Anticipation is building for Stranger Things animation Tales From ’85.
At Annecy today, fans were treated to a sneak peek behind the scenes of the creation of the latest in the Hawkins-set Netflix franchise, while showrunner Eric Robles revealed the inspiration behind the first animation in the Stranger Things series.
It is early days, and no images have even been released, but Robles talked a packed Annecy crowd through some of the animatics, character design, scary creatures – including some terrifying upside down pumpkin zombies and a snow shark – and even showed a small bit of animation, much to the chagrin of the Netflix execs who have made the trip to Annecy, Robles joked.
“When you are given the responsibility to create a look for a Stranger Things animation, the fear of god is put in your soul,” he said of the pressure. The streamer has just released its first Tales From ’85 logline, which reads: “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 in Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an epic new animated series.” The show comes out next year.
Robles revealed many of the shows that have inspired Tales From ’85 but it is one above all that became his “north star.”
“It all went back to The Real Ghostbusters,” he said. “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 cited by Robles, who drew on projects old and new for his show about “friendships, horror-filled story and mystery,” included Transformers, ET and Goosebumps.
“The vision is kids riding bikes, using walkie-talkies,” he added.
Making an animated show replete with danger was a new experience for Robles. “There’s danger and not everyone might survive,” he added. “The danger is real and that had an impact on the design.”
The characters’ depictions were particularly inspired by a fan artist named Meybis Ruiz Cruz, who was brought on board when Robles first saw her art after she wowed the team. Some of her sculptures were even used as 3D models to base the characters on.
The animation represents the next stage in the Duffer Brothers’ smash Stranger Things franchise, with the fifth and final series set to be released later this year in three parts. A Broadway and West End stage version, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, has opened, while immersive Stranger Things experiences have taken place worldwide.
Robles was on stage before the team behind Netflix movie In Your Dreams and after Fixed creator Genndy Tartakovsky. The creatives were speaking at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Source link
