LONDON, UK – NOVEMBER 13: Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown attend the ‘Stranger Things 5’ UK Special Screening at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on November 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images)
stranger things is officially expanding its canon once again, and Netflix is doing it by going backwards in time. streamer announced Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Yearsis an animated prequel set in Hawkins during the winter of 1985, between seasons two and three. The big hook for your audience is simple. This is not a side story set in a new city. It’s the original children returning to midlife and dealing with new dangers.
The reason this looks like a lore update is because of the timing. Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Years Set after Eleven closes the gates on Hawkins Laboratory, the town is still plagued by new monsters and season-long paranormal mysteries. This premise forces a clear official explanation of how the effects of the Upside Down continue to bleed into Hawkins even when the main portal is closed, posing a different kind of threat than in Season 5’s Endgame.
What is Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Yearswhen will it be released on Netflix?
Netflix is calling Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Years new anime series in stranger things This story takes place in the gap in the timeline between seasons two and three. So it’s located after the gates are sealed and before the summer chaos of season 3 begins. Netflix also confirmed a 2026 release window, although the exact date has not yet been announced.
According to the official logline, “original characters” will fight new monsters while unraveling the mysteries of paranormal phenomena terrorizing the town. The series will be helmed by Eric Robles as showrunner and executive producer, with animation by Flying Bark Productions. It also features major franchise names behind the scenes, including the Duffer brothers and Shawn Levy. stranger things and directed films such as free guy.
How the new prequel will play out stranger things even if the gate is closed
The toughest questions about continuity Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Years It’s obvious for those who remember season 2. If the gates are closed, where will new monsters come from and what will keep the paranormal engines running? Robles said directly that the writers are treating this like a puzzle and that modifications are designed as if they were always possible within the rules. According to a Dec. 17 Entertainment Weekly report, Eric Robles said:
“Hawkins Laboratory science meets upside-down matter”
In the same interview he pitches it as a matter of cause and effect rather than a simple repetition of Portal’s storyline, an idea intended to make Hawkins feel tainted in a new way. This approach also allows the prequels to feel like actual chapters. stranger thingsit’s not a monster of the week manga that resets every episode. Tonally, Netflix and its team have been careful to state that this is not a “kids only” view. Eric Robles added:
“There’s a bite.”
That “bite” is important because it suggests that the series will continue to deal with horror, stakes, and consequences. stranger things The same goes for animation formats. For viewers, it’s the clearest sign that the prequels are meant to sit within canon rather than alongside it.
Cast, characters, method etc. Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Years Unlike season 5 and the series’ next spin-off
The biggest change on screen is the cast format. Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Years Featuring voice actors for younger versions of familiar characters such as Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Hopper. Netflix has announced the cast of the film, including Brooklyn Davey Norstead as Eleven, Luca Diaz as Mike, Benjamin Presara as Will, Elisha Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Jolie Juan Rapaport as Max, and Brett Gipson as Hopper. Also listed are Odessa Azion, Jeanine Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips in undisclosed roles.
Creatively, the Duffer Brothers are pitching this as a very specific atmosphere, built to feel in keeping with the mid-1980s era. According to a Nov. 6 Entertainment Weekly report, Matt Duffer said:
“The idea was to evoke an 80s cartoon vibe.”
That nostalgia is also why the show can lean into larger creature designs and more extreme set pieces without breaking the live-action look. Netflix also framed the animation as a free button. stranger things team. Ross Duffer said:
“Animation really has no limits.”
This line explains why this prequel is able to expand its menu of monsters while still keeping Hawkins as its core setting. Season 5, by contrast, was designed as a live-action endpoint for the series, with older versions of the characters and a heavier mythology payoff.
Commentators for Season 5 of Netflix’s Tu’Dum also pushed the lore into a clearer shape, explaining that the Upside Down is a wormhole that connects Hawkins to another realm called the Abyss, which is tied to the origins of the Mind Flayer. That’s the big picture, endgame storytelling. Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Years It’s made for interstitial adventures and contained 1985 mysteries, even if it has to follow the same rules.
Netflix also reveals that this isn’t the only expansion after the finale. Alongside the animated prequel, the streamer also has another live-action spinoff in development, which is expected to be a blank slate story rather than a repeat of the Hawkins children’s central story.
and Stranger Things: A Tale of 85 Years Set in 2026, Netflix is essentially giving viewers new canon lanes to explore by the time the main series settles into the legacy of its final chapter, and it’s doing so in a year that fans considered “quiet” with Hawkins.
Please stay tuned for further updates.