Welcome back to Hawkins, in the bitterly cold January of 1985. A winter chill has set in and something fearsome lurks beneath a thick blanket of snow in the first few minutes of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, the upcoming animated series from showrunner Eric Robles and executive producers the Duffer Brothers. 

Episode 1, titled “Welcome to Hawkins, New Kid,” opens with an unknown figure in a yellow hazmat suit chasing a creature that looks eerily similar to what you’d find in the Upside Down. The suited figure barbecues the creature with a flamethrower and iridescent green spores from its charred remains float through the sky and settle in the snow, where new life sprouts. 

Although the gate to the Upside Down is closed, sealing its inhabitants off from our world, a strange new threat has awakened in Tales From ’85, premiering April 23. Across 10 episodes, familiar friends must contend with a terrifying mystery — but that’s just one part of the story. 

“One of the most exciting things about Stranger Things is their monsters. But Stranger Things is more than that,” Robles, who also serves as writer and executive producer, notes. “It’s about the characters and their journey. I wanted to make sure that we focused on a journey that felt fulfilling from beginning to end [in Tales From ’85].”

That’s why we’re quickly reintroduced to the gang, who are up to their old antics in the above sneak peek. 

We start with Mike (voiced by Luca Diaz), rushing past his mother Karen (Alysia Reiner) and sister Nancy (Alessandra Antonelli) in his hurry to meet up with Lucas (Elisha “EJ” Williams) and Max (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport). They bike to the Byers home, where Will (Benjamin Plessala) receives a new mixtape from his brother Jonathan (Griffin Burns) so he’ll listen to “more than just The Clash.” Along the way, the crew radios Dustin (Braxton Quinney), who’s also running behind.

Dustin is hard at work on a high score for the arcade game inside of Hawkins Food Mart across town. Over at Hopper’s (Brett Gipson) cabin, Eleven (Brooklyn Davey Norstedt) races to meet her friends while a worried Hopper reminds her of the important rules in place to keep her safe. 

“You have these characters that have been around for a while and have been going on adventures together, and you feel the friendship and the love between them,” Robles explains. “Our North Star was making sure that we stay true to the story of the crew and their journey as they’re trying to figure out what's happening in Hawkins. From there, we can implement these cool creatures within that story.”

Steve (Supergirl’s Jeremy Jordan) will also join the adventure, as well as a new companion named Nikki Baxter (Marty Supreme’s Odessa A’zion). In addition, Janeane Garofalo lends her voice as Anna Baxter, along with Lou Diamond Phillips as Daniel Fischer, Robert Englund as Cosmo, Valeria Rodriguez as Rosario, and Jack Griffo as Jeff.

Watch the journey unfold when Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 premieres April 23, only on Netflix.