Stranger Things season 5, which is also the last season of the show, will be released through the Netflix streaming service in three parts, with volume one arriving on November 26, 2025, volume two following on Christmas Day, 2025, and the series finale dropping on New Year’s Eve. But this will not, of course, be the end for the Stranger Things franchise. There’s already a stage play prequel and there are spin-offs in the works, including an animated series called Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 – and today, an announcement trailer has dropped online to let us know the show will premiere sometime in 2026! The trailer is embedded above and shows off some footage from the show, along with interview quotes from Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer and executive producer / showrunner Eric Robles.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 has the following logline: 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. The last episode of Stranger Things season 2 took place on December 15, 1984, so this animated series will take place between the second and third seasons, which would allow all of the major characters to participate. The Hollywood Reporter adds that they’re joined by a new character: “Nikki, a tough, mohawk-wearing gal.”
The animation studio is Flying Bark. The Duffer Brothers are executive producing the animated series through their Upside Down Pictures production banner, along with Upside Down’s Hilary Leavitt, and Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps. Eric Robles executive produces via Flying Bark Productions.
Robles has previously said that a major source of inspiration for the show is The Real Ghostbusters. A spin-off from / sequel to Ghostbusters, the animated series The Real Ghostbusters ran for 7 seasons, from 1986 to 1991. Robles said, “It all went back to The Real Ghostbusters. It was silly but had a handful of dark, creepy episodes and we just kept talking about that. That became the north star for us.” Other inspirations that have been directly referenced include Saturday morning cartoons like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Scooby-Doo, and Dungeons and Dragons, plus the CGI style of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Arcane, “the spookiness of the classic Goosebumps book covers, and character designs from Meybis Ruiz Cruz (Entergalactic). New monsters, including pumpkins zombies and a toothy snow shark, come courtesy of creature designer Carlos Huante (Blade Runner 2049, Men in Black, Alien vs. Predator).”
Are you interested in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85? Take a look at the announcement trailer, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
