Stranger Things officially returns to Netflix today with new season of spin-off

Stranger Things fans, you're in luck – the hit franchise officially returns to screens today with a new season of its animated spin-off, Tales From '85.

The spin-off is set in between seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things and sees Eleven, Mike, Will and the gang faced with saving Hawkins from monsters in the style of a Saturday morning cartoon.

All eight episodes of season 2 are released today (17 September) with the new instalment coming hot on the heels of season 1, which aired in April this year.

While many of the characters from the original series returned for new adventures in Tales From '85, the cast has completely changed, with different voice actors taking on the roles of the heroes we know and love.

Speaking exclusively to Radio Times ahead of season 1, Eleven voice actress Brooklyn Davey Norstedt explained the process of making her portrayal different to Millie Bobby Brown's.

"I didn't want to do a complete imitation of Millie’s performance, because that kind of takes all of the heart and humanity out of it. I don't want to be a robot!" she said.

"It was definitely an interesting balance. I know I don't have powers, and I wasn't raised in a lab, but there are a lot of ways that I personally relate to Eleven and her journey, and I felt like I was really able to connect to her.

"She feels everything so deeply and extremely and I felt like I was really able to bring that vulnerability to the character. That that was a big part of who I am, that I infused into the role."

Explaining the decision to revamp the cast, showrunner Eric Robles also told us that it came down to making sure the kids sounded authentically like kids.

"Bringing in anybody from the original cast, you're now talking about older voices. Everybody's going to mature. So having these designs that take place in season 2, having these dark, deep voices, it would really throw it off," he said.

"We wanted to capture the youthfulness, which is what the Duffer Brothers really enjoyed about those early seasons. They wanted the spontaneous words and sentences that would come out of these kids' mouths."

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Netflix.

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Authors

Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.