It’s been nearly 3 years since we last checked in with Eleven, Hopper, and the gang in Hawkins. But after a very long pandemic-delayed wait, Stranger Things finally returns for a fourth season next month. As eagle-eyed fans set about decoding all the imagery in the recent trailer, the smash hit Netflix series is rolling out all sorts of cool stuff in advance of the season four premiere. Stranger Morning Cartoons is an animated anthology that reimagines some of the series’ best scenes. Netflix recruited six animation studios for these minute-long shorts, which showcase a variety of styles and tones.
The first clip is “Season 1 Recap” by BlindPig.TV, which artfully retells some of season one’s pivotal moments, such as Barb’s death, Eleven’s flashbacks, and Joyce’s Christmas lights. The second short, “The Van Flip” by SMOG, uses different textures and a paper-animation style to capture Season 1, Episode 7’s epic Eleven moment. “The Gate” by Will Barras & Hush London sees Hopper and Eleven attempt to close the portal to the Upside Down located in the underground subsystem of Hawkins National Laboratory, which took place in the season 2 finale of the series.
The anthology also contains some lighter shorts, like “The Arcade” by Claudia Brugnaletti & Hush London, which reimagines the season 2 premiere with the gang playing games at Palace Arcade. The rich color palette quickly turns dark however, as Will has a vision of the Mind Flayer lording over the town. “Steve and Dustin” by Pedro Allevato (aka “Sugar Blood”) captures the season three premiere in colorful, hyperstylized animation where Steve and Dustin reunite at Scoops Ahoy as Robin looks on curiously.
But the most poignant clip is the last one, “The Letter” by Fates.com, which recounts Hopper’s letter to Eleven over a several scenes from across the series. The anime-inspired style lends some beautiful pathos to the already emotional final scene of season 3, as it takes us through the journey of Hopper and Eleven becoming a family. It’s great work all around, and makes us all the more excited for season four.
Season 4 of Stranger Things drops the first half of the series on May 27, 2022, and the second five weeks later on July 1, 2022.
(image: screencap/Fates.com)
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