The internet giant Comcast Xfinity brought a much older Elliot and E.T. back together, 37 years after the hit film was first released.
During the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Xfinity ran the advertisement that showed a 48-year-old Henry Thomas, who played Elliot in the film, reuniting with the lovable extraterrestrial. Elliot, who has a family of his own, spots E.T. when he returns to earth during a snowy holiday season.
His children befriend E.T. and introduce him to the amazing capability of toys under today’s technical advancements, including a virtual reality headset. “It’s called the internet,” Elliot’s son says while mimicking an explosion. He adds, “A lot’s changed since you were here.”
Xfinity ran a shortened two-minute version of the advertisement during the parade and will run the full four-minute advertisement during an airing of the classic film on the Syfy network on Thursday evening.
The advertisement will also fill a 30-second slot in NFL games airing on NBC, CBS, and Fox throughout the remainder of the holiday season.
Thomas told Deadline that the advertisement gives fans a glimpse of a sequel without the risk of ruining the original flick.
“The audience is going to get everything they want out of a sequel without the messy bits that could destroy the beauty of the original and the special place it has in people’s minds and hearts,” he explained.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial grossed $800 million internationally and was nominated for nine Academy Awards. The film won four awards, including Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects.
