Winter is coming to Hawkins in Stranger Things: Tales From ’85! Netflix drops the first teaser and confirms the animated spinoff returns April 23, 2026. The teaser frames an ice-blanketed town, our favorite party back in action, and a new threat rising beneath the snow that ties directly into the Stranger Things mythos.
As showrunner Eric Robles tells Tudum, “We want the audience to feel that these kids are in danger, the stakes are real, and bad things can happen to anyone.” The energy is vintage Hawkins with a fresh animated jolt, and it looks scary in the best way. Stranger Things Netflix Eric Robles
Never-Before-Told Adventures, Frozen in Time
Set in the winter of 1985, the series lets us revisit Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max at a rare moment of peace. The show “freezes time” to explore untold adventures with the core crew while the Upside Down’s shadow still lingers.
Robles promises the danger feels tangible, which makes every snowball fight, D&D roll, and flashlight beam feel like a countdown to something lurking just out of frame.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Introduces A Party of New Voices and Familiar Legends
The voice cast brings fresh spark to Hawkins while maintaining the legends we know. 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, with Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips joining the fun.
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Behind the scenes, executive producers Matt and Ross Duffer, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen guide the expansion of the universe, with animation by Flying Bark for a crisp, kinetic look that fits the show’s high-stakes heart. Matt Duffer Ross Duffer Shawn Levy Flying Bark Productions
New Mystery, Old Fears, Big ’80s Vibes
The logline teases a “mythical Titan” rising from the sea and hints at secrets under the ice, Hawkins Lab echoes, and a village with ties that may not be from the Upside Down at all. The teaser leans into classic ’80s adventure energy with eerie stillness, synth-tinged dread, and a sense that every snow-capped rooftop is watching back. In other words, exactly the kind of pulpy peril that made Stranger Things a phenomenon.
Bundle Up, Hawkins: The Hunt Begins in Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 This April
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 premieres globally April 23, 2026 on Netflix. Expect a season built on high tension, bigger mysteries, and the kind of friendship-under-fire storytelling that keeps you up past midnight. Clear your queue, phone a friend, and get your Eggos ready.
What detail in the teaser grabbed you first? Which character’s arc are you most excited to see in animated form? What do you think is waking beneath the ice? Drop your theory in the comments or @me so we can argue like it’s 1985 all over again.
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