I know Empire Strikes Back had just come out two years before this, and obviously Spielberg had close connections with the making of those movies and is friends with George Lucas so I assume this movie probably would have not existed if it were not for Star Wars? The E.T. puppet seems almost identical to Yoda in terms of puppetry work craftsmanship. I wouldn't be surprised if the same team that brought Yoda to life brought E.T. to life as well.
shareYoda wasn't animatronic though.
shareI don't see it. They are completely different stories. All Spielberg did was give a nod to his buddy's movie by having a trick-or-treater be in a Yoda costume, which was a cute touch.
You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi
I don't know if I'd say TESB inspired ET, but the musical scores are kind of similar(moreso than Williams scores usually are). I remember watching TESB for the first time(I had seen ET years before) and thinking the music during the escape from Cloud City sounded like something out of ET.
shareThe score is similar. But not as complex as the e.t. score nor does it bring *beep* tears to my eyes when i hear it.
shareIt is true that if it weren't for the success of Star Wars, this film probably wouldn't exist (and that goes for most of the sci-fi/fantasy films of the late '70s-early '80s), but here's its real inspiration:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Skies
The Falcon flies
ET's people come from the Star Wars galaxy - here they are in the Senate of the Old Republic from Episode I - https://ohilodude.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/image.jpeg?w=584
shareIt is true that if it weren't for the success of Star Wars, this film probably wouldn't exist (and that goes for most of the sci-fi/fantasy films of the late '70s-early '80s), but here's its real inspiration:Well, it's true for a ton of films, in and out of the science fiction/fantasy genre, made ever since 1976. Let's not fail to account for all the companies that were founded just to bring Star Wars to life, and which have also been instrumental in the cinema industry overall. share
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Skies
I watched that movie recently and I'm pretty sure that when ET spots Yoda, the Yoda theme can be heard.
shareYeah, not only ET but Star Wars inspired a lot of films especially in the 80s. It opened the doors for a new style and ET always felt connected in a way to star wars.
He was my C.O. in Nam. CIA listed him as MIA but the V.A. ID'd his M.O. and put out an APB.
Close Encounters came first. That's clearly the influence here. Spielberg just expanded and took it into a different direction.
I've always thought that the crew chasing E.T. in the beginning were the same bunch of scientists from Close Encounters.
"A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference." Eeyore
In terms of it being established that this sort of movie could be done? Sure. They knew the puppet work and fx could be good enough. Nothing else about it is remotely similar. As I keep saying, this is a story inspired by Peter Pan, not Star Wars.
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