The Duffer Brothers have confirmed that the upcoming animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 will feature an entirely new voice cast, with none of the original live-action actors returning to their iconic roles. The announcement was made as part of the Stranger Things Day 2025 celebrations, which also provided the first look at the series set to premiere on Netflix in 2026.
The Official Voice Cast Announcement
Netflix revealed the full voice cast for the animated spinoff, introducing the new actors who will portray the beloved Hawkins gang. The main cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler, Braxton Quinney as Dustin Henderson, Elisha Williams as Lucas Sinclair, Ben Plessala as Will Byers, and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max Mayfield. The adult character of Jim Hopper will be voiced by Brett Gipson.
The series also features additional voice talent including Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips in currently undisclosed roles. The casting of Phillips continues the Stranger Things franchise’s tradition of incorporating well-known actors from the 1980s.
Why the Original Cast Isn’t Returning
In a recent statement, series co-creator Ross Duffer explained the decision to recast all roles, confirming that the animated show will not include any of the original performers. He described the project as an opportunity to show the characters as “little kids again,” but emphasized that this represents a new interpretation rather than a direct continuation with the same cast.
Ross Duffer stated:
“The cartoon goes back and fills in a six-month gap that we weren’t able to explore. It’s fun because you get to see them as little kids again, but it’s not really again.”
The Duffer Brothers further clarified that while the animated series expands the Stranger Things universe, the main live-action storyline concluding with Season 5 represents the definitive end for these characters in their original form. They noted, “This really is the end of the story of Eleven and Mike and Lucas and Dustin and Steve and all these characters, and Hawkins specifically.”
Series Setting and Story Details
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is set during the winter of 1985, specifically filling the six-month narrative gap between Seasons 2 and 3 of the original series. The show returns to the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, where the core group of young characters must confront new monsters from the Upside Down and solve a fresh paranormal mystery threatening their community.
The animated format allows the creators to explore stories and visual concepts that would be difficult to achieve in live-action. According to the Duffer Brothers, the animated series was “one of our first ideas” when considering how to expand the Stranger Things franchise. They wanted to “evoke the feeling of an ’80s cartoon” and noted that with animation, “there’s really no limits” to what they can create.
Showrunner Eric Robles explained that the team can “capture the magic of Hawkins in a new way” through the animated medium. The series aims to maintain the same blend of suspense, friendship, and 1980s nostalgia that made the original show popular, while adopting a brighter, more family-friendly tone appropriate for the animation style and broader audience.
First Look at the Animated World
New images and a behind-the-scenes featurette released during Stranger Things Day 2025 offered the first glimpse of the animated Hawkins. The visual style features character designs with “bigger heads and sculpted puppet-like faces,” along with a vibrant color palette that incorporates neon elements while maintaining the familiar atmosphere of the original series.
Concept art and early footage show the young characters investigating mysteries with their signature flashlights and walkie-talkies, riding their bikes through the snowy winter landscape of Hawkins, and confronting new supernatural threats. One revealed image features the entire group – Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Will – wrapped in the limbs of a massive Upside Down monster with design elements reminiscent of the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise.
The animation is being handled by Flying Bark Productions, with the Duffer Brothers citing influences from 1980s cartoons like The Real Ghostbusters and modern animated successes such as Spider-Verse and Arcane, all filtered through a retro sensibility.
Expanding the Stranger Things Universe
The announcement clarifies that Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is positioned as a spinoff rather than a direct continuation of the main series. This approach allows the creators to explore different aspects of the Stranger Things universe while keeping the core live-action narrative self-contained and building toward its conclusion in Season 5.
The animated series will provide additional context and adventures set during a specific period in the characters’ lives that wasn’t fully explored in the original show. For instance, the winter of 1985 finds Eleven adjusting to her relationship with Mike and tensions with her foster father Hopper, while Will continues to grapple with his connection to the Upside Down following his traumatic experiences. Meanwhile, Lucas and Max are developing their relationship, and Dustin maintains his friendship with Steve Harrington.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is scheduled to premiere on Netflix in 2026, though an exact release date has not yet been announced. The series will be executive produced by Matt and Ross Duffer, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and showrunner Eric Robles.
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