New ‘Stranger Things’ Spin-Off Drops First Trailer
Netflix is bringing Hawkins back to life with a brand-new animated spinoff called Stranger Things: Tales from ’85. The series is set between Seasons 2 and 3 of the original show, exploring a story where the town’s famous kids face new threats from monsters thawing out of the Upside Down.
While the original cast doesn’t return, fans will recognize many of the main characters through a fresh voice cast. Brooklyn Davey Norstedt voices Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport is Max, Luca Diaz plays Mike, Elisha “EJ” Williams is Lucas, Braxton Quinney takes on Dustin, Ben Plessala voices Will, and Brett Gipson plays Hopper. Steve, Nancy, and Karen Wheeler are also included, voiced by Jeremy Jordan, Alessandra Antonelli, and Alysia Reiner, respectively.
New characters feature voices from Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jack Griffo, and even horror legend Robert Englund, who appeared in a guest role on the original show’s fourth season.
The new trailer for ‘STRANGER THINGS: TALES FROM '85’ has been released.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 26, 2026
The animated series follows the Hawkins group on an adventure set between Seasons 2 and 3 of the main show.
Releasing April 23 on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/i9oyGGRLWm
The animation is handled by Flying Bark, an Australian studio known for projects like Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, What If…?, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eric Robles leads as showrunner and executive producer. The original Stranger Things creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, also serve as executive producers along with Hilary Leavitt, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen.
The show promises ten episodes, each about 30 minutes long, and will premiere on Netflix on April 23. This animated series is just the start of expanding the Stranger Things universe. A live-action spinoff is also in the works, although it will feature a completely new cast and storylines separate from the original characters.
Tales from ’85 is a smart move for Netflix. It lets fans revisit Hawkins without disrupting the ending of the main series, and animation gives creators freedom to explore wild adventures that would be difficult in live-action. I’m curious to see how fans react to the new voices and style. What do you think about an animated Stranger Things spinoff? Share your thoughts in the comments.
