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Warner Bros. Animation Announces Debut Feature Film From ‘Hellaverse’ Creator

By Rachel Tolleson Jun 22nd, 2026, 12:15 pm

Yes, you read that right. Indie animation, as well as 2D animation, are both seeing huge wins today with the announcement of Prehistoria, the feature film debut of Vivienne Medrano, AKA “VivziePop,” the creator behind the massively popular Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss series.

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Helluva Boss began as a YouTube series, quickly garnering millions of views. Hazbin Hotel, likewise, had its pilot premiere on YouTube, where it currently has 123 million views. In 2020, A24 picked it up as a full series. The full-produced series premiered on Prime Video in 2024.

Prime Video picked up Helluva Boss in 2025, ahead of the release of season two of Hazbin Hotel. Both shows are praised for their designs and original songs, along with their explicit humor. Their voice casts also boast the who’s-who of Broadway stars.

Medrano will write and direct the animated musical, which is being described as a “fossil fantasy.” Currently, no other plot details have been shared. It is, however, set for a theatrical release.

In a statement, Medrano said, “Since I began my animation journey, my biggest dream was to be part of a feature film. Now to be creating an original story that I have been holding for years, and with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, a studio whose characters and stories have been a huge part of my life, is truly a dream come true. I’m SO excited to share this fossil fantasy world with everyone!”

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation president Bill Damaschke announced the new project at a presentation at the Annecy International Animation festival in France on Monday. WBPA is currently working on collaborating with online creators with strong direct-to-fan connections to engage new audiences, Damaschke said.

The return of ZooPhobia is also on the horizon

Back in April, Medrano also announced the return of ZooPhobia as a series of shorts back in April at the LVL UP EXPO in Las Vegas. The webcomic predates her popular Hellaverse. One short currently exists on her YouTube.

Seeing somebody like Medrano succeeding is amazing. Indie animators have been overlooked for too long. With studios relying on tired IPs, I’m glad to see WBPA actually taking a chance on someone who champions original work. When you see a VivziePop artwork, you know whose it is immediately.

When I first watched Hazbin Hotel in July of last year, I was immediately hooked. Very few shows do that do that for me. Medrano has a unique ability to tell stories and create characters and worlds that you want to live in forever. I think it is safe to say that Prehistoria, as well as ZooPhobia, will be no different.

(Featured image: Warner Bros. Pictures Animation)

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Rachel Tolleson - Freelancer

Rachel (she/her) is a freelancer at The Mary Sue. She has been freelancing since 2013 in various forms, but has been an entertainment freelancer since 2016. When not writing her thoughts on film and television, she can also be found writing screenplays, fiction, and poetry. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her cats Carla and Thorin Oakenshield but is a Midwesterner at heart. She is also a tried and true emo kid and the epitome of "it was never a phase, Mom," but with a dual affinity for dad rock. She also co-hosts the Hazbin Hotel Pod, which can be found on TikTok and YouTube.