Netflix Stranger Things Tales From 85: The world of the Upside Down is back, but this time, it’s hand-drawn. Following the epic conclusion of the live-action series last year, Netflix has premiered Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a 10-episode animated spin-off that serves as a “secret season” tucked neatly between Seasons 2 and 3.
Developed by Eric Robles and executive produced by the Duffer Brothers, the series attempts to recapture the low-stakes, basement-dwelling charm of the show’s early days. While it succeeds in delivering a vibrant Saturday-morning cartoon aesthetic, critics find that the storytelling occasionally feels repetitive and overstretched.
New Faces and “Upside Down Science”
The series introduces the Baxter family, including the tech-savvy Nikki Baxter, who joins the Hawkins Investigators Club. The plot centers on a remnant of the Upside Down an evolved, spore-based creature dubbed “the Queen” that was inadvertently reanimated during a government cleanup.
Unlike the Mind Flayer-controlled monsters of the past, this entity seeks survival through “Upside Down science.” While the animation allows for cinematic staging and camera movements that would be prohibitively expensive in live-action, some viewers feel the 10-episode arc drags where a tighter mini-series might have flourished.
