Our epic and favorite Netflix show is ending soon when the final part of Stranger Things season 5 arrives Dec. 31, 2025. But, the universe has already continued on stage in The First Shadow. Now, the sci-world world is continuing to expand with the arrival of animated series Stranger Things: Tales From '85.
The project was announced quite a while ago back in April 2023, and we still don't really have that much information to go off. You know how the creators Matt and Ross Duffer like to stay tight-lipped when it comes to anything related to the series. However, there are a few updates as the show was featured at the Annecy Animation Festival in France.
When Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is set
Per Collider, the animated series is set to premiere sometime in 2026. When it does, we're going to see a story play out that's in the winter of 1985, placing the timeline between Stranger Things season 2 and season 3. The second season took place in October 1984 around Halloween, and the third season was in July 1985 days before the Fourth of July.
This would be the time we didn't really see after everyone defeated the Mind Flayer. Eleven closed the gate at Hawkins Lab, thinking it was once and for all at that point, and Joyce had just lost Bob to the Demodogs. At the end of season 2, the series does skip to one month later to the Snow Ball so we get a glimpse of winter there. That seemed to be around Christmas time, or getting closer, based on the music. So the end of the second season was still December 1984.
And since Stranger Things: Tales From '85 takes place, well, in winter 1985, that means the upcoming animation should be set after the Snow Ball by a bit. After the cute middle school dance, I'm assuming that's when Mike and Eleven also started to get closer and closer, leading to their constant kissing and being around each other at the start of season 3, much to the chagrin of their friends and Hopper.
Collider does mention that it's not known yet though whether the events that are coming up in the new series are canon to the OG show or not. Though I'd think with the Duffer Brothers placing it in a particular timeline, it would be. Who knows. In the meantime, we're going to think about what we do know right now, and the news outlet also had a logline to share:
"Welcome back to Hawkins in the stark winter of 1985, where the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town in Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an epic new animated series."
Confirmed characters in the new animated series on Netflix
Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Will, and Jim were all shown in footage to the press at the festival, according to Collider. Though a voice cast has not been announced yet. Some of the familiar spots we can expect to see in animation form include the school, the arcade, and Hawkins Lab.
While there's returning favorites, and perhaps others will be there too it just hasn't been teased yet, a new character will also be featured. Nikki Baxter is described as a "tinker" who has "pinkish hair that's short on the sides," per Collider. I'm assuming somehow, she's going to help the Hawkins Heroes against these new monsters. Hmm.
Stay tuned to Show Snob as we bring you updates about Stranger Things: Tales From '85 on Netflix.