Stranger Things may have wrapped up its five-season run, but the franchise is still truckin’ on. Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, an animated series set between the events of the second and third seasons of the live-action show, debuted on Netflix last week, and the streaming service has already renewed it for a second season.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85
The logline for the animated series reads: “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 original gang is all there, albeit voiced by new actors, and they’ve been joined by a new character, Nikki Baxter (Odessa A’zion).
When asked how long the series could last, showrunner Eric Robles told THR that he has a number in mind but doesn’t plan to overstay his welcome.
“I’m giving you a very vague answer, but I have an idea of what feels right for me, creatively, in terms of the story introducing Nikki Baxter — her not being around anymore and what that means,” he teased. “Technically, she doesn’t fit into the timeline. It’s not in the cards, in the sense that this was developed when the Duffers were in season four post[-production]. What I can say is that I understand the responsibility of ending this story for this series correctly — what the kids process, how they move forward after that, how it connects perfectly to season three and why they don’t talk about her.“
He continued, “Is it going to be perfect? I don’t know. But I’m going to do my best with my team. It’s not going to satisfy everybody. That is the most impossible task ever. But I can tell you that we will satisfy this story, Tales From ‘85.“
What We Thought
The reaction to the animated series has been mixed, but our own Alex Maidy found it to be an enjoyable “sidequest” to the main series.
“Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is saddled with fitting a story worth investing in between the major events of the second and third seasons of the live-action show, and it mostly pulls it off,” he wrote. “Like reading an official novel that adds to the franchise, Tales From ’85 is a nice sidequest, but one that neither adds to nor detracts from the main series. I would definitely tune in for more volumes of animated Stranger Things, but it will always be limited by the seasons we have already invested in. Fun but ultimately not required viewing, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is well animated and solidly made, making for an entertaining return to the beloved franchise.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.
Stranger Things on 4K
If your interest lies solely in the main series, you’ll be able to add all five seasons to your physical media collection this summer. Arrow Video will release a massive box set on 4K and Blu-ray on July 28.
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