WATCH: Original ET model from film sells for $2.56 million at auction
Luke Gentile
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A mechatronic model of E.T. used in the 1982 classic movie has sold for $2.56 million at auction.
The model is the original from Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and was the headline item of Julien’s Auctions’ “Icons and Idols: Hollywood” auction.
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It works via 85 points of movement and was fundamental in Italian special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi’s Academy Award win for his work on the film.
“One of the rarest and most remarkable pieces of Hollywood memorabilia ever to come to auction, Julien’s is honored to present one of the actual, last surviving, authentic animatronic E.T.’s used during the making of the beloved and cherished blockbuster film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, which captured the hearts of audiences across the world,” the item’s description read on the auction website.
Rambaldi found inspiration for E.T. in women from his hometown in Italy.
He wanted to make the alien appear “empathic.”
“We all kind of regard him as a living breathing organism, he’s a real creature,” Spielberg said.
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“I think, for me, in my experience, he is the eighth wonder of the movie world.”