ↑ Medrano, Vivienne (October 6, 2018). Hazbin Hotel – "Inside of Every Demon Is a Rainbow" (Original Song) Not For Kids. VivziePop. Retrieved October 6, 2018– via YouTube.
  26. ↑ Medrano, Vivienne (February 14, 2020). Oh Millie (Official Music Video) – Helluva Boss. VivziePop. Retrieved February 14, 2020– via YouTube.
  27. ↑ Medrano, Vivienne (July 17, 2020). Addict (Music Video) – Hazbin Hotel. VivziePop. Retrieved July 17, 2020– via YouTube.
  28. ↑ Mullinax, Hope (December 3, 2023). "New 'Helluva Boss' Music Video Teases the Future of Stolas and Blitzo's Romance". Collider . Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  29. ↑ SpindleHorse [@SpindleHorse] (December 24, 2019). "Very very soon... ❄🎃 #Holidaze" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2024– via Twitter.
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