Netflix isn’t ready to leave Hawkins behind just because the main series is ending. They’ve officially announced Stranger Things Tales From ’85, a brand-new animated spin-off set between seasons 2 and 3 of the original show, back when the kids still rode bikes everywhere. Back when the government was terrible at hiding interdimensional breaches, and walkie-talkies were still the height of communication technologies.
Set for release in 2026, this is the same world, same characters, same supernatural weirdness, but told through animation instead of live action, and with a different paranormal threat. If you’ve ever wished the series would lean harder into its 80s roots, this may be the closest Stranger Things you ever get to being a Saturday morning cartoon, but with more tentacles and less breakfast cereal (or Eggo waffles).
Stranger Things Tales From ’85 Brings Back the Gang in 2D
The story of Stranger Things Tales From ’85 takes place during the winter of 1985, shortly after the finale of season 2 and before the mall disaster in season 3.
Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max are confirmed to appear, which means we’re getting the familiar friend dynamic, but in different visual styles. The first promo image released by Netflix shows snow-covered Hawkins with the kids bundled in winter gear, standing in front of a glowing, ominous backdrop. You can feel the cold, the apprehension, and the mystery. You know—just normal small-town Indiana stuff.
The animation style is being handled by Flying Bark Productions, the same studio responsible for What If…? season 2. That gives the series more flexibility for visual storytelling than live action would allow. Want a 30-foot vine-wrapped wolf creature with glowing stomach teeth? They can animate that. Want a Demogorgon that eats electricity and spits out TV static? Also doable.
Character designs are stylized but recognizable, with chunky color blocks, bold lines, and an overall look that feels like a love letter to 80s cartoons. Think The Real Ghostbusters, SilverHawks, and Thundarr the Barbarian. Except back then, the networks didn’t greenlight cartoons about possessed trees or kids fighting extradimensional figures.
Why This Animated Spin-Off Makes Sense for Netflix
This movie is strategic. Stranger Things has been one of Netflix’s biggest cultural products for nearly a decade, so letting the universe disappear after season 5 would be like shutting down the Upside Down portal and pretending no spores ever leaked out.
Stranger Things Tales From ’85 lets Netflix continue the franchise without needing the original cast to stay the exact same forever. It also reaches younger viewers, like kids who may be too young for the live-action show but already know Vecna through memes and TikTok reels. And it gives older fans something to watch once the original emotional arc comes to an end.
The Duffers are executive producers, but they’ve been clear: this isn’t a continuation of Eleven’s main story. It’s a side adventure, a new window into Hawkins, and a space to explore ideas that didn’t fit into the main series’ running time (or special effects budget).
A New Character is Joining the Mystery
The spin-off also introduces a new character, Nikki Baxter, described as a “scrappy teen tinkerer who can fix anything with wires, tools, or tape—except her impulse control.” She’s rumored to be crucial in uncovering whatever new Upside Down anomaly shows up in 1985.
Fans are already making early predictions. Is she secretly connected to the lab? Is she an early Robin-style outsider? Is she a mini-Murray with better hair? Time will tell.
Stranger Things may be ending, but Hawkins (and Netflix) aren’t done with us yet. If Stranger Things Tales From ’85 works, this won’t just be “the animated one.” It’ll be the first of many ways Netflix keeps the universe alive, with new monsters, new characters, and the same terrified children who deserve a normal summer someday.