Overview
- The animated spinoff unfolds in the winter of 1985 between seasons 2 and 3 as the Hawkins kids face fresh threats and a season-long paranormal mystery.
- Robles says the series addresses the sealed-gate issue with “Hawkins Lab science meets Upside Down matter,” describing a chain reaction behind new creatures.
- A younger ensemble voices the core roles: Brooklyn Davey Norstedt (Eleven), Jolie Hoang-Rappaport (Max), Luca Diaz (Mike), Elisha “EJ” Williams (Lucas), Braxton Quinney (Dustin), Benjamin Plessala (Will), and Brett Gipson (Hopper), with Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips in undisclosed parts.
- Flying Bark Productions is animating the series; executive producers include Matt and Ross Duffer, Hilary Leavitt, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Robles, whose visual approach draws from Kyle Lambert’s poster art.
- The tone is horror-adjacent with real stakes and “a lot of freaking cool monsters,” eschewing disposable monster-of-the-week storytelling, and Netflix has not set a premiere date beyond 2026.