E.T. the alien returns to Earth after 37 years, and meets his (adult) friend Elliot in a touching film
Image E. T. Alien was a smash hit at the time of its release in 1982. It grossed $359 million in the US alone, with another $204 million in foreign markets. The story of the little alien also appealed to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, earning nine Academy Award nominations, four of which (for music, sound, sound effects and special effects) turned into wins. Since then, various re-releases and adapted editions of the iconic film have contributed to it grossing nearly one billion dollars in total, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of all time when adjusted for inflation. It never saw a sequel, however, until now - and that was in the form of a short film epilogue entitled "A Holiday Return", released to coincide with the American Thanksgiving holiday and broadcast during the NFL's halftime show.
In the four-minute film, produced by Comcast, which holds the licensing rights, E.T. meets the now-adult Elliot (played by Henry Thomas, the same actor who played Elliot as a child), who is now a father of two children himself. These, however, initially frighten E.T., who is hiding behind a snowman, and E. T., on the other hand, thinks Elliot's son is Elliot, but eventually everything is explained and they all have fun together, including watching TV. Elliot also explains to his old friend what all has changed on Earth, and shows him the internet and also the Sky Channel (the whole video was actually made as an advertisement for the American TV company Sky).
Of course, there's clearly been some progress in the alien's life as well, so before he says goodbye to the whole Elliot family again, he shows everyone his own alien family via hologram. "Family," Elliot responds. "Home," E replies. T. with a variation on the famous "E.T. calls home" line . And of course, there's no shortage of reminders that E.T. will always remain in everyone's hearts.
So although this little promotional film look back was directed not by Steven Spielberg but by Lance Acord (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, etc.), the essence of the original film remains. "The whole story is more about family than anything else," sums up the new filmmaker. The CEO of Sky UK, for whom the ad was created, then added that he was "very honoured to bring back the beloved alien in a short festive story, as it is a celebration of the magic of Christmas spent with family."
You can see what the famous alien's return to Earth looked like in the video below.
