# Tales From ’85: Stranger Things returns as an animated caper through the Upside Down
Stranger Things may have wrapped up in live-action, but the Hawkins crew are back in animation, keeping the spirit and playful energy that fans fell in love with. The new series revisits the world in a brighter, more retro style while preserving the heart of the original show: friendship, coming-of-age trials, and kids facing off against monstrous forces from another dimension.
Across its length, Stranger Things tracked a nostalgia-fueled journey through five seasons and 42 episodes, chronicling a group of friends navigating adolescence as they battled creatures from the Upside Down. Tales From ’85 slides into the narrative between Seasons 2 and 3, offering a bridge episode feel with its own fresh flavor rather than a direct retread of past events.
What Tales From ’85 is really about is a new mystery that pulls the core crew back together. A hazmat-suited figure pursues a mysterious creature through a snow-clad forest, and when the monster is slain, it releases spores that sprout into a fresh abomination. As the snow settles, the show reintroduces Will, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max, and follows Hopper’s protective stance toward Eleven—a subplot that continues to gnaw at Eleven as she steps toward independence.
Season 2 closed with a kiss at the Snow Ball; that romance blossoms here, alongside a growing bond between Lucas and Max. Dustin’s troubles also kick off early when bullies chase him through the same wintry woods, setting the entire ’85 chapter in motion.
The new threat is dubbed the “Snow Shark” by the kids—monstrous creatures that skim just beneath the snow before striking. They borrow DNA from two sci-fi classics: Alien, with its relentless hunger and voracious teeth, and The Thing, for the way each threat mutates into a new form. The show leans into a pumpkin-patch sequence that betrays the nightmarish potential of the shapeshifters.
To counter the danger, Dustin launches the Hawkins Investigators Club, a proto-Ghostbusters-meets-Monster Squad operation that taps into his ever-expanding Monster Manual. As the mystery deepens, it becomes clear that both Hawkins Lab and the Upside Down share responsibility for these new horrors.
New faces bring a fresh dynamic to the ensemble. With Mr. Clarke away on sabbatical, chemistry and biology are taught by Mrs. Baxter (Janeane Garofalo), a teacher whose enthusiasm is downright contagious. Her daughter Nikki (Odessa A’zion) arrives as the new kid in town, a self-styled “Da Vinci of junk” who fashions practical gadgetry for the fight ahead. Nikki’s punk spirit injects a bold soundtrack into the story, pairing tracks from The Replacements, Killing Joke, Suicidal Tendencies, Billy Idol, and X-Ray Spex with Brad Breeck’s electronic score to create a soundscape all its own.
Nikki’s presence shifts the group’s dynamics, offering a contrasting perspective that helps Tales From ’85 carve out its own identity while nodding lovingly to the original series.
Is Tales From ’85 any good? Absolutely—if you’re seeking a high-spirited, nostalgia-drenched adventure that stays true to the Stranger Things vibe. The showrunners aimed for a Saturday-morning-cartoon energy, and the result lands in that space with a breezy, kinetic pace and vivid, candy-colored visuals. The animation is lush, with bold greens and pinks that pop on screen, and the cast—voicing the younger versions of familiar characters—delivers with vocal energy that channels the original performances.
Fans will spot affectionate nods to Stranger Things’ influences—Star Wars, She-Ra, ET, Halloween—with the Breakfast Club making a clear through-line, and a prominent Freddy Krueger homage punctuating several episodes. There’s a Robert Englund cameo that fans will likely savor. At ten episodes, the season zestfully captures the tone, though a few installments occasionally drag or repeat beats. A reliance on Eleven’s powers to slip out of danger can undercut suspense at times, but these are minor quibbles in a story that largely excels at delivering nostalgia with fresh stakes.
All ten episodes of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 are currently streaming on Netflix.