NEW YORK (AFP) – An original animatronic model of the iconic alien created for Steven Spielberg’s classic 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is for sale at Sotheby’s – and is estimated to fetch as much as USD900,000.
Created by Oscar-winning special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi, the model is one of three used in the film and is specifically the one featured in the “closet scene” when E.T. is hiding among loads of stuffed animals.
The model – which stands three feet (91.4 centimeters) tall, according to Sotheby’s listing – is from the personal collection of Rambaldi, an animatronics pioneer who died in 2012.
The starting bid is USD500,000 in the online sale, which closes tomorrow. The estimated price is from USD600,000 to USD900,000.
“This model embodies the artistry of an era before CGI took hold, a nostalgic and iconic piece of Hollywood history as captivating as the stories themselves,” said Sotheby’s vice president Cassandra Hatton.
The E.T. model was able to perform 150 different movements, such as frowning or stretching his neck.
Rambaldi collaborated on other blockbuster sci-fi films including Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) and John Guillermin’s King Kong (1976).
