Animatronic model alien used in blockbuster E.T. sells for eye-watering sum at auction
THE animatronic model alien used in 1982 blockbuster E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial has fetched £2.1million at auction.
The 3ft 5in prop’s metal skeleton, made before modern CGI technology, features 85 points of movement including facial expressions and the ability to blink.
It was created by special effects designer Carlo Rambaldi, who supervised the “Mechatronic” model’s 12 animators.
Rambaldi also worked on props for Alien in 1979 and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1982.
He only agreed to work for Steven Spielberg on the condition that he could keep all of his creations and the model remained with him until his death in 2012.
It was then passed on to his daughter, Daniela.
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It went under the hammer with other E.T. memorabilia at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills.
Other lots included the original plaster model made for director Spielberg to approve the finished design, which sold for £102,578.
And the staff used by Moses, played by Charlton Heston, to part the Red Sea in 1956 film The Ten Commandments sold for £368,537.