Stranger Things spin-off releases first look and confirms cast for "epic" new series

As we eagerly await our next trip back to the Upside Down later this month, fans have been treated to a first look at the upcoming animated spin-off, Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85.

Debuting on Stranger Things Day - the date when Will Byers first went missing in Hawkins (6 November, 1983) back in the first season - we’ve finally been given our first glimpse of the animated series, with two brand new stills and a short featurette featuring exciting footage of the main party in action.

First announced in April this year, Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 follows in the footsteps of animated revivals such as X-Men ‘97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, tapping into the wave of nostalgic outings that evoke the spirit of Saturday morning cartoons.

Set in the winter of 1985, the series follows Eleven, Max, Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Will as they face new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorising their town. It’s also been confirmed that Hopper will appear in the series.

The creators of Stranger Things and executive producers of Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85, the Duffer brothers, commented: "When we started talking about whether there was anything else we wanted to do with Stranger Things, this was one of our first ideas."

"The idea was to evoke the feeling of an '80s cartoon. With animation, there are really no limits. Eric and his team can just go wild – and they have!"

Eric Robles, showrunner and executive producer, added: "What we’ve been able to capture is the magic of Hawkins in a new way. Our story takes place between seasons two and three, but we soon learn that nothing is quite as it seems."

As glimpsed in the first-look stills and footage, the gang are back on their iconic bikes for a brand new adventure - and it certainly looks like they soon find themselves in a sticky situation…

It also appears that we’ll see a new addition to the creepy Upside Down creatures alongside Demogorgons and Demodogs - with what looks like an even deadlier version of Little Shop of Horror’s carnivorous plant, Audrey II.

The animation comes courtesy of Flying Bark Productions, the studio behind Marvel’s What If…?, Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and also Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie.

The voice cast has also been revealed, with Brooklyn Davey Norstedt voicing Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, EJ (Elisha) Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, and Brett Gipson as Hopper.

Additional voice cast members announced include Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips.

With the fifth and final season of Stranger Things coming to a close in December, fans are sure to be left with a monster-shaped hole to fill. However, with this animated outing joining the West-End production, there’s certainly plenty for fans of the franchise to delve into.

Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 is coming to Netflix in 2026.

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