In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the stranded alien is befriended by a boy named Elliott.
Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film begins when a group of extraterrestrial visitors leaves Earth in a hurry and accidentally abandons one of their companions. Elliott discovers the creature near his California home and secretly brings him inside.
Elliott names the visitor E.T., short for “extraterrestrial,” and gradually forms a remarkable emotional and physical connection with him. Elliott’s siblings, Michael and Gertie, eventually learn the secret and help protect E.T. from government agents while searching for a way to return him home.
Henry Thomas played Elliott, while Robert MacNaughton played Michael and Drew Barrymore played Gertie. The film became one of the decade’s major box-office successes and is often remembered for its themes of friendship, childhood, separation, and homecoming.