It’s been a month since Stranger Things ended, and fans still don’t feel emotionally prepared to say goodbye yet (guilty as charged). Fortunately, Netflix just dropped a little comfort in the form of a brand-new trailer and release date for the beloved series’ animated spinoff, Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85.
Yep, we’re headed back to Hawkins for a return visit! Set during a previously unexplored chapter of time, Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 drops us right between Seasons 2 and 3. “This is one of the rarest opportunities that we’re ever going to get to be with the main characters,” showrunner Eric Robles told Tudum. “We get to go back in time and really just hang out with these kids.”
So, when do we get to see El and the gang again? Let’s get into it.
Back to Hawkins (& the Characters We Love)
As for when the series premieres, we’ve got a little bit of a wait — but it’s honestly not too bad. Alongside the trailer, Netflix also announced the release date: Apr. 23. But to see El and the rest of our Hawkins’ faves, we’ll have to go back in time by a few decades.
According to the logline, “In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this untold story set in the Stranger Things universe.”
The innocence of youth, plus nostalgia, plus paranormal danger? That’s the OG Stranger Things’ recipe for success, and it looks like Robles and the Duffer Brothers are hoping to replicate that winning formula here. “It’s got the thrill of being young, being a kid, and going on these thrilling adventures,” Robles told Tudum. “But then there’s this essence of real danger, real stakes.”
Although we’re returning to Hawkins and to El, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Max, Hopper, and Steve, we won’t have the same cast. The voices of Hawkins will now include Brooklyn Davey Norstedt, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Luca Diaz, Jeremy Jordan, Janeane Garofalo, Lou Diamond Phillips, and more.
Why Animation Makes Sense
When trying to decide how to keep the Stranger Things universe alive, Matt and Ross Duffer quickly landed on an animated series. Why? “When we started talking about was there anything else we wanted to do with Stranger Things, this was one of our first ideas,” Ross says in the teaser for the series, pointing out that there aren’t really limits when it comes to animation. Everything can be bigger and more surreal.
As you can see from the newly released teaser trailer, the result is something that feels cinematic and deeply atmospheric — and *that* feels like the Hawkins we know.
“The idea was kind of to evoke of an ‘80s cartoon,” Matt teased in a featurette for the series, and I feel like they nailed it. The vibes are giving E.T. and The Goonies in cartoon form. And having an animated follow-up to an iconic title like this reminds me of The Real Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice: The Animated Series from the ‘80s.
I know a chunk of the fandom will probably shit all over the idea of this series, but I feel like that’s just fandoms for you. You’ve got canon purists who will not take kindly to the slightest deviation, and you’ve got those of us who are just happy to revisit a world we adored.
Why Parents Will Care
Beyond the nostalgia factor (which is doing a lot of heavy lifting here), Tales From ’85 hits a sweet spot for parents watching alongside tweens and teens.
First, it revisits the version of Stranger Things that many parents initially fell in love with. The series explores themes of bravery, loyalty, and growing up in a world that feels unpredictable and terrifying — which, c’mon, hits a little harder now than it did the first time around.
Second, animation creates just enough emotional distance for the scares to feel, well, not quite as scary. We’ll undoubtedly be getting tension and thrills, of course, but without the live-action imagery that made Stranger Things so intense at times and tougher for younger viewers.
And finally, there’s something deeply comforting about revisiting a familiar story during a moment of cultural transition. With the original series now complete, Tales From ’85 offers us all a chance to linger in that time when Hawkins felt like our second home.
