If the last episode was not a telltale sign to stop waiting, nothing else could have been. Especially not now, when Netflix itself has vowed to pull Stranger Things back from the depths of finality. Titled Stranger Things: Tales from '85, the streaming platform is taking the lid off the Upside Down yet again, and now, with a date for the rendezvous. 

Perhaps a remedy to escape the throes of goodbyes, or maybe to forget the original ever was, an animated Stranger Things is not far from coming to your rescue. 

Roughly a month into the world without Stranger Things, Netflix and the creators have put their heads together and spun a new, animated version of the Upside Down-stricken universe. Stranger Things: Tales from '85 is now set to release on April 23, 2026, according to Netflix.  

Categorized as a science fiction, instead of the original show's horror, the animated series was first announced in April 2025, long before the show's finale ever set in. 

A teaser trailer for the Stranger Things derivative show has also been released as of February 2, 2026. In 1 minute and 49 seconds, the trailer reveals an animated and snow-covered version of Hawkins' familiar scenery. The terror-troop Mike, Eleven, Jim Hopper, and the rest are then revealed one by one.

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Stranger Things may have come to a debated close, making some scramble for alternatives, but Stranger Things: Tales From '85 could perhaps freshen the story up.

As per Netflix, the plot follows the town and the gang basking in the calm after the horrors of the Upside Down, but not without more impending terror beneath the snow, hinting at new adventures waiting for the group. Set between the 2nd and 3rd seasons of Stranger Things, the animation has gone back to childhood roots, mimicking a Sunday morning cartoon's atmosphere.

Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer take the executive producers' seats this time around, with Eric Robles acting as showrunner. The cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Luca Diaz, Elisha “EJ” Williams, Braxton Quinney, Ben Plessala, Brett Gipson, and Jeremy Jordan in this Stranger Things remake. 

While the adventures may be new, and the faces, the same, the new spin is perhaps a simple balm on the curtain-call of Stranger Things. As April approaches, so does Stranger Things: Tales From '85, as if to renew a distant memory of terror-filled times. 

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What do you think of the upcoming release and teaser trailer of Stranger Things: Tales from '85? Let us know in the comments.