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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial poster

Movies that feel likeE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.

If you loved E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the closest films we have are Flight of the Navigator (1986), Fly Away Home (1996) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). All three share E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial's epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Escape to Witch Mountain (1975).

🍅 99% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.9 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Steven Spielbergepiccerebralwarmcozymelancholy
11 of 12 streaming nowHulu · Disney Plus · Paramount Plus Premium

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If E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial hit the spot, these will too

Flight of the Navigator poster
Flight of the Navigator
1986 · dir. Randal Kleiser
🍅 85%★ 6.9family · science fiction · adventureDisney+

A lost kid, a NASA hunt and the ache of trying to get back home

The difference: The wonder outruns the emotion — a lighter film with a smaller heart

12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.

Fly Away Home poster
Fly Away Home
1996 · dir. Carroll Ballard
🍅 87%★ 6.9adventure · drama · family

One thread runs through both: grief

The difference: Lighter on ideas

Amy is only 13 years old when her mother is killed. She goes to Canada to live with her father, an eccentric inventor whom she barely knows. Amy is miserable in her new life... until she discovers a nest of goose eggs that were abandoned when a local forest was torn down. The eggs hatch and Amy becomes "Mama Goose". When winter comes, Amy and her dad must find a way to lead the birds South.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence poster
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
2001 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 76%★ 7.2drama · science fiction · adventureParamount+Peacock

A child's total, unguarded love for something not human

The difference: Far colder and sadder, and it does not comfort you

David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David.

Jurassic Park poster
Jurassic Park
1993 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 91%★ 8.2adventure · science fictionHuluStarz

Spielberg wonder — children's eyes widening at the impossible

The difference: Predatory terror takes over; no tenderness at its center

A wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. Before opening day, he invites a team of experts and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park and help calm anxious investors. However, the park is anything but amusing as the security systems go off-line and the dinosaurs escape.

The Black Stallion poster
The Black Stallion
1979 · dir. Carroll Ballard
🍅 90%★ 7.4family · adventure

Epic where it counts, warm underneath

The difference: Goes its own way on the ideas

While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion that is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a deserted island. He befriends it, so when finally rescued both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey, a once successful trainer. Together they begin training the horse to race against the fastest ones in the world.

Escape to Witch Mountain poster
Escape to Witch Mountain
1975 · dir. John Hough
🍅 87%★ 6.3adventure · fantasy · science fictionDisney+

Cerebral and cozy in the same breath

The difference: Played as fantasy first

Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.

The Land Before Time poster
The Land Before Time
1988 · dir. Don Bluth
🍅 65%★ 7.4family · animation · adventure

A small hero far from home, grieving loss and leaning on new friends

The difference: Straight animation for younger kids, with a heavier opening loss

An orphaned brontosaurus named Littlefoot sets off in search of the legendary Great Valley. A land of lush vegetation where the dinosaurs can thrive and live in peace. Along the way he meets four other young dinosaurs, each one a different species, and they encounter several obstacles as they learn to work together in order to survive.

The BFG poster
The BFG
2016 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 74%★ 6.3adventure · family · fantasyDisney+

Steven Spielberg working the same nerve twice

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

An orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading the human world.

Armageddon poster
Armageddon
1998 · dir. Michael Bay
🍅 42%★ 6.7action · science fiction · adventure

Sentiment aimed straight at you, unashamed about the tears

The difference: Bombastic and macho — awe traded for countdown adrenaline

When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.

Explorers poster
Explorers
1985 · dir. Joe Dante
★ 6.4science fiction · adventure · family

Kids build their way to the stars from bedrooms full of sci-fi dreams

The difference: Shaggier and stranger — it drifts where E.T. lands every beat

Middle schooler Ben spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things fantastical yields a real result – when he has a vivid dream about technology, his prodigy best friend Wolfgang manages to create a working spacecraft. Joined by their buddy Darren, the boys take off into outer space and encounter some very odd extraterrestrial life.

Still Walking poster
Still Walking
2008 · dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
🍅 100%★ 7.9drama · family

Family with a pulse of melancholy, in both cases

The difference: Made in the 2000s, in a different era of the craft

A family gathers together for a commemorative ritual whose nature only gradually becomes clear.

A Monster Calls poster
A Monster Calls
2016 · dir. J. A. Bayona
🍅 86%★ 7.4fantasy · adventure · family

Epic adventure, and it commits to that

12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.

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The best-reviewed films that share E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’s defining feeling.