'Stranger Things' Being Repurposed for Younger Viewers Once Main Series Ends

Even with the main Stranger Things series drawing to a close, Netflix isn’t slowing down on expanding one of its most successful franchises. Despite its horror and violence, the show has always had a broad appeal, with younger viewers also playing a significant role in keeping its momentum going. But the next chapter will seemingly target younger viewers.

Next year will see the arrival of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a 3D animated series set between seasons 2 and 3. Though it aims to recapture the same spirit as its live-action counterpart, it will naturally appeal more towards the younger demographic than that series.

Much like how Netflix’s animated shows, Camp Cretaceous and Chaos Theory, brought new, younger fans into the Jurassic franchise, Tales From ’85 seems primed to do the same.

Watch the official teaser, which features commentary from creators Matt and Ross Duffer and showrunner and executive producer Eric Robles.

“The idea was to evoke a feeling of an ’80s cartoon,” Matt Duffer says in the video. Earlier this year, Eric Robles revealed that the ’80s animated series The Real Ghostbusters set the show’s tone and was their “north star” during the creative process. While that series is oftentimes as creepy as the Ghostbusters films, it was largely made to sell toys to children.

According to reports, the Duffer brothers have promised that McDonald’s Happy Meal toys will roll out when the series launches, signaling a clear shift toward broader, family-friendly marketing. That’s not to say there aren’t any toys that have been released in line with the main Netflix series — there are plenty — but Happy Meal toys are typically aimed at children.

Related: Report: Millie Bobby Brown Leaving ‘Stranger Things’ for MCU

While Stranger Things has often walked the line between children’s adventure and full-blown horror, Tales From ’85 will likely soften those edges without abandoning the core horror tone. A polished, stylized 3D animated format is well suited for a younger audience while still keeping the Upside Down, the characters, and the storytelling rooted in canon.

The show features a new cast of voice actors stepping in as the original characters.

Brett Gipson takes over from David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Luca Diaz takes the reins from Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Brooklyn Davey Norstedt is picking up the torch from Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Braxton Quinney replaces Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Elisha Williams fills in for Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Ben Plessala will become the stand-in for Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport follows in Sadie Sink’s footsteps as Max Mayfield. Other characters including Nancy Wheeler are also confirmed.

Stranger Things seasons 1 — 4 and Season 5 Volume 1 are now streaming on Netflix. Volume 2 will premiere on December 25 and the finale will premiere on December 31.

Are you excited about Tales From ’85? Let us know in the comments below!