The Stranger Things universe didn’t end with Season 5. Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is out, and it’s not similar to the story of the franchise you already know.
The animated spinoff series began streaming on Netflix from April 23, 2026, and you might be asking how it fits into everything you know so far. Well, here’s where this article comes into play. It breaks down the story, connection with Hawkins, the timeline, and the cast so you get the answers you’re looking for.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is an animated spin-off that takes place in the winter of 1985, between the Season 2 and Season 3 timeline of the main series. It follows the story of Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max as they face the paranormal mysteries of Hawkins.
What Is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85?
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is the first spinoff in the Stranger Things universe, which allows you to explore the mythology of the show via animation.
Eric Robles is the creator and showrunner for this spinoff, while Matt and Ross Duffer, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Hilary Leavitt join as executive producers for the series via their production companies Upside Down Pictures and 21 Laps, respectively.
Animation for this Stranger Things spinoff is managed by Flying Bark Productions, who have previously worked on What If…? and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, via Parade.
The Duffer brothers simplified the spinoff in simple words. Ross Duffer said, “With animation, there’s really no limits,” while his brother Matt said the plan was to evoke the feeling of an 80s cartoon, via Parade.
For visual appeal, the makers chose to take inspiration from modern animated films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Arcane. The team chose to give the spinoff an 80s vibe with CG that looks modern and more relatable to the world of Stranger Things.
When Is It Set in the Stranger Things Timeline?
This is where things start getting interesting for fans of the Stranger Things main series. The spinoff takes place between Season 2 and Season 3 of the main series, during the time when the main show skips ahead and leaves a gap in the characters’ lives.
Just rewind to the Season 2 ending of Stranger Things, where the entire group enjoys the Winter dance at school, and the next shot shows the Mind Flayer approaching the middle school in the Upside Down. Season 3 jumps into the summer of 1985, leaving a gap in the timeline.
According to the official synopsis, “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 quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened.” via IMDb.
The Stranger Things timeline gap went unnoticed in the main series, but now fans are realizing why it needed to be filled via the spinoff series.
Story Details
Everything in Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 looks familiar from the main series — the main gang of Hawkins Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Max are facing monsters of the Upside Down.
The biggest change in the spinoff is that this time it’s not the Mind Flayer or Vecna who are behind the mysteries of Hawkins. New creatures like the Pumpkin Zombies and vine-like monsters take over in the spinoff series.
The complete list of monsters in the spinoff includes the Snow Shark, Gourd Horde, and Vine Dog, along with some creepy spores and plant monsters. Carlos Huante, famous for his work on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Prometheus, was brought in as the creature designer for this Stranger Things spinoff, and the results are quite promising.
Showrunner Eric Robles was aware of the stakes for the spinoff, saying, “It’s not Scooby-Doo, man… The stakes are real for the kids,” to Entertainment Weekly. With multiple monsters appearing in new episodes, the mystery of the spinoff becomes deeper and leads toward something big.
A new character, Nikki Baxter, becomes one of the main faces in the Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 story. She’s a new kid at school who is saved from bullies and was later saved by Eleven and the group when she faces a new monster from the Upside Down. Nikki is the daughter of the new substitute science teacher at Hawkins Middle School, Mrs. Baxter.
The spinoff also makes sense of and fills the original plot hole of why the Russians in Season 3 chose to create a gate to the Upside Down beneath the Starcourt Mall. Such detailing adds more weight to the spinoff, justifying the need for it.
Main Characters
All main members of the Stranger Things universe — including Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Max are part of the spinoff. Jim Hopper and Steve Harrington also appear at times in the animated series.
Nikki Baxter is a fresh new addition to the story of Hawkins. She’s the daughter of Anna Baxter, the new biology teacher at Hawkins Middle School, and one of the most important characters in the spinoff story.
Another new addition to the cast is Rosario, a Hawkins kid with a complicated relationship with Dustin Henderson. Daniel Fischer, voiced by Lou Diamond Phillips, plays an important character who is connected with the Hawkins Lab and adds more mystery to the season.
Here’s a quick overview of the main cast and their roles in Stranger Things: Tales From ’85:
- Eleven — The most powerful person in the group and the main character to face off with the Upside Down.
- Mike — The one who keeps everyone together and protects Eleven against every odd she faces.
- Dustin — A humor-filled kid who does the impossible when it matters the most.
- Lucas — One of the strongest individuals in the group, even without any powers.
- Will — The kid who carries the trauma of the Upside Down.
- Max — The independent girl and a fan favorite.
- Hopper — Helps the kids in their battle with the mysteries of Hawkins.
- Nikki Baxter — The new character who plays an important role in changing the group dynamics.
Is the Original Cast Returning?
The straightforward answer is no.
The Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 makers chose fresh voices for the different characters in the spinoff series. This means the original stars — including Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, and David Harbour — are not part of the series in any capacity, except in name.
The confirmed new voice cast is:
- Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven
- Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max
- Luca Diaz as Mike
- Elisha Williams as Lucas
- Braxton Quinney as Dustin
- Benjamin Plessala as Will
- Brett Gipson as Hopper
- Jeremy Jordan as Steve
- Odessa A’zion as Nikki Baxter
- Janeane Garofalo and Lou Diamond Phillips as voices of supporting characters
Even with new young voice actors, the connection to the characters still feels the same and keeps you hooked throughout the season.
Connection to Stranger Things Main Series
Tales From ’85 is not an ordinary spinoff — instead, it fills the gap in the timeline of the main series.
The makers have recreated the iconic Hawkins landmarks, including the Palace Arcade, Hawkins Junior High, Hawkins Lab, and the downtown streets in a winter setting, filling the time gap that the original series skipped between Season 2 and Season 3.
The Upside Down still remains the major threat in the spinoff. The season ending explains the actual reason the Russian villains from Season 3 chose Starcourt Mall as the location for the gate to the Upside Down.
Eleven tries to close a gate that was partly open deep underground, which had weakened the barrier between the real world and the Upside Down. The Russians later used the same location to move between the two worlds.
Showrunner Eric Robles explained the intention of the spinoff to Netflix, saying, “We were able to freeze time and really go on these never-before-told adventures with them in this timeline.” The goal was never to redefine what Stranger Things fans already know, but to fill in the blanks that the main series was unable to explore.
The connection to the main series is purposeful and does justice by filling gaps you never thought about while enjoying the original series.
Is it canon?
This has been the most common question from the Stranger Things fandom since the day of the spinoff announcement.
The Duffer brothers are executive producers for Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 and have made sure that the spinoff doesn’t contradict any element of their original series.
The spinoff is designed to unveil some of the smaller stories that were missing from the original series. Don’t expect it to completely change your perspective on the show.
In short, the focus is to expand the Stranger Things universe with details that weren’t available before, rather than revisiting what you already know.
So is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 canon? The honest answer is yes, but in a supporting role. It adds more logic to the original story with bonus material and fills some genuine gaps in the narrative.
Final Verdict
If you’ve been wishing for more of the Hawkins story, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is the right fit.
Netflix dropped all 10 episodes at once on April 23, 2026, so you don’t have to wait for weekly releases. The show is rated TV-PG, making it ideal for kids and for those who already know the story from years of watching.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is not a replacement for the original — instead, it’s an animated spinoff with its own characters, tone, and new monsters, which makes it worthwhile for any fan of the main series.
The Stranger Things spinoff successfully fills the gap in the timeline between Season 2 and Season 3, which the majority of viewers never had answers to. New character Nikki Baxter adds more fun to the Hawkins story and strengthens the original group dynamic.
With a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 51 on Metacritic, Tales From ‘85 has earned a mixed response from critics. But for fans like me who can’t get over the world of Hawkins, this is the next stop.
What is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85?
Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 is an animated spinoff of Netflix’s Stranger Things series. It follows the original kids as they face new monsters and the mysteries of Hawkins.
Is Tales From ’85 connected to Stranger Things?
Yes. The series fills in the timeline between the Season 2 finale and the Season 3 premiere. It also solves the mystery of why the Russians chose Starcourt Mall as the location to create a gate to the Upside Down.
When does Tales From ’85 take place?
The series is set in the winter of 1985, between the timelines of Seasons 2 and 3 of the main show.
Is Tales From ’85 animated?
Yes, the Stranger Things spinoff is a fully animated CG series created by Eric Robles and Flying Bark Productions.
Will Eleven be in Tales From ’85?
Yes. Eleven is still the central character of the Hawkins story in the spinoff series. This time, Brooklyn Davey Norstedt voices the character instead of Millie Bobby Brown.
