Netflix has given fans a very early Christmas present by revealing the first look and the voice cast for its animated series Stranger Things: Tales From '85. This highly anticipated series, due to debut in 2026, is expected to fill in some of the storytelling gaps between seasons two and three of the live-action original.
The animated series takes viewers back to the stark winter of 1985 in Hawkins, Indiana, where familiar young protagonists must fight new monsters and uncover a fresh paranormal mystery. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer are executive producers on the show, and said the idea was one of the first that came to them when thinking about the universe‘s expansion. In an interview, they said they wanted to “evoke a feeling of an ’80s cartoon”, as animation gives the team license to “go wild” with the storytelling.
To give it its own feel, the show boasts a voice cast for the animated version of the series, with Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max. Luca Diaz, Ej Williams, Braxton Quinney, Ben Plessala, and Brett Gipson play the roles of Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will and Hopper, respectively. It also boasts a star-studded line-up with veterans Odessa A'zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips.
Showrunner Eric Robles is at the helm of the project, utilizing visual inspiration from classic 1980s cartoons. This is a mix of beloved characters and a very nostalgic aesthetic with brand-new mysteries-including the return of some familiar faces like Dustin’s Demogorgon pet Dart-designed to tap into the viewers’ love for the franchise, offering a new and thrilling perspective on the Upside Down’s influence on Hawkins.
As fans wait for the animated adventures to start, the final season of the main show, Stranger Things 5, will begin its three-part premiere starting in November 2025.
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