De tienjarige Elliott woont samen met zijn moeder, broer en zusje in een bosrijke buitenwijk van Los Angeles. Op een dag ontdekt hij in de tuin een buitenaards wezentje. Elliott en het wezentje schrikken zich eerst te pletter, maar sluiten dan vriendschap. Elliott noemt het wezentje E.T. en verbergt het in een kast op zijn kamer. De jongen laat E.T. ook kennis maken met zijn broer en zijn zusje. E.T. raakt snel vertrouwd met het aardse leven. Toch heeft hij heimwee naar zijn planeet. Ondertussen begint de aardse atmosfeer zijn gezondheid aan te tasten. Ook Elliott voelt zich niet lekker. Hun band is immers zo hecht geworden dat ze dezelfde gevoelens ervaren.
Nee, helaas is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial nog niet beschikbaar op Netflix in Nederland.
| Directing | Steven Spielberg | Director |
| Writing | Melissa Mathison | Screenplay |
| Production | Kathleen Kennedy | Producer |
| Production | Steven Spielberg | Producer |
| Sound | John Williams | Original Music Composer |
| Camera | Allen Daviau | Director of Photography |
| Editing | Carol Littleton | Editor |
| Production | Jane Feinberg | Casting |
| Production | Mike Fenton | Casting |
| Production | Marci Liroff | Casting |
| Art | James D. Bissell | Production Design |
| Art | Jackie Carr | Set Decoration |
| Costume & Make-Up | Robert Sidell | Makeup Artist |
| Art | Leslie Butcher | Art Department Coordinator |
| Sound | Charles L. Campbell | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Crew | Dale L. Martin | Special Effects |
| Visual Effects | Al Bailey | Visual Effects |
| Crew | Glenn Randall Jr. | Stunt Coordinator |
| Crew | Richard E. Butler | Stunts |
| Crew | Carlo Rambaldi | Special Effects |
| Visual Effects | Robert Elswit | Visual Effects Camera |
| Production | Frank Marshall | Production Supervisor |
| Production | Melissa Mathison | Associate Producer |
| Directing | Katy Emde | First Assistant Director |
| Directing | Daniel Attias | Second Assistant Director |
| Directing | Glenn Randall Jr. | Second Unit Director |
| Directing | Esther Vivante | Script Supervisor |
| Production | Bonne Radford | Production Accountant |
| Production | Jane Goe | Assistant Accountant |
| Camera | Bruce McBroom | Still Photographer |
| Sound | Gene S. Cantamessa | Sound Mixer |
| Lighting | James Plannette | Gaffer |
| Camera | Gene Kearney | Key Grip |
| Camera | Bob Muñoz | Best Boy Grip |
| Camera | Donald L. Hartley | Dolly Grip |
| Art | William James Teegarden | Set Designer |
| Art | Russell Goble | Property Master |
| Costume & Make-Up | Deborah L. Scott | Costumer |
| Costume & Make-Up | Lola 'Skip' McNalley | Hairstylist |
| Crew | John Feinblatt | Transportation Captain |
| Crew | Ramon Pahoyo | Craft Service |
| Crew | Lyla Foggia | Unit Publicist |
| Editing | Kathleen Korth | First Assistant Editor |
| Sound | David Pettijohn | Sound Effects Editor |
| Sound | Louis L. Edemann | Sound Effects Editor |
| Sound | Richard C. Franklin | Sound Effects Editor |
| Sound | Samuel C. Crutcher | Sound Effects Editor |
| Sound | Hank Salerno | ADR Editor |
| Sound | Nicholas Korda | ADR Editor |
| Sound | Chuck Neely | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Sound | Kenneth Hall | Music Editor |
| Sound | Herbert W. Spencer | Orchestrator |
| Sound | Robert 'Buzz' Knudson | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Sound | Robert Glass | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Sound | Don Digirolamo | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Editing | Donah Bassett | Negative Cutter |
| Editing | Dennis Brookins | Negative Cutter |
| Editing | Robert Raring | Color Timer |
| Crew | Fred Lerner | Stunts |
| Crew | Bobby Porter | Stunts |
| Crew | Felix Silla | Stunts |
| Crew | Chuck Waters | Stunts |
| Crew | Bennie E. Dobbins | Stunts |
| Crew | Ted Grossman | Stunts |
| Production | Richard Vane | Location Manager |
| Camera | Selwyn Eddy | Camera Operator |
| Visual Effects | Dennis Muren | Visual Effects Supervisor |
| Visual Effects | Carlo Rambaldi | Visual Effects |
