A close look at Xfinity’s hit unofficial E.T. sequel reveals a surprise for fans of the spunky alien’s visit to Earth: at least hidden references to the classic 1982 film and its creator, Steven Spielberg.
The bonanza of ‘Easter eggs’ evoke memories of the beloved movie starring child actor Henry Thomas as E.T.’s Earthling pal, Elliott, and who now plays an adult version of the character in the commercial by the Comcast’s broadband service company.
Comcast, which also owns Universal Studios, which made E.T., also included nods to Spielberg, as well as his hit films ‘Jaws’ and Jurassic Park.
The hidden surprises were spotted by YouTuber Johnny Awesome, who has more than 4,000 subscribers, and posted on Friday, a day after the ad was first broadcast during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving parade.
The first Easter egg noted by the YouTube poster was a pair of white and red Nike Cortez sneakers, the first track shoes made by the company.
An Easter Egg in the new Xfinity commercial that’s an unofficial sequel to E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, as noted by the YouTuber Johnny Awesome shows a pair of white and red Nike Cortez sneakers, the first track shoes made by the company on the bottom right
That’s young Elliott in the original film on the right wearing the same Nike Cortez sneakers
Elliott, now a dad, has a son, and the shoes are seen in the boy’s room.
Originally, they were spotted on Elliott’s feet when he takes E.T. out trick-or-treating for Halloween in the movie.
There is also a Polaroid of the famed outing on the wall of adult Elliott’s home, which is presumed to be the one taken by young Elliott’s mom in the original film, played by Dee Wallace.
Another egg is revealed by a model train that whirls around the track in Elliott’s son’s room, as white light flashes from a nearby window. A larger train set can be seen in the original movie, when FBI agents in astronaut suits raid Elliot’s home to take E.T. and the young boy away.
Another egg is revealed by a model train that whirls around the track in Elliott’s son’s room
White light flashes from a nearby window in the ad as the train moves across the track
The egg evokes the scene when when FBI agents in astronaut suits raid Elliot’s home to take E.T. and the young boy away in the original film
The plush toy pile up scene from the original movie is recalled in the next egg, and as it was in the original, includes a Raggedy Ann doll.
In the original film, E.T.’s hides in a plush-toy pile up that includes a Raggedy Ann doll
The Xfinity commercial includes its own version of Raggedy Ann on a pile of plush toys
Fans of the movie who remember E.T. wearing a blue, plead shirt in the original will spot an adult Elliot wearing the same in yet another egg.
Adult Elliot wears a familiar blue, plead shirt in the Xfinity commercial
E.T. in the original film wears the same blue plead shirt as seen on adult Elliott in the ad
And there are frogs spotted in two scenes of the commercial, evoking one of the funniest moments of the original movie.
The ad recalls one of the funniest moments in the original movie, when Elliott yells, ‘run for your life, run to the river,’ as he and his classmates free an untold number frogs that were slated for dissection while they were seated in school waiting to dissect the toads
Frogs are pictured in two books on a coffee table in the ad, in an egg that refers to the famed toad scene from the original film
In the scene, Elliott yells, ‘run for your life, run to the river,’ as he and his classmates free an untold number frogs that were slated for dissection while they were seated in school waiting to dissect the toads.
The commercial shows frogs in two books on a coffee table, as well as what appears to be a toy toad on the floor of the Elliott’s son’s room.
The commercial couldn’t miss leaving out Reese’s pieces, which were made famous by the original film. ET in the ad is seen at the dinner table next to a bag of the peanut butter and chocolate candies, which also are spotted, sprinkled on the lovable alien’s cupcake.
Reese’s Pieces, the peanut butter chocolate candies, became famous after they were featured in the original film
Reese’s Pieces make their return in the commercial at the dinner table
E.T. later tries out virtual reality glasses and confronts a T Rex that looks suspiciously like the beast from Spielberg’s Jurassic Park movies.
E.T. goes high-tech in the commercial, trying out a pair of virtual realty glasses
Peering into the glasses, E.T. provides yet another Easter egg, but this time it’s a nod to the T Rex in Steven Spielberg’s other hit film, Jurassic Park
Besides the high-tech gaming, there’s an old school Dungeons & Dragons set spotted under adult Elliot’s TV in the commercial, a throwback to when the younger version of the character enjoyed the role playing game in the original movie.
The commercial plants another Easter egg udner the TV in adult Elliott’s living room: an old school Dungeons & Dragons role playing game
Elliott in the original film enjoyed playing Dungeons & Dragons
The commercial makes sure that Elliot’s Golden Retriever Harvey doesn’t get forgotten.
Elliot’s Golden Retriever Harvey from the original movie ins’t forgotten in the ad
There are at least two framed pictures of the loyal pooch in the commercial
One of the pictures is the same one seen on Elliott’s night stand in the movie
There are at least two framed pictures of the loyal pooch in the ad, including the same one seen on Elliott’s night stand in the movie.
There are other original props in the commercial too. Elliott’s hand drawing of E.T., made while he was daydreaming of his alien pal in school, now is framed on to the wall in Elliot’s son’s room.
Young Elliott’s hand-drawn picture of E.T. is spotted on a wall in the commercial
Elliott’s made the hand drawing while daydreaming of his alien pal in school in the movie
The ad also has E.T. giving Elliott’s son a hologram image of his family back on his home planet. One of the CGI images bares a close resemblance to ‘Botanicus’, a theme park robot billed as E.T.’s teacher and featured in a Universal Studios ride that’s inspired by the original movie.
The ad also has E.T. giving Elliott’s son a hologram image of his family back on his alien home
One of the CGI images bares a close resemblance to ‘Botanicus’, a theme park robot billed as E.T.’s teacher and featured in a Universal Studios ride that’s inspired by the original movie
Pictured is ‘Botanicus’, a theme park robot billed as E.T.’s teacher and featured in a Universal Studios ride that’s inspired by the original movie
Fans upon close inspection of the commercial will spot a goldfish swimming in a bowl of water in Elliott’s son’s room, much like the one the younger version of the dad had in the original film.
Fans may recognize the gold fish swimming in a bowl of water in the commercial as yet another nod to the original film
The younger version of Elliott also had a goldfish in a bowl in the original film
The son’s room in the ad also has rainbow-colored blinds. Fans who might have missed them in the original can spot them in young Elliott’s room.
Rainbow window blinds in the commercial refer to ones used in the original movie
Young Elliott’s rainbow colored blinds are seen in the original film
One of the hardest eggs to spot turns out to be E.T.’s homemade communication device, which the alien used to ‘phone home’. Adult Elliott has kept the device in his shed, along with his original bicycle, basket still attached.
E.T.’s homemade communication device, complete with record player, umbrella and Speak and Spell are seen in the ad in the background of adult Elliott’s shed, where E.T. inspects younger Elliot’s bicycle, complete with basket
The communicator’s record player, ‘Speak and Spell’ and umbrella are seen in the background, as E.T. inspects the bike he so famously lifted into the sky with his alien powers to give Elliott the ride of his life in the movie.
The scene has come to define the film in posters and even in Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment production company.
Familiar scene? Adult Elliott’s son where’s the same red hoodie the young version of his dad wore in the original film
Young Elliott in the original movie is seen wearing a red hoodie
Fans who notice something familiar about the red hoodie worn by Elliott’s son will recall the younger version of the character wearing the same.
It’s no surprise either that the son and younger version of the dad from the original bare a close resemblance to each other.
It’s easy to miss the one nod to Spielberg, a book with his name on the spine on a shelf in older Elliott’s home.
Steven Spielberg is seen in footage shown at the start of a Universal Studios theme park ride inspired by E.T.
The acclaimed director gets a nod in the commercial when his name appears on the spine of a book on that’s on a shelf in the ad
Another easy to miss reference is a yellow cup on the dinner table where E.T. sits with Elliott’s family. Gertie, Elliott’s younger sister played by Drew Barrymore, used a similar one in the original film.
A prop used by Elliott’s younger sister in the original film Gertie, played by Drew Barrymore, also gets an egg
The ad inconspicuously plants Gertie’s yellow cup from the movie at the dinner table in the commercial
One egg indirectly references Spielberg’s classic film ‘Jaws’.
One egg indirectly references Spielberg’s classic film ‘Jaws’
A toy shark Elliott plays with in the original, which in itself was an Easter egg reference to Spielberg’s hit 1975 film about the deadly shark, now sits on a shelf in adult Elliott’s son’s room.
The add includes several framed pictures on the wall of adult Elliott’s home. There is one of the home young Elliott lived in from the original film, which is mom’s car even parked in the driveway. There also is a framed picture of young Elliott, which came from a publicity still used for the original movie.
Also on the wall of Elliott’s son’s room is a white poster with the famed quote from Aesop, ‘No act of of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted’, which young Elliott had in his room in the film.
Another familiar item in the son’s room is a poster of the solar system, similar to the planets seen in a book that young Elliott uses to point out Earth to Elliott and find out where he’s from.
There also are is a ceiling mobile of planets hanging in the boy’s room, evoking when E.T. floated similar objects in the air, again with his alien powers in the original film.
A scene in the commercial showing a globe is yet another reference to the film, when Elliott handles a globe to show E.T. that they were in California. There’s even his mom’s California license plate, registration number 132 YEB, hanging still in the shed of adult Elliott’s home.
A scene in the commercial showing a globe is yet another reference to the film, when Elliott handles a globe to show E.T. that they were in California. There’s even his mom’s California license plate, registration number 132 YEB (shown), hanging in the shed of adult Elliott’s home
The YouTube post by Johnny Awesome speculates whether there is yet one more egg in the ad that shows the partial image of a woman’s face on what appears to be a poster.
Awesome wonders whether that’s a reference to the scene in the original where E.T. is watching ‘The Quiet Man’, a John Wayne movie that features the star grabbing a woman to plant a kiss on her lips.
Elliott, whose mind becomes linked to E.T.’s, re-enacts the same scene in the original film with a schoolmate. However, it’s not clear if that really is Easter egg No. 26.
Younger Elliott’s mom’s drives her car with the California license plate, registration number 132 YEB, as seen in the original film