Created by Oscar-winning special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi, the model is one of three used in the film and is specifically the one featured in the closet scene when ET is hiding among loads of stuffed animals.
The model – which stands 91.4 centimetres tall, according to Sotheby’s listing – is from the personal collection of Rambaldi, an animatronics pioneer who died in 2012.
The starting bid is US$500,000 in the online sale, which closes on April 3. The estimated price is from US$600,000 to US$900,000.
“This model embodies the artistry of an era before CGI took hold, a nostalgic and iconic piece of Hollywood history as captivating as the stories themselves,” said Cassandra Hatton, a Sotheby’s vice president.
The ET model was able to perform 150 different movements, such as frowning or stretching his neck.
Rambaldi collaborated on other blockbuster sci-fi films including Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), Ridley Scott’s “Alien” (1979) and John Guillermin’s “King Kong” (1976).
The auction includes other objects from the Italian artist’s collection, including two of the model sandworms used in David Lynch’s “Dune.” (AFP)
