Inside Adult Animation: Creating Netflix’s 'Haunted Hotel'

Sep 26, 2025

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No Film School's GG Hawkins checks into Netflix’s brand new animated comedy, Haunted Hotel, and gets a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create an adult animation from the ground up. She’s joined by series creator and showrunner Matt Roller (Rick and Morty), art director Robbie Erwin, and writer Avital Ash for a roundtable conversation that spans the show’s long development journey, the complexities of world-building in animation, and the creative collaboration required to bring this spooky-yet-heartfelt family comedy to life. From storytelling tone to visual language and production logistics, this episode is a crash course in what makes adult animation work—and how this team made sure Haunted Hotel stood out in a crowded field.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests discuss...

How Haunted Hotel evolved from a pitch to a Netflix series
Why Matt Roller leaned into horror instead of sci-fi—and what makes horror more emotionally resonant
How Robbie Erwin’s theme park design background helped shape the show’s tactile visual world
The writer’s room philosophy that prioritized kindness, creativity, and unique perspectives
Why visual design and writing had to be deeply integrated for successful world-building
How the team balanced comedy, horror, and emotional depth across the season
The decision to make the show TV-14 instead of TV-MA—and how that opened it up to more viewers
The team’s favorite ghost characters

Memorable Quotes:

“I think in this type of TV show, you set out to build a world where you could tell 100 stories.”
“The comedy pilot part is the baseline… then it’s the other stuff.”
“I think the thing I’m proudest about is that I got to work on it—it’s one of the most proud I’ve been of all the work I’ve done.”
“With horror, everything matters… and I think that’s how family works too.”

Guests:

Resources:

Haunted Hotel is now streaming on Netflix
I Really Love My Husband Tickets: https://linktr.ee/ireallylovemyhusband

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