E.T. and Elliott Reunite in New Holiday Short from Xfinity

It’s the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial sequel you always wanted, sort of. Just in time for the holidays, Comcast NBCUNiversal/Xfinity/Sky released a new holiday short featuring the beloved alien reuniting with his human friend, Elliott. Henry Thomas reprises the role of Elliott from the classic 1982 film, playing Elliott now as an adult with a family of his own. You can check out the holiday short below.

The short was made in connection with Universal Pictures and also promotes Xfinity and Sky technology. NBCUniversal also announced that the classic original film will be broadcast on SyFy today, and it will be available on demand for Xfinity TV customers. Viewers with X1 will be able to say “E.T. Phone Home” into their voice remotes for an E.T.-themed destination as well. Additionally, fans who visit an Xfinity retail location will receive a special E.T. coloring book and candy.

In the new short, E.T. is back on Earth to visit an adult Elliott, who now has a family of his own. While technology has changed, their connection and friendship remains strong with a reminder about reconnecting during the holiday season.

Henry Thomas stated on the new short, “The audience is going to get everything they want out of a sequel without the messy bits that could destroy the beauty of the original and the special place it has in people’s minds and hearts. It’s really a win-win.” He added, “Looking at the storyboards, I could see exactly why Steven (Spielberg) was really behind it, because the integrity of the story isn’t lost in this retelling.”

Comcast Cable SVP for Marketing Communications Peter Intermaggio added, “Our goal is to show how Xfinity and Sky technology connects family, friends and loved ones, which is so important during the holidays. The classic friendship between E.T. and Elliott resonates around the world, and their story became a very meaningful way to bring our company’s consumer technology to life.”

The cast also features Julianne Hoyak as Elliott’s wife. His son is played by Zebastian Borjeau, and his daughter is played by Alvia Drews. The E.T. puppet in the short was created by Legacy Effects. Lance Acord directed the project.