Why the Original Stranger Things Cast Isn’t Returning for Tales From ’85

Image via Netflix

Netflix’s animated spinoff of Stranger Things, titled Tales From ’85, is all set to arrive on April 23, 2026. Fans are excited to go back to Hawkins, but they already miss one thing from the old show. The original show’s main characters, including Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin, are returning, but with a different voice cast.

It is hard to imagine the show without Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink, and others. However, the new animated show has a very valid reason for the absence of the original cast. The spinoff is set between the events of the second and third seasons of the original show. During that timeline, the characters were still teenagers in the show.

However, all the actors who played the kids have grown older, with Brown even getting married before the fifth season. Their voices have changed, making it impossible for them to voice their characters in the new show. Here is the voice cast of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85:

The new voice cast, along with the new animated look, is supposed to give you something different while maintaining the familiarity that kept you hooked on the show. It is a gamble that could either amaze you or make you feel even worse about the brand (after that Season 5 finale!). We really hope it does the former.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Showrunner Addresses the Recast

The Duffer Brothers return only in an executive producer capacity for Stranger Things: Tales From ’85. The showrunning duties fall to Eric Robles, who previously created Nickelodeon’s Fanboy & Chum Chum. The creator has addressed the change in voice actors, explaining why it was a necessary move for the animated spinoff.

He pointed out that the adult voices of the original actors would feel off for the younger versions being portrayed in this new show. He shared with Radio Times:

He further shared that he needed to bring the youthfulness that the Duffers had brought on in the earlier seasons of the original show. He shared, “We wanted to capture the youthfulness, which is what the Duffer Brothers really enjoyed about those early seasons.” He also mentioned spontaneity as a factor when it came to the kids’ lines, sharing, “They wanted the spontaneous words and sentences that would come out of these kids’ mouths.” Robles further explained:

Robles praised the new voice actors, calling them “fantastic actors” and telling the outlet, “Some of the spontaneous words that they say, it’s them just playing in the booth.” Robles also shared that he got the occasional “voice crack” from these kid actors, which would’ve been way harder to get from an older actor.

Speaking of the lengthy audition process for the voice cast, Robles shared that he was proud of the actors he found for the roles. He further promised that they were “able to explore new ways of approaching these stories and ways of thinking that probably we wouldn’t have done in the live action.” Fans hope that these kids can recreate the magic that Millie Bobby Brown and the others brought to the screen at their younger ages.

Tales From ’85 Brings Back One Actor from OG Cast

Robert Englund as Victor Creel in Stranger Things Season 4 | Credits: Netflix

The voice cast of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 brought back one actor from the original series. But Robert Englund isn’t playing the same character from the original series. Englund added another infamous horror movie character to his filmography when he took on the role of Victor Creel in the fourth season of Stranger Things.

According to Tudum, Englund is playing the role of a new character, Cosmo, in the animated spinoff. Fans have yet to meet this new character, but Cosmo isn’t the only new character being added to the show who mysteriously disappears in the latter seasons of Stranger Things.

The show has added a new character, Nikki Baxter, who is part of the core group. Nikki is being introduced as a transfer student who struggles to make friends and integrate herself into the group as a new friend. We are all curious to know why Nikki (voiced by Odessa A’zion) disappeared from Hawkins.

What Is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 About?

A still from Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 | Credits: Netflix

Tales From ’85 takes place between Seasons 2 and 3, as mentioned earlier, in the snowy winter of 1985. At the end of Season 2, Eleven returns and closes the gate to the Upside Down. We see the children happy and “apparently” without any incidents before the whole Russian plot in Season 3. However, Tales From ’85 suggests that the time between the seasons did not go smoothly for them.

The Hawkins gang notices during the winter that strange activities happen around the town. By now, they know not to ignore any of the signs and dig deeper. They learn that part of the Upside Down mess from Season 2 still lingers around. It means new monsters, further attacks, and the group’s D&D-based plans to solve the mess. All the while keeping the people of Hawkins in the dark.

The show is intended to give you more time in Hawkins, as it has no bearing on the outcome of the original show. Unfortunately, this factor lowers the stakes for the show. Nevertheless, we hope that the animated Stranger Things gives us something cool to forget that mess of a Season 5 finale.

What do you think of the new spinoff from the world of the Upside Down? Let us know in the comments below!

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will get a limited release in theaters along with its Netflix streaming release on April 23, 2026.