Stranger Things Animated Series Pulls Inspiration From The Real Ghostbusters!

There's something STRANGER in the neighborhood! This past weekend, fans and industry professionals were in attendance at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market. An event that gathers together the biggest names in the sector and celebrates the creative and diverse animation styles and techniques across the field. In one particular showing, attendees were treated to a sneak peek behind the scenes at the upcoming Stranger Things spin off animated series, 'Tales From 85'.

While the series itself is still in its early stages, it wasn't long ago that an extended look at the show's intro found its way online! Having seen it ourselves, it's undeniable that the show immediately elicits Ghostbusters vibes!

Meanwhile, we weren't too far off in thinking so! Showrunner Eric Robles took some time to talk about some of the inspiration behind the upcoming Stranger Things animated series! While they may have pulled from many sources, Robles talks about how one show in particular became his "north star".

"It all went back to The Real Ghostbusters," says Eric. "It was silly but had a handful of dark, creepy episodes and we just kept talking about that. That became the north star for us."

Other inspirations the team would often fall back on included the likes of Transformers, E.T., and Goosebumps. "The vision is kinda riding bikes, using walkie talkies," he added. "There's danger and not everyone might survive." From the beginning, Stranger Things as a live action show has always been embedded with sole Ghostbusters DNA. The series' showrunners, the Duffer Brothers, have been more than vocal about being Ghostbusters fans themselves. All while season 2 would see a much heavier influence.

With the main cast choosing jumpsuits and make shift Proton Packs for their Halloween costumes, a creature being stored and kept in a literal Ghost Trap, and of course the eventual evolution of Finn Wolfhard into one of the younger Spenglers we know today in both Afterlife and Frozen Empire.

The animation team for Tales From '85, Flying Bark, just so happens to also be the team currently working behind the scenes on the NEW Ghostbusters animated series for Netflix. Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is set to release in 2026. Official Logline:

"Welcome back to Hawkins in the stark winter of 1985, where the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town." #ghostbusters #therealghostbusters #strangerthings #slimer #staypuft #ecto1 #80smovies #RetroVibes #spookyvibes #netflix #annecyfestival #danaykroyd #billmurray #erniehudson #PaulRudd #finnwolfhard #mckennagrace #CarrieCoon #ghost #slime #trending #ghostcorps #whoyagonnacall #reportallghosts