Comcast's E.T. holiday ad sparks fan backlash over CGI remake

Comcast Corporation has released a holiday advertisement featuring E.T., the iconic alien created by Steven Spielberg and designed by Carlo Rambaldi. The spot, titled "A Holiday Reunion," aired during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in the US and was later uploaded to YouTube and Xfinity, amassing 12 million views in one week. Set during Christmas, the ad reimagines the original 1982 film's narrative, showing Elliott and E.T. reuniting after nearly four decades, now facing changes like an expanded family and the internet. However, many fans have criticized the ad for replacing the original animatronic E.T. with a computer-generated version, which they find less natural and realistic. Critics also object to the commercialization of a beloved cult film. The ad is part of a broader trend of repurposing classic movies for product promotion, such as David Lynch's 1992 coffee commercials set in Twin Peaks or the Google Assistant remake of Home Alone. Henry Thomas, who played Elliott in the original film, recently portrayed Jack Torrance in Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining.