Stranger Things Animated Midquel Coming to Netflix in 2026
Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 will take place between seasons 2 and 3 of the original series. Although Stranger Things will conclude with its fifth and final season on December 31 with a two-hour finale, fans can revisit Hawkins, Indiana, and the Upside Down soon after through this new animated spinoff.
About the Series
The Duffer Brothers first revealed the spinoff in 2023 as a tribute to 1980s culture and Saturday morning cartoons. The animation is being produced by Flying Bark Productions, known for their work on What If…? and Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eric Robles, the showrunner of Fanboy & Chum Chum and Glitch Techs, leads the project.
Plot and Characters
Plot details remain limited, but early images and a featurette depict the Hawkins kids battling a monstrous carnivorous plant and evading a zombie-like creature roaming the streets.
- The animated format allows original young actors to be replaced since they have aged out after nine years.
- New, relatively unknown young actors will voice the characters in the spinoff.
Release and Significance
The spinoff announcement came on November 6, which Netflix marks as Stranger Things Day, commemorating the show's beginning with Will Byers’ disappearance on that date.
"Stranger Things season 5 makes its world premiere in Los Angeles at 8 p.m."
This animated midquel offers a fresh way to expand the Stranger Things universe and celebrate its iconic '80s roots.
Author's summary: Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, an animated midquel set between seasons 2 and 3, will premiere on Netflix in 2026, reviving Hawkins with new young voice actors and '80s cartoon homage.