E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Produced by	Steven Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy
Written by	Melissa Mathison
Starring	Henry Thomas Dee Wallace Robert MacNaughton Drew Barrymore Peter Coyote
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Allen Daviau
Editing by	Carol Littleton
Distributed by	Universal Studios
Release date(s)	June 11, 1982
Running time	115 min. (1982) 119 min. (2002: 20th anniversary edition)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	US$10,500,000 (estimated)
Money made	$792,910,554

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a famous 1982 American science fiction movie. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. The film tells the story of Elliott, a lonely boy. He becomes best friends with an alien named "E.T.". E.T. is stuck on Earth far from home.

Elliott and his brother and sister work together. They help E.T. try to return to his own planet. They must also keep him a secret. They hide E.T. from their mother and from government agents.

E.T. was a huge success. It became the highest-grossing movie ever made at the time. It held this record for ten years.

The Story of E.T.
Meet the Characters
Images for kids
See also

The Story of E.T.

An Alien Visitor Arrives

A group of alien scientists secretly visit Earth one night. They land in a California forest to collect plant samples. Suddenly, government agents appear. The aliens quickly leave in their spaceship. But one alien is accidentally left behind.

In a nearby neighborhood, ten-year-old Elliott is with his brother Michael and friends. When he gets back from picking up pizza, he finds something hiding. It's in their tool shed. The alien quickly runs away when Elliott discovers it.

Elliott Meets E.T.

Elliott's family does not believe him. But Elliott leaves Reese's Pieces candy to attract the alien. He wants to lure it to his house. Before going to sleep, Elliott sees the alien copying his movements. The next morning, Elliott pretends to be sick. He stays home from school to play with the alien.

Later that day, Michael and their five-year-old sister, Gertie, meet the alien. They decide to keep it a secret from their mother, Mary. They ask the alien where it came from. It makes several balls float to show its planetary system. Then, it shows its special powers. It brings dead chrysanthemum flowers back to life.

E.T. builds a special device to call home. It uses a Speak & Spell toy, tinfoil, and other electronics.

A Special Connection Forms

At school the next day, Elliott starts to feel a strange connection with the alien. He feels what E.T. feels. For example, E.T. drinks beer and watches cartoons at home. Elliott then acts a little tipsy at school. He even frees all the frogs in his biology class.

E.T. watches a movie on TV where a man kisses a woman. Elliott then kisses a girl he likes in the same way. He gets sent to the principal's office.

E.T. Learns to Speak

The alien learns to speak English. It repeats words that Gertie says while watching Sesame Street. Elliott asks the alien what it wants to be called. It names itself "E.T."

E.T. reads a comic strip about a character building a device to call for help. This gives E.T. an idea. E.T. gets Elliott's help to build a device to "phone home." They use a Speak & Spell toy and other items. Michael notices that E.T. is getting sick. Elliott also starts saying "we" instead of "I."

A Race Against Time

On Halloween, Michael and Elliott dress E.T. as a ghost. This way, they can sneak him out of the house. That night, Elliott and E.T. go into the forest. They successfully make a call home.

The next day, Elliott wakes up in the field. E.T. is gone. Elliott goes home to his worried family. Michael searches for E.T. and finds him dying near a drainpipe. Michael brings E.T. home to Elliott, who is also getting very sick.

Mary becomes scared when she sees her son's illness and the dying alien. Just then, government agents break into their house. Scientists set up a hospital inside. They question Michael, Mary, and Gertie. They try to treat Elliott and E.T.

Saying Goodbye

Elliott's connection with E.T. disappears. E.T. then seems to die. Elliott recovers. A sad Elliott is left alone with E.T. He then notices a dead chrysanthemum flower. It was the same plant E.T. had brought back to life before. It starts to bloom again.

E.T. comes back to life! He tells Elliott that his people are returning. Elliott and Michael quickly steal the van where E.T. was placed. A chase begins. Michael's friends join them on their bicycles. They try to get away from the authorities.

Suddenly, they face a police roadblock. E.T. uses his special powers. He makes their bicycles fly into the air. They soar over the police and toward the forest.

Near the spaceship, E.T.'s heart glows. He is ready to go home. Mary, Gertie, and "Keys" (a friendly government agent) arrive. E.T. says goodbye to Michael and Gertie. Gertie gives him the chrysanthemum he revived. Before getting on the spaceship, E.T. hugs Elliott. He points his glowing finger to Elliott's forehead and says, "I'll be right here." E.T. picks up the flower, boards the spaceship, and it takes off. It leaves a beautiful rainbow in the sky as everyone watches.

Meet the Characters

President Reagan with Drew Barrymore at a ceremony launching the Young Astronauts program on the south lawn. October 17, 1984

Henry Thomas as Elliott: He is a ten-year-old boy who feels lonely. Elliott wants a good friend. He finds one in E.T., who is left behind on Earth. Elliott takes care of the alien. They form a very strong mental and emotional bond.
Robert MacNaughton as Michael: He is Elliott's sixteen-year-old brother. Michael plays football and often teases Elliott.
Drew Barrymore as Gertie: She is Elliott's five-year-old sister. Gertie is scared of E.T. at first. But she soon grows to love the alien.
Dee Wallace as Mary: She is the children's mother. She has recently separated from her husband. She mostly does not notice the alien living in her house.
Peter Coyote as "Keys": He is a government agent. His face is not shown until the second half of the movie. His name is never used. He is identified by the key rings hanging from his belt. He tells Elliott he has wanted to see an alien since he was ten years old.
K. C. Martel, Sean Frye and C. Thomas Howell as Greg, Steve and Tyler: These are Michael's friends. They help Elliott and E.T. get away from the authorities at the end of the movie.
Erika Eleniak as the young girl Elliott kisses in class.

Steven Spielberg had worked with child actors before. He felt confident working with a cast of mostly children for E.T..

The main voice for E.T. was Pat Welsh. She was an elderly woman. She smoked a lot, which gave her voice a unique sound that sound effects creator Ben Burtt liked. Burtt also recorded 16 other people and various animals to create E.T.'s full "voice." This included Spielberg, actress Debra Winger, Burtt's sleeping wife, and sounds from raccoons, sea otters, and horses.

Doctors from the USC Medical Center played the doctors in the movie. They were real doctors trying to save E.T. Spielberg felt that real doctors would sound more natural saying medical lines than actors would.

Images for kids

Italian special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi created E.T.'s design.
Spielberg said this scene made people wonder if the film had a spiritual meaning.
The 20th anniversary version of the film changed the guns used by agents to walkie-talkies.
The outside of the E.T. Adventure ride at Universal Studios Florida.
Poster for A Holiday Reunion.