‘Stranger Things’ Animated Series Coming to Netflix
The Upside Down is getting the animated treatment.
Netflix on Monday announced a straight-to-series order for an untitled animated series set within the Stranger Things universe.
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Plot details for the series are being kept under wraps, though Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer said it would be in the vein of “Saturday morning cartoons,” a reference to such popular 1980s-era series as Masters of the Universe, Jem and the Holograms, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and G.I. Joe, among others. It’s unclear if any of the flagship show’s beloved cast will have voice roles in the animated series.
Sydney-based animation house Flying Bark is handling production on the untitled series, which hails from Eric Robles (Nickelodeon’s Fanboy & Chum Chum). The Duffer brothers will also exec produce the series alongside their Stranger Things collaborator, Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps.
“We’ve always dreamed of an animated Stranger Things in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realized has been absolutely thrilling,” Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more blown away by what Eric Robles and his team have come up with — the scripts and artwork are incredible, and we can’t wait to share more with you! The adventure continues …”
The animated series is the latest Stranger Things offshoot to stem from the Duffers’ Upside Down Pictures banner, which is based with a rich overall deal at Netflix. In addition to the upcoming fifth and final season of the streaming hit, the siblings recently announced a London stage show, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and have another untitled live-action spinoff of the flagship series in the works. Outside of the franchise, the Duffers are also tackling Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman; a live-action take of the anime show Death Note; and an original series from Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance duo Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.
Stranger Things ranks as Netflix’s most popular English-language series of all time. Animated series perform well on streaming platforms, given their ability to repeat well. In success, a breakout animated series can become a cash cow thanks to lucrative lines of merchandising (see The Simpsons, Family Guy, Rick and Morty, etc.). While animated series typically take longer to produce, they also tend to be cheaper than live-action originals.
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