Transporting us back to the humid, neon-soaked summer of 1985, Tales from ’85 serves as a vibrant bridge between the chaos of Starcourt Mall and the looming dread of the Hawkins Lab legacy. This animated show fills the quiet gaps of the mid-eighties, focusing on the core group’s evolution, early romances, and the unseen threats that haunted the cornfields while we were busy mourning Barb. It’s Hawkins as you’ve never seen it, literally.
Stepping into the vocal shoes of iconic characters is a tall order, and while the all-new cast takes a beat to click, they eventually find their rhythm. The energy is naturally a bit different than the live action ensemble, but Braxton Quinney as Dustin is an absolute standout; he captures that signature “toothless” charm and frantic bravery perfectly. We also meet Nikki Baxter (voiced by Odessa), a “tinkerer” who adds a brilliant new dynamic to the party. She provides the mechanical genius the group didn’t know they needed, and frankly, it’s a crime we haven’t seen her in live action yet.
The visual style is a love letter to 80s pulp; the animation is exceptionally clean and smooth, boasting a “ripped from the page” comic book aesthetic that justifies the jump to this medium. Eleven’s powers, in particular, benefit from the lack of physical constraints, her psychokinesis looks more fluid and devastating than ever. Musically, the intro theme has been overhauled. It’s a departure from the classic synth-heavy pulse we know, but give it two episodes and it’s a total earworm.
Don’t let the “cartoon” label fool you; this isn’t exactly Saturday morning fare for the little ones. With genuine jump scares and threats that make a Demogorgon look like a stray puppy, the stakes are remarkably high. The Pumpkin Heads are nightmare fuel, delivering a level of madness that arguably outclasses Vecna’s psychological warfare.
The storytelling structure is addictive: most episodes conclude with a terrifying new monster reveal, forcing you to click “Next Episode” immediately to see the party face it. We also get some much-needed character depth. Seeing Lucas and Max as an inseparable duo adds weight to their future bond, though watching Mike’s early, intense attachment to El raises some “unhealthy obsession” red flags that the live-action series only hinted at.
Ultimately, the move to animation was a masterstroke. The sheer scale of the action and the “loose” way Eleven joins the frontlines, taking some serious beatings in the process would have demanded a blockbuster budget in live action. By going animated, Tales of ’85 captures the “madness” of Hawkins without holding back.
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