Ouch, indeed.

Everyone remembers Steven Spielberg’s E.T. as a cute, lovable little guy in a 1982 movie. However, just like people, it seems that aliens can age badly too. Especially if they are not looked after well, as a truly terrifying animatronic from the classic family movie is set to go up for auction in December with an estimated sale price of up to $3 million. The movie-used prop is one of several items coming up for sale in the Beverley Hills event, “Julien’s Auctions and TCM Present: Icons & Idols: Hollywood.”

Like many puppets and props used in movies from past decades of cinema, E.T. has not fared well over time, losing his “skin” and becoming the stuff of nightmares. As can be seen in the video below, which was shared by Darren Julien of Julien’s Auctions, other than his haunting eyes and some flecks of brown around the frame, the puppet, which is officially known as “the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Hero #1,” is not exactly going to win any beauty awards. Despite that, though, as one of the most instantly recognizable creatures ever put on screen, the figure will command a huge price in the December auction.

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Are Practical Effects Better Than CGI?

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That question comes up repeatedly, and there is still no definitive answer. When you look at the landscape of Mordor in The Lord of the Rings, the life-like animals of Disney’s The Lion King or The Jungle Book remakes, or creatures of nightmare that have figured in many horror movies while actually being nothing but a ping-pong ball on a stick, there is no way to deny that CGI has a place in making cinema magical. However, there is also a strong argument for the use of practical effects, as while CG from the 90s now looks hugely dated now, any practical effects that were done right and looked good three decades ago usually look just the same now.

As an excellent example of this, you can check out Gremlins, a movie that used stop-motion animation and practical puppets for its little monstrous creatures, and in general, they look just as good on screen now as they did in 1984. Compare that to the CG monsters of 1988’s Willow, or even the much-criticized CGI Jabba the Hutt that was added to the Special Edition of Star Wars, and you instantly get the idea that a well-crafted practical effect can remain that for decades.

When it comes to E.T, his on-screen appearance remains as magical as it did 40 years ago, even if in real life, the animatronic that brought him to life has not fared so well. While it may not be pleasing to look at, it certainly shows how much effort Spielberg’s team put into developing something that could make you believe you were watching a real alien waddling across the screen. With 85 points of movement, the animatronic was built to make magic, and there are few will deny that it did just that.

The Julien’s Auctions and TCM Present: Icons & Idols: Hollywood auction takes place on December 17 and 18 in Beverly Hills and online.