Netflix just gave fans their first real taste of Hawkins again with the trailer for Stranger Things: Tales From ’85. The spinoff hits the streamer on April 23. It’s animated, it’s weird, it’s Hawkins-y and it’s bringing back the gang in a way we haven’t seen before.
The story takes place between Seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things. That means the Duffers had this idea sitting on the back burner for years, but now animation lets them actually do it.
Stranger Things Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Max, and Hopper are all back, but their voices are new. Some of the characters feel a little different, enough to notice, but still the people you remember.
Flying Bark Productions is doing the Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 animation.
The studio has done other big shows, and it shows here. Hawkins is detailed, the Upside Down is still spooky, and the whole thing has room for weird, over-the-top moments that live action might never pull off.
This might be the only spinoff with the original Stranger Things gang. The Duffers are looking at other live-action spinoffs down the road, but those will feature new characters and different corners of Hawkins. So if you want more of the kids you know, Tales From ’85 is it, at least for now.
The animated format also lets the story take chances. Expect some fun twists, a few laughs, and the same kind of supernatural tension the Netflix series is famous for. The Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 trailer gives a good hint, but there’s still a lot of mystery left.
For fans, this is a chance to step back into Hawkins in a fresh way. It’s nostalgic, a little weird, and just enough new to make it exciting. April 23 can’t come soon enough.