Stranger Things: Tales From 85 honors the live-action series while delivering something new. Just don’t think too hard about the timeline.
Setting foot back in Hawkins, Indiana, feels less like returning to a childhood neighborhood, albeit one that just so happens to be plagued by interdimensional horrors. When I first heard about Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, I’ll admit I had my reservations.
An animated bridge set between Season 2 and Season 3? It felt like a risky move for a franchise that relies so heavily on the specific chemistry and faces of its live-action cast. However, after devouring the ten-episode season, I can safely say that this is the dark, atmospheric expansion I didn’t know I needed.
The first hurdle for any fan is always going to be the voices. I was genuinely worried that hearing different voice actors portray the characters I love so much would be jarring. Interestingly, while the animation captures the likenesses of the original actors with stunning precision, the voice cast doesn’t try to do a direct carbon-copy impression.
At first, the disconnect between seeing Finn Wolfhard’s face and hearing a different voice entirely was a bit strange, but the writing is so authentically Stranger Things that the voices blended into the background within the first episode. The story is simply too captivating to let a minor change distract you.
The animation itself is gorgeous. It’s lush, vibrant, and captures that specific neon-meets-winter-grit of 1985. Seeing Hawkins in a stylized, hand-drawn light gave the town a fresh energy. It allowed the creators to lean into the horror elements in a way that live-action budgets sometimes restrict.
In fact, Tales From ’85 is significantly creepier and scarier than I anticipated. It isn’t afraid to get dark – really dark – maintaining that high-stakes tension where you genuinely fear for the safety of the kids. Even if we know that they are all going to make it out alive because we know what their future holds.
The season consists of ten episodes, and the pacing is on point. Right from the start, this series hits the ground running and never slows down. There is zero filler here. Every episode is packed with drama, twists, and high-octane action. I loved how the show utilized the 1985 setting to include nods for fans – billboards advertising the Starcourt Mall was a nice touch.
One of the greatest strengths of this season is its accessibility. While it’s a treasure trove of Easter eggs for die-hard fans, the narrative is robust enough to stand on its own. You could theoretically walk into this without having seen a single frame of the live-action Netflix series and still be swept up in the paranormal mystery.
It wraps up with a satisfying conclusion, though it leaves just enough breadcrumbs to keep you theorizing. I pride myself on predicting plot twists, but Tales From ’85 genuinely caught me off guard a few times.
That said, I cannot talk about Stranger Things: Tales From 85 without addressing the big question mark. Nikki Baxter.
I absolutely adore Nikki. She is a brilliant addition to the group – funny, smart, and she fits the dynamic of the Party perfectly. However, her inclusion creates a massive continuity headache.
If this takes place in the winter of 1985, right before the events of Season 3, why is there never a single mention of her in the live-action show? How do Mike, El, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Will go through such a traumatic, life-altering mystery with this girl and then never utter her name again?
It’s the classic prequel problem: adding a core character after the fact makes the existing timeline feel a bit fractured. To keep my sanity, I’ve decided to treat this as an alternate reality. I am desperately hoping for a Season 2 just so the writers can explain her eventual absence. Did she move? Is there a memory wipe involved? I need answers, because she’s too good a character to just be retconned into silence.
While I would have loved to see a bit more of Steve and Nancy – who are sidelined in favor of the younger kids’ perspective – I understand the focus. They do have their moments, but with a full ten-episode season, I would have liked even just a bit more.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 honors the source material while daring to be its own story. If you can get past the continuity hiccups regarding Nikki and her mother, you’re in for one of the best supernatural rides of the year.
About Stranger Things: Tales From 85
Welcome back to Hawkins in the winter of 1985, where the original characters face new monsters and a paranormal mystery.
Stranger Things: Tales From 85 season one is now streaming on Netflix.
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Stranger Things: Tales From 85 honors the live-action series while delivering something new. Just don't think too hard about the timeline.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.