What To Know Before Watching Stranger Things: Tales From '85

Netflix's "Stranger Things" that was inspired by an underrated 2011 J.J. Abrams sci-fi movie, might've come to an end on New Year's Eve last year, but the streamer is clearly not ready to completely let go of its biggest golden goose just yet. There are more adventures, romances, epic fights, vicious monsters, and potential alternate universes to go through and discover as far as our beloved heroes in Hawkins, Indiana, go (even if without the original cast that we watched for nine years in five seasons). But, instead of another live-action show, Mike and the others return in a lively, upbeat, and cute animated series titled "Stranger Things: Tales From '85." This new instalment will serve as the first spin-off of the original, and we are here to discuss every important aspect there is to know about the project so far. Needless to say, this latest iteration will have a lot to live up to in every way, considering the original was one of the most hyped and popular shows on Netflix.

"Stranger Things: Tales From '85" won't be a direct continuation of the heartbreaking and beautifully nostalgic season 5 finale that we witnessed a few months ago. Instead, the writers take us back to the winter of 1985, which (timeline-wise) falls between the second and third seasons of the series. It seems that we're finally getting an entire cold season when Hawkins is covered in snow and ice, with kids wearing vintage puffer jackets, and maybe some scenes where they're sipping hot chocolate after recovering from an epic snowball fight while playing Dungeons and Dragons in the basement. It's definitely a promising setting, and if the first teaser trailer is any indication, the animators have done a fantastic job of capturing the '80s winter vibes to draw us back into nostalgia land. And for what it's worth, exciting monster fights set against a snowy backdrop in the woods always look cool as hell.

According to Netflix's official logline and synopsis, Mike Wheeler and his friends are having some fun and chill days while they're recovering from all the traumatic events that took place in season 2. "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. 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 new story."

The official teaser trailer gives us a taste of what that might entail, featuring battles with pumpkin-headed demogorgons, vicious demodogs, and of course, some cheesy one-liners and campy dialogue involving the awkward teens. Based on that premise and first impressions, this series will be a cute and probably more child-friendly iteration, including a lot of feel-good moments, some intense action scenes, as well as intriguing mysteries waiting to be solved.

Sadly but understandably, no one from the original cast (including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, etc.) will be reprising their respective roles. To replace the younger core characters (or rather their voices), we'll have relative newcomers like Luca Diaz as Mike, Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Elisha Williams ("The Wonder Years") as Lucas, Benjamin Plessala ("Wylde Pak") as Will, and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport ("Watchmen," which was one of the most-watched shows back in 2019) as Max. As far as the supporting characters go, Steve will be voiced by "Supergirl" alum Jeremy Jordan, Jim Hopper by Brett Gipson ("Station 19," "Shameless"), Nancy by Alessandra Antonelli, and Karen Wheeler by "Orange is the New Black" regular, Alysia Reiner.

However, the most exciting additions to the "Stranger Things" universe may be the newly-introduced characters, Nikki Baxter (played by "Marty Supreme" and "Hellraiser" actress Odessa A'zion) and her mom Anna (the lovely Janeane Garofalo from movies like "Wet Hot American Summer" and "Come As You Are"), who just moved to Hawkins, as well as the old town clerk Daniel Fischer (portrayed by the legendary Lou Diamond Phillips). And last but not least, horror icon Robert Englund (aka Freddy Krueger) — who appeared in a small but memorable role as Victor Creel in the original series — will also have a minor part, voicing a character named Cosmo, according to Radio Times.

Although "Stranger Things" creators Matt and Ross Duffer won't be the principal brains behind the spin-off, they remain attached as executive producers, while animator and artist Eric Robles will serve as showrunner. Robles has extensive experience in animation as a designer, writer, and producer, having worked in the art department of some of the biggest studios like DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney Animation. He was the creator of such kids' shows as "Fanboy and Chum Chum" and "Glitch Techs" on Nickelodeon. He also worked on Orion Pictures' '90s animation series, "RoboCop: Alpha Commando," which aired for a year and consisted of 40 episodes.

In addition to the cast, crew, and teaser trailer, we also know that "Stranger Things: Tales from '85" is going to premiere on April 23, releasing all 10 episodes of the debut season at once. Although it's hard to imagine this modest spin-off having even a portion of the impact that the original had, it has every ingredient to appeal to a younger audience — and maybe even to draw in some of the older hardcore fans who still long to revisit Hawkins and the Upside Down.