Stranger Things: Tales from '85 Is Coming — Who Should Voice the New Characters?
via The Economic Times
According to The Economic Times, Stranger Things: Tales from '85, the animated spin-off set in the beloved Hawkins universe, now has a confirmed OTT release date locked in.
Why Animated Stranger Things Is a Big Deal for Fancasters
An animated spin-off opens up a fascinating new dimension for the Stranger Things fancasting conversation. Unlike the live-action series — where the original cast is so deeply embedded in the roles that recasting feels almost sacrilegious — an animated format creates genuine, exciting ambiguity. Will the original cast reprise their roles as voice actors? Will new characters be introduced with entirely fresh voices? Will legacy characters be reinterpreted for animation in ways that invite completely different performers?
That uncertainty is pure fuel for the fancasting community. Voice casting is its own art form, and Tales from '85 gives fans a legitimate reason to dream big about who could bring Hawkins to life in animated form. Think about the range of talent who could lend gravitas, humor, or menace to this world — the possibilities are genuinely wide open.
What myCast Fans Are Already Saying About Stranger Things
The Stranger Things fancasting community on myCast has been busy, and the data reveals some genuinely fascinating choices that take on new meaning in the context of an animated series.
Over on the most active story, Stranger Things — which features 38 roles and has collected 15 votes — fans have made Ariana Grande the single most-voted pick on the entire board, landing 5 votes for Eleven/Jane Hopper. That's a striking choice that actually makes a lot of sense for animation: Grande's vocal range and emotive power could translate beautifully to a voice performance. Meanwhile, Millie Bobby Brown holds 3 votes for the younger version of Eleven — a nod to the original casting that signals fans still want that continuity where possible. For Mike Wheeler, Dylan Schmid leads with 2 votes, while fan-favorite Finn Wolfhard also appears in the mix for the younger iteration of the character.
Over on the Stranger Things story, the picks take a notably different, older-skewing direction. Fans there have floated Nick Nolte for Jim Hopper, Sigourney Weaver for Joyce, and even Henry Thomas — the original Elliott from E.T. — for Bill Denbrough. The Weaver pick is particularly intriguing for an animated project; she has the kind of commanding, textured voice that could elevate any character in the Upside Down.
The Voice Casting Question Nobody Is Asking Yet (But Should Be)
Here's the thing about Tales from '85: if it introduces new characters or reimagines existing ones for animation, the door is wide open for some genuinely inspired voice casting. The 1985 setting suggests a specific cultural flavor — big hair, synth-heavy soundtracks, Cold War paranoia — and the right voice cast could lean hard into that era's sensibility. Imagine character actors with distinctive, warm, or unsettling voices inhabiting this world fresh.
The Ariana Grande pick from myCast fans is the kind of outside-the-box thinking that voice casting rewards. Animation has a long history of surprising us — and Tales from '85 feels like exactly the kind of project where a bold, unexpected voice choice could become iconic.
Cast Your Vote on myCast
Now is the perfect time to get your picks in before the official voice cast is announced — head over to the Stranger Things story on myCast to vote for your dream cast, or create a brand-new Tales from '85 story and stake your claim on who should voice these characters first.
