Netflix Reveals First Look and Plot Details for Animated Spinoff Stranger Things: Tales From ’85

Netflix has revealed exclusive details about the animated Stranger Things spinoff, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, during a panel at the Annecy Film Festival for the awards-season contender In Your Dreams.

At the Annecy Festival, showrunner Eric Robles gave the audience a sneak peek at the animated series, in which Mike, Will, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Hopper all appeared. The story is inspired by The Real Ghostbusters, while the animation style draws from Arcane and the Spider-Verse films. The show will also introduce a new character: Nikki, a “tough, mohawk-wearing gal.” See the first look image below.

Here’s the official synopsis for Stranger Things: Tales From ’85:

Set between Seasons 2 and 3 of the original live-action Stranger Things series: “Welcome back to Hawkins in the stark winter of ’85, where the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town.”

Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer will executive produce the animated series through their Upside Down Pictures banner, along with Hilary Leavitt, and Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps Entertainment. Robles will serve as both executive producer and showrunner via Flying Bark Productions.

The final design of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is a cartoon inspirations, drawing instead from the CGI styles of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Arcane, the spooky aesthetic of classic Goosebumps book covers, and character designs by Meybis Ruiz Cruz (Entergalactic). The series will feature new monsters, including pumpkin zombies and a toothy snow shark, created by renowned creature designer Carlos Huante (Blade Runner 2049, Men in Black, Alien vs. Predator).

Animation is being handled by Australia’s Flying Bark Productions, known for its work on Marvel’s What If…?, Netflix’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, and the upcoming The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender from Paramount Pictures.

Netflix has not yet announced a premiere date for Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, but it is expected to debut in 2026.

Netflix recently released the first trailer for Stranger Things Season 5 and confirmed its release date. The final season will premiere this fall in three parts:

• Volume 1 – November 26, 2025, at 5:00 PM PT (4 episodes)
• Volume 2 – Christmas Day, 2025, at 5:00 PM PT (3 episodes)
• Finale Episode – New Year’s Eve, 2025, at 5:00 PM PT (1 episode)

Source: THR