40 Films in Robotech: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

  

Admittedly, this is one of my least favorite Spielberg movies…hence why we have not covered it on the blog till now. But you cannot deny its cultural impact on the world…and the world of Robotech.

 ROBOTECH MENTION:  

Throughout Robotech’s The New Generation series, the character of Annie is rarely seen without her “ET” cap on. 

Still from Robotech Episode 66 Hard Times featuring Annie in her E.T. cap.

In the novelization of Robotech, Jack McKinney explains Annie’s cap on page 41 of Robotech book #10 Invid Invasion…

E.T. appears throughout the saga in all kinds of Robotech media. It appears as a sign in Southern Cross episode 45 Metal Fire. Its first of many appearances in Comico’s Robotech comic book series was in  The New Generation issue #2 entitled The Lost City.

 SYNOPSIS:  

As written on page 221 in The Rough Guide to Cult Movies (2004): “The cuddly alien is one of cinema’s many Christ figures, the only difference being that God resorts to phoning and asking him to come home – a bit like any dad really. You can always watch out for the clues (Elliot's mum is called Mary) if your heart isn't melted by the story.”

 AWARDS & KUDOS:  

According to Nostalgia Video Games & Comics on Facebook, E.T. was the highest worldwide grossing movie of 1982. In their Essentials Directors book, TCM reported it had an $800 million box office (2021). E.T. won many awards including 4 Oscars for Best Sound, Best Effects: Sound Effects Editing, Best Effects: Visual Effects, and Best Score. TCM lists it as one of the nine “Must-See Movies” of Steven Spielberg. In January 2025, Critics' Choice Video called E.T. the Extra-Terrestial "the biggest hit movie of the [80s] decade and a pop culture classic" (p.37).

 OTHER COOL FACTS:  

Sales of Reese’s Pieces shot up 65% after their appearance in E.T. – according to Robert K. Johnson’s #classicfilmreading book, Reel Spirituality (2006).

 ROBOTECH REASON:  

To their credit, writers and animators of the shows that make up Robotech also included references to Spielberg’s less-sappy and superior aliens movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) throughout Robotech. However, E.T. was such a recent alien-to-Earth phenomenon in the 80s, it would be silly NOT to include it in the three-generational epic of alien invasions that make up Robotech.

To read my ⭐⭐ (out of a possible 5 star) rating for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial on Letterboxd, click here.