Get ready to dive back into the enchanting world of Hawkins – on April 23rd. That’s the anticipated release date for the first 'Stranger Things' universe spinoff, 'Stranger Things: Tales From '85'. This highly anticipated Netflix animated series, crafted by the Duffer Brothers and executive produced by Shawn Levy, along with showrunner Eric Robles, will transport viewers back to the enchanting setting of the flagship series for an untold story, featuring new actors voicing the beloved characters.
The teaser (below) embodies a blend of familiarity and novelty, as the series returns us to the eerie Upside Down following the Dec. 31, 2005, series finale. The teaser begins with Will knocking at Eleven’s door and being warned by Hopper to behave. The gang then rides off on their bikes and plays D&D in the basement – until something terrifying stops them in their tracks.
Here’s the captivating logline: “In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and tranquil days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this untold story set in the 'Stranger Things' universe.”
And here’s the star-studded cast: Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, Brett Gipson as Hopper, and Jeremy Jordan as Steve. Additional voice cast includes Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips.
The Duffers and Levy have previously spoken to The Hollywood Reporter about what to expect from 'Tales From '85', as they are also developing a separate live-action spinoff. Levy teases about the animated series: “You’re not getting a watered-down continuation of the show you’ve watched and loved. You’re getting a different tone, a different visual style. It’s filling in blanks of mythology and timeline that you’ve never gotten in what we call ‘the mothership,’ the original show. The Duffers loved a certain style of '80s and '90s all-family audience animation and cartoons, and this show is made in the spirit of that. So it’s not 'Stranger Things, but animated,' it’s very much its own tone and style.”
Matt Duffer said in the announcement: “The idea was kind of to evoke a feeling of an '80s cartoon.” And Robles added: “What we’ve been able to capture is the magic of Hawkins in a new way.”
The Flying Bark series is executive produced by Matt and Ross Duffer, along with Hilary Leavitt via Upside Down Pictures; Levy via 21 Laps; and Dan Cohen.
