After the success of the final season, which returned to Netflix in late 2025 and concluded on New Year’s Eve, the Stranger Things universe is expanding again. Netflix unveiled first-look images, a teaser and the full voice cast for Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an animated series set in the winter of 1985 that will stream on Netflix in 2026.
The new series takes place between Seasons 2 and 3, returning to Hawkins as the core group, now in animated form, face new monsters and a fresh paranormal mystery. Netflix released a short first-look featurette and images alongside the casting announcement.
Casting of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85
Netflix named the primary voice actors as:
Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven
Live EventsJolie 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
Additional voice talent announced includes Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo and Lou Diamond Phillips.
Eric Robles serves as showrunner and executive producer. The Duffer Brothers, Matt and Ross, are executive producers via Upside Down Pictures, joined by Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps. Animation work is being developed with Flying Bark Productions.
In the Netflix featurette, the Duffer brothers explained that an animated series was an early idea when thinking about expanding the franchise: “When we started talking about, was there anything else we wanted to do with ‘Stranger Things,’ this was one of our first ideas,” Matt Duffer said. Ross Duffer added, “With animation there’s really no limits. Eric and his team can just go wild, and they have.”
With Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, Netflix is keeping the Hawkins universe alive even after the franchise’s live-action finale. By leaning into animation’s limitless possibilities and an 80s-cartoon nostalgia, the series opens a new chapter for fans eager to revisit the supernatural world.