Every Vivienne Medrano Movie and TV Show From Hazbin Hotel to Helluva Boss

Vivienne Medrano, known globally by her online pseudonym VivziePop, has fundamentally altered the landscape of adult animation. As the founder of SpindleHorse Toons, she successfully bridged the gap between independent YouTube content and major streaming platform success. Her creative portfolio is defined by a distinct visual flair—vibrant, sharp-lined, anthropomorphic character designs—and a deep-seated love for musical theater.

The primary movies and TV shows associated with Vivienne Medrano include the Prime Video hit Hazbin Hotel, the viral YouTube series Helluva Boss, and a collection of award-winning animated shorts such as Bad Luck Jack and Timber. Beyond her original creations, Medrano has contributed to professional series like Too Loud! and has a robust slate of upcoming projects including a Homestuck pilot and new series for PBS Kids.

The Hellaverse: A New Era of Adult Musical Animation

The cornerstone of Medrano’s career is the "Hellaverse," a shared universe comprising Hazbin Hotel and its spin-off Helluva Boss. This franchise has proven that adult animation can be both narratively complex and commercially viable without following the traditional "sitcom" formula established by legacy shows.

Hazbin Hotel: The Crown Jewel of Indie Success

Hazbin Hotel follows Charlie Morningstar, the Princess of Hell, as she pursues the seemingly impossible goal of rehabilitating demons to reduce Hell's overpopulation through a "Hazbin Hotel."

Originally released as a pilot on YouTube in October 2019, the project was a masterclass in independent production. Funded largely through Medrano’s Patreon and supported by a dedicated team of freelance animators, the pilot garnered over 100 million views, catching the attention of A24 and Amazon MGM Studios.

The transition to a full series on Prime Video in early 2024 marked a historic moment for indie creators. Medrano serves as the creator, director, and executive producer of the series. The show maintains its musical heart, featuring Broadway-style numbers that drive the character development.

Production insights indicate that Medrano has a comprehensive five-season plan for Hazbin Hotel. With Season 2 confirmed to be closer to her original vision in terms of visual scale and narrative pacing, the show continues to be a flagship for Prime Video's adult animation lineup.

Helluva Boss: The YouTube Titan

While Hazbin Hotel moved to premium streaming, Helluva Boss remained the pride of Medrano’s YouTube channel, SpindleHorse. This spin-off focuses on I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals), a startup assassination company run by imps that allows sinners to get revenge on the living world.

Helluva Boss is notable for its episodic nature and deeper exploration of Hell's social hierarchy outside the royal circles of Hazbin Hotel. It features an elite voice cast including Richard Steven Horvitz, Brandon Rogers, and Erica Lindbeck. The series is currently navigating its second and third seasons, with a confirmed four-season plan.

One of the most significant developments for Helluva Boss in 2025 was its expansion to Amazon Prime Video while maintaining its presence on YouTube. This dual-distribution model allows Medrano to retain creative control—a rarity in the animation industry—while reaching a broader audience.

Helluva Shorts: Expanding the Narrative

In 2024, Medrano launched Helluva Shorts, a series of mini-episodes designed to flesh out secondary characters and fill the gaps between major season arcs. These shorts vary in tone from slapstick comedy to poignant character studies, further cementing the lore of the Hellaverse without requiring the massive production overhead of a full 22-minute episode.

The Formative Shorts of SpindleHorse Toons

Before the Hellaverse became a cultural phenomenon, Medrano honed her craft through a series of short films. These works demonstrate her evolution from a student at the School of Visual Arts to a studio head in Burbank.

Timber (2014)

Timber was Medrano’s fourth-year thesis film at the School of Visual Arts. This short garnered her a Dusty Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation and remains a fan favorite. The film, named after the Pitbull and Kesha song, showcases her ability to synchronize fluid character movement with high-energy musical beats. It centers on two anthropomorphic wood spirits and serves as the earliest public demonstration of the "VivziePop style"—lanky silhouettes, expressive eyes, and rhythmic movement.

The Son of 666 (2013)

One of her earliest directed shorts, The Son of 666, explored themes of the supernatural and the mundane. While less polished than her later work, it introduced her fascination with hellish iconography reimagined through a comedic and stylized lens.

Holidaze (2019)

Released just before the Hazbin Hotel explosion, Holidaze is a dialogue-free short featuring the unlikely romance between a Christmas spirit and a Halloween spirit. This project emphasized Medrano’s skill in visual storytelling, relying entirely on character acting and color palettes to convey a heartwarming seasonal tale.

The ZooPhobia Legacy and Bad Luck Jack

ZooPhobia began as a webcomic (2012–2016) about a phobic counselor named Cameron who accidentally takes a job at a school in a world populated by supernatural creatures. While the comic was put on hiatus to focus on animation, it remains the foundation of many of Medrano’s character designs.

Bad Luck Jack (2020)

In 2020, Medrano released Bad Luck Jack, a musical short based on the ZooPhobia universe. The short follows the character Jack, a cursed canine, and his interactions with the colorful cast of the Academy. Winning an Ursa Major Award for Best Dramatic Short Work, Bad Luck Jack proved that Medrano’s audience was just as invested in her older intellectual properties as they were in her newer, darker content.

Professional Animation and Design Contributions

Vivienne Medrano’s career is not limited to her own studio’s productions. She has a significant history as a freelance and staff animator for other major projects.

Too Loud! (2017–2019)

Medrano worked as an animator and character designer on Nico Colaleo’s DreamWorksTV series Too Loud!. This experience was pivotal, allowing her to work within a professional studio environment while refining her speed and stylistic consistency. Her influence is visible in the show’s exaggerated expressions and energetic pacing.

"Vampire" Segment in Polkamania! (2024)

In a high-profile collaboration, Medrano directed and animated the "Vampire" segment for "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Polkamania!" music video. This project allowed her to apply the SpindleHorse aesthetic to a mainstream music parody, further legitimizing her studio’s status in the broader entertainment industry.

Music Video Directing: Die Young and Addict

Medrano’s rise to fame was catalyzed by her fan animation for Kesha’s Die Young in 2014. The video, which featured characters from ZooPhobia, went viral and established her YouTube channel as a destination for high-quality animation.

Later, the Addict music video (2020), set in the Hazbin Hotel universe, broke records for independent animation. It provided deep backstory for characters like Angel Dust and Cherri Bomb, proving that music videos could serve as vital narrative extensions of her TV shows.

Upcoming Projects: Expanding the SpindleHorse Portfolio

As of late 2025, Vivienne Medrano is diversifying her output, moving into new genres and collaborations that extend beyond the Hellaverse.

The Homestuck Pilot

In a move that surprised the internet, Medrano’s studio, through its Australian branch SpindleRoo, announced an 11-minute animated pilot for the legendary webcomic Homestuck. This project represents a shift for SpindleHorse as it is the first major project not based on Medrano’s original characters. She has described it as an "experimental" test pilot to explore new technologies and artistic styles, potentially opening the door for SpindleHorse to act as a production hub for other web-based creators.

Carl the Collector and Lyla in the Loop

Demonstrating her versatility, Medrano is involved in projects for PBS Kids. She is credited as a director for an episode of Carl the Collector and an executive producer for Lyla in the Loop. These projects showcase her ability to adapt her design sensibilities for a younger demographic, focusing on educational and inclusive storytelling.

How Vivienne Medrano Redefined Indie Animation Production

To understand the success of Medrano’s movies and TV shows, one must look at her production model. She is often cited as a "paragon of indie success" due to her use of non-traditional funding and distribution.

1. Direct-to-Consumer Funding: By utilizing Patreon, Medrano bypassed the "pilot season" gatekeepers of traditional networks. This allowed her to build a massive, loyal audience before ever stepping into a meeting with A24 or Amazon.
2. Burbank-Based Independence: Founding SpindleHorse Toons in Burbank allowed her to tap into the world’s best animation talent while maintaining an independent culture.
3. Creative Oversight: Even as her studio grows, Medrano remains hands-on. She is known for "redlining" (providing direct visual corrections on frames) and ensuring that the "VivziePop" aesthetic is maintained across hundreds of animators.
4. Genre Blending: By combining adult themes, horror-comedy, and musical theater, she filled a vacuum in the market that major studios had long ignored.

Summary of Major Works

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Vivienne Medrano's Shows

Where can I watch Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss?

Hazbin Hotel is available in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video. The original pilot remains on the VivziePop YouTube channel. Helluva Boss is primarily available on the VivziePop YouTube channel, with select availability on Prime Video as of 2025.

Are Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss connected?

Yes, they both take place in the "Hellaverse." While Hazbin Hotel focuses on the redemption of sinners in the Pride Ring, Helluva Boss explores the lives of Hell-born creatures like imps and hellhounds across the various rings of Hell. However, due to licensing differences (A24/Amazon vs. Indie), major crossovers are currently limited.

How many seasons will Helluva Boss have?

Vivienne Medrano has confirmed a four-season plan for Helluva Boss. As of late 2025, the show is deep into production of its third and fourth seasons.

What was Vivienne Medrano's first animation?

While she created many early animations, her first major breakout was the Die Young fan animation (2014), followed closely by her thesis film Timber.

Is ZooPhobia becoming a full TV show?

While there is no official word on a full series, the success of the Bad Luck Jack short and Medrano’s stated interest in her original characters suggest that more ZooPhobia content, possibly in the form of shorts or a graphic novel, is a high priority for SpindleHorse Toons.

Vivienne Medrano’s trajectory from a student animator to a studio mogul serves as a blueprint for the modern digital creator. Her movies and TV shows are not just entertainment; they are proof that with a distinct voice and a direct connection to an audience, independent animation can conquer the mainstream.