^{Credit: Stranger Things: Tales from '85 (Netflix)}

It’s been just four months since Stranger Things wrapped up its final season. Since the Duffer Brothers produced such an unprecedented monster hit, though, Netflix clearly had no intention of putting the brand out to pasture. If Stranger Things is the streamer’s Star Wars, an animated series filling in the gaps seems like the next logical step. As its title suggests, Stranger Things: Tales from '85 takes place between the second and third seasons of its predecessor. Some may find it odd that the events taking place here never come up in the main series. Then again, something similar can be about The Clone Wars and Rebels regarding Star Wars. Tales from '85 might not have the same impact as those shows, but it is a worthy addition to the Stranger Things mythos. 

While still set in Hawkins, a winter backdrop helps to distinguish Tales from '85. As the gang prepares for winter break that promises nothing but Pop-Tarts and D&N, they naturally find themselves dealing with another supernatural mystery. In this case, Hawkins is overtaken by plant creatures. Although the gate has been closed, these fiends are still very Upside Down-esque with mouths resembling a Demogorgon’s. Rather than involve any of the adults, the kids decide to investigate on their own. Older characters like Hopper, Steve Harrington, and Nancy Wheeler are present, but they’re essentially limited to Special Guest Star roles. This isn’t unwelcome per se, as Stranger Things arguably had one too many characters to keep track of by Season 5. 

The gang does recruit a new kid in Nikki Baxter (Odessa A'zion), a Mohawk-sporting rebel who loves punk rock and building scrappy inventions in her garage. Yeah, it’s weird that Nikki’s name doesn’t come up in the live-action show. Then again, you’d think Luke would’ve told Rey about Ahsoka Tano and a dozen others who got their start in the animated Star Wars shows. Nikki is a likable enough character to overlook this, even if she starts as a third wheel in the friend group. Technically, she would be the seventh wheel, but as the season goes on, Nikki earns her place among the Hawkins crew. 

A'zion, who had a breakthrough role last year in Marty Supreme, is the most high-profile name among the voice cast. Nobody from the live-action series reprises their roles, although this makes sense. Yeah, it was surely cheaper to hire replacements, but Finn Wolfhard and company sound much different than they did seven years ago. Not every actor went through puberty during that timeframe, but given Hopper’s reduced role here, it’s not like David Harbour’s salary is an essential expenditure. The voice work here is solid, even if some actors sound more like their live-action counterparts than others. Braxton Quinney’s Dustin is probably the most spot on. 

In many respects, Tales from '85 picks up where an abandoned Stranger Things project left off. As you might recall, Telltale Games was making a game based on Stranger Things until the developer sadly went defunct. Although it’s unclear what exactly the story would’ve been, the game similarly would’ve taken place in 1985 between Season 2 and 3, albeit during spring rather than winter. The character designs in Tales from '85 also look rather Telltale-esque, echoing their Back to the Future and Walking Dead games. Flying Bark Productions, which provided the animation for the series, reportedly drew from Arcane and the Spider-Verse movies. You can see the inspiration there, too, but one can’t help but wonder if this team had any knowledge of the Telltale game we’ll never get to play. 

Speaking of the animation, it’s oozing with atmosphere and stylized shading. Purple and green lighting drape the series, complementing the neon resurgence we saw in the 80s. Tales from '85 also takes full advantage of being animated. While CG can pretty much make anything a reality, some things simply work better in animation than live-action. In the live-action series, pumpkin monsters might come off as silly. In a fully animated environment, they fit right in. One could imagine such creatures in The Real Ghostbusters or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That tracks, as Saturday Morning cartoons were also an influence on Tales from '85. 

As such, Tales from '85 leans younger than its predecessor. In the first episode, Hopper accidentally gets the insides of a donut on his uniform, saying, “Oh… shirt.” In another episode, Eleven has an Ellen Ripley moment, saying, “Get away from him, you mouth breather!” Obviously, people aren’t going to swear here as they did in the other show. Tales from '85 still has a creepy edge, with the characters in genuine peril. Of course, we know that at least six of the main characters will live to face Vecna down the line. This is perhaps the main obstacle working against Tales from '85. 

Being an “inbetweenquel,” the stakes are going to be lower, even when facing off a giant creature designed by Carlos Huante. The characters also aren’t going to undergo any radical development that would change how they act in Stranger Things Season 3. Still, there is a lot of charm to these characters and their dynamics. It’s hard not to smile when Max loses her glove, so Lucas shares his with a tender handhold. There’s a point where Dustin says, “I have this side quest thing I gotta do.” That essentially sums up the show. It might not be mandatory viewing to understand the larger story. If you want to spend more time in Hawkins, though, it’s a side quest worth taking. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!