E.T. Comes Back To Visit Grown-Up Elliott In Heartwarming Thanksgiving Ad

E.T. and Elliott pick right up where they left off in 1982

Those of us who were glued to our television screens to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday got the most wonderful, unexpected surprise. It wasn’t that the floats were finally cleared to fly, but during a commercial break, when one beloved childhood Extra-Terrestrial came screaming back to life right before our eyes.

E.T. and his trusty sidekick Elliott (now a grown adult but looking exactly like he did in 1982) made an appearance together in commercial form for telecommunications company Xfinity. During the ad, E.T. learns about all the new things that have happened since he was away (like the internet, for instance), but it was the ad’s message of reconnecting for the holidays that had everyone who watched the ad in tears.

In the four-minute spot, E.T. comes back to see Elliott, who is now grown with kids of his own. E.T. gets to know the family, plays in the snow with his kids, and snuggles in for movie night. He also gets a lesson on technology and tries out VR goggles for the first time, sending him toppling over just like he did during the original film.

But just like the last time, his time on Earth is limited. E.T. has a family of his own now, and after seeing them in a tiny orb, knows he needs to get back home to them. He takes Elliott’s kids on one last adventure flying through the night sky on bicycles.

When it comes time for E.T. to phone home, Elliott and his family send him off with tears and our hearts burst open again because why can’t he and his alien family just live here forever?

E.T. tries to comfort Elliott’s son by pointing to his heart, saying, “I’ll be right here,” then flies away on his spaceship. After he’s gone, the son’s shirt starts to glow, and he finds the same orb E.T. used to see his family — only this time, Elliott and his kids can see E.T. If Xfinity doesn’t come out with little orbs we can all use to see friends and family far away it’ll break our hearts all over again.

In the unlikely event you haven’t made your kids watch the iconic film, now would be a good time to do so. It’s a holiday weekend and though there are some really good movies in the theatres right now, you can’t get much better than a night snuggled in on the couch with your fam watching the original on TV. As the commercial reminds us, this is when reconnecting with our families means the most.