Netflix marked Stranger Things Day 2025 by unveiling the first look at its upcoming animated spin-off, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85. The new series revisits Hawkins, Indiana, through an animated lens, showing the core group of characters in their younger years as they face another supernatural threat.
The first two images released by Netflix showcase the animated versions of Eleven, Will, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Max—faithfully rendered to resemble their live-action counterparts. In one image, the group stands together in familiar Hawkins surroundings; in the other, a massive Demogorgon looms over them, mid-attack, with Eleven caught in its grasp.
Accompanying the stills is a behind-the-scenes featurette in which creators Matt and Ross Duffer, who serve as executive producers, discuss the creative direction of the spin-off. Showrunner Eric Robes and his animation team are also featured, highlighting the process of adapting the show’s visual tone and emotional core into animation. The series is slated to premiere on Netflix in 2026.
The voice cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Elisha Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, and Brett Gipson as Hopper. Additional roles are voiced by Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips. Unlike the live-action series, Tales From ’85features a new ensemble of voice actors to represent younger versions of the familiar characters.
Set between seasons three and four, the story unfolds during the winter of 1985, when the Hawkins kids must confront a new paranormal mystery that threatens their town. The show’s official logline teases “a stark winter in Hawkins, where the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a mystery terrorizing their community.”
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 continues Netflix’s effort to expand the Stranger Things universe while audiences await the fifth and final season of the flagship series, with Volume 1 arriving November 26 and Volume 2 following in December.
