"E.T." redirects here. For the abbreviation, see ET. For the Atari 2600 video game based on the movie, see E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 2600). E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Directed by Steven Spielberg Produced by Steven SpielbergKathleen Kennedy Written by Melissa Mathison Starring Henry ThomasDee WallaceRobert MacNaughtonDrew BarrymorePeter Coyote Music by John Williams Cinematography Allen Daviau Editing by Carol Littleton Distributed by Universal Pictures Release date(s) June 11, 1982 Running time 115 min. (1982)120 min. (2002: 20th anniversary edition) Country USA Language English Budget $10,500,000 USD (estimated) IMDb profile E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is an Academy Award-winning 1982 science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg that tells the story of a young boy, Elliott, who befriends an alien being called E.T. stranded on Earth and trying to find his way home. This film was produced by Amblin Entertainment, distributed by Universal Pictures. It was originally released to movie theatres in 1982, re-released in 1985, and then "enhanced" and re-released as a 20th anniversary edition in 2002 (see below).The movie was written by Melissa Mathison. The design of the E.T. character was created by artists Drew Struzan and Carlo Rambaldi, a favorite of director Steven Spielberg, while the advance and release movie posters were created by John Alvin.