‘Hazbin Hotel: Season 1’ Blu-ray Review
Features the voices of: Erika Henningsen, Stephanie Beatriz, Blake Roman, Keith David, Kimiko Glenn, Amir Talai, Alex Brightman | Created by Vivienne Medrano
Adult animated shows have long been a source of sharp, irreverent fun. From early trailblazers like Dr. Katz, Duckman: Private Detective and The Critic, to modern mainstays such as King of the Hill, Family Guy, American Dad and Bob’s Burgers, the genre has continually evolved while keeping its bite.
On October 29th, 2019, a pilot for a new adult animated series debuted on YouTube. Fast forward to 2024, and Amazon Prime greenlit the full series, bringing Hazbin Hotel to its streaming platform. Now, for physical media fans, there’s even better news: the complete first season of Hazbin Hotel is available to own on Blu-ray.
In an attempt to find a non-violent alternative for reducing Hell’s overpopulation, the daughter of Lucifer opens a rehabilitation hotel that offers a group of misfit demons a chance at redemption.
Hazbin Hotel: Season 1 is a relatively short run, consisting of just eight half-hour episodes. This kind of truncated season has become the norm for streaming series, a far cry from the longer episode orders of traditional television. The show leans hard into profanity and gleefully embraces moral depravity and satanic imagery as part of its irreverent identity. As an animated musical series, the premise is an intriguing one. The songs are catchy, the voice acting is strong, and there’s no denying the craft on display. That said, while many viewers clearly love what the show is doing, the relentlessly raunchy humour ultimately proved a bit too much for me.
All eight season 1 episodes have been transferred to 2 Blu-ray discs (4 half-hour episodes per disc) in 1080p and are presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is an English 5.1 track, and there is the option for English subtitles or the English audio description track. The episodes look and sound crisp and clean; there are no digital artefacts or audio anomalies to worry about. The colours are bright and vibrant, and the animation is sharp as a tack.
In addition to the episodes, this release has episode commentaries featuring the creator Vivienne Medrano, animation director Skye Henwood and art director Sam Miller. There is also a fold-up poster and an exclusive, premium foil or cracked ice promo card for Hazbin Hotel Trading Cards.
Hazbin Hotel certainly isn’t for everyone, and its subject matter will no doubt offend some viewers. That said, if you’re already a fan of the series, this new deluxe Blu-ray is a very nice release. With only eight episodes on offer, however, it does feel a little light in terms of overall entertainment value.
***½ 3.5/5
If you enjoyed Hazbin Hotel, the season 1 Blu-ray would make a great addition to your home video library, plus – given how streaming has gone recently – a physical release will guarantee you can watch the show forever! Head over to Amazon and order your copy now.
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