Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Feels "Like a Lost Season": Showrunner
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Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Feels "Like a Lost Season": Showrunner
Showrunner Eric Robles on wanting Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 to feel like a "lost season" and being inspired by Steven Spielberg's Jaws.
Published Tue, 17 Feb 2026 07:37:07 -0600
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary
- Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is an animated series set between seasons 2 and 3 in wintery Hawkins.
- Showrunner Eric Robles aims to capture the vibe of a "lost season" with classic 1980s nostalgia.
- The new threat is inspired by Steven Spielberg's Jaws, bringing horror beneath Hawkins’ icy surface.
- The Duffers promise the series will capture the original show's magic in a bold animated format.
In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town, and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in EPs Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, and Showrunner Eric Robles's Stranger Things: Tales From '85. Debuting on April 23rd, the animated series is set between the second and third seasons, giving the viewers a chance to re-experience the magic from the show's beginnings.
"You could easily take this and make it the live-action version," Robles shared during a recent interview. "We wanted to go back to Hawkins and feel like a lost season," he noted, to a time "when the kids weren't trying to save the world — they were just trying to save the town." As for the big bad that our heroes will be tackling, Robles revealed that a certain famous Steven Spielberg film served as an inspiration. "It's winter time in Hawkins. The whole town's covered in this ocean of snow. And that brings new dangers," the showrunner teased. "I'm a huge fan of 'Jaws,' and this became our version."
"With animation, there's really no limits," Ross Duffer shared in the announcement teaser that was previously released. "Eric and his team can just go wild … and they have." Viewers can expect the animated series to "capture "the magic of Hawkins in a new way," Robles added, teasing fans to "get your flashlight, get your backpack because it's going to be amazing." Here's a look back at the preview images that were previously released:
As you can tell from the title, the animated series is set in 1985, as Hawkins finds itself dealing with much more than a brutal winter, realizing that they "must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town." Robles further teased that, "We soon learn that nothing is quite as they thought it was." Ross Duffer added about the project, "When we started talking about was there anything else we wanted to do with Stranger Things, this was one of our first ideas."
The animated series' cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Elisha "EJ" Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, Brett Gipson as Hopper, and Jeremy Jordan as Steve. In addition, Odessa A'zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips are joining the Hawkins adventure.
Robles executive-produces via Flying Bark Productions. In addition, the Duffers and Hilary Leavitt are also executive producing via Upside Down Pictures, along with Shawn Levy via 21 Laps and Dan Cohen.
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