Marking a change from the menacing aliens of the 50s and 60s, Steven Spielberg made movies that showed interspecies friendship and cooperation was possible. None did so more successfully than 1982’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the film that conquered planet Earth box offices.

The titular character is an alien scientist—or botanist, close enough—who is accidentally stranded on Earth by his buddies. Wandering around the back end of a California suburb, the alien stumbles upon Elliot, a ten-year old still traumatized by the recent divorce of his parents. The two lost souls scare each other at first, but Elliot manages to lure the alien to his house with a trail of Reese’s Pieces. Thrilled to have such a cool playmate—seriously, an alien—Elliot hides the extraterrestrial in the closet but he is soon outed to older brother, Michael and little sister, Gertie. The siblings agree to protect the alien—now called E.T.—then often participate in his comic attempts to sample Earth culture, like learning English by watching Sesame Street or getting tipsy on beer. Elliot and E.T. develop a deep bond that links their minds and bodies, putting them both in danger when E.T. starts wilting and pining for his home. The pair, helped by Michael, Gertie and other neighborhood kids, evades capture by the military and successfully signals E.T.’s alien friends to come pick him up. E.T. leaves Earth after a tear-jerking farewell to his new friend. We’re talking half a box of tissues for the ending alone, people; this is powerful stuff.

The movie contributed a number of iconic moments to popular culture, notably E.T.’s plaintive, “E.T. phone home” plea and Elliot’s airborne bicycle with E.T. riding in the basket. The magic and wonder of this movie charmed audiences regardless of age and became the top-grossing film to that date, easily beating out Star Wars. E.T.’s fame grew into an international phenomenon and didn’t diminish, just naturally segued into instant classic territory. Twenty years later, an E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial anniversary release featured tweaked special effects, the addition of a little CGI and the digital removal of weapons from some scenes. Despite the reworking (if it ain’t broke…), the movie still has a huge, growing audience, proving that a little child-like wonder and good will can go a long way.