E.T. Phones Home in Cool Mondo Poster Art From Artist Jonathan Burton
Just in case you don't know, this year marks the 35th anniversary of Stephen Spielberg's classic film E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. This is the first movie that I remember seeing in theaters when I was a kid, this was the movie that got me hooked on movies.
In celebration of the 35th anniversary, Mondo commissioned artist Jonathan Burton to create this wonderful E.T. The Extra Terrestrial print. As you can see, it focuses on E.T. in the process of trying to contact his home.
This is what Burton had to say about his illustration:
“Settling on an idea from this visually spectacular film was a difficult task. I sketched out many possibilities from different scenes but this one mainly stood out because of the wonderful ‘phone home’ contraption which I wanted to delve into. It’s a kind of W.Heath Robinson style construction where a small action of the wind in the trees tugs at a rope which pulls a fork to turn a wheel which sets off this surprising machine to send a message through space. It’s a magical moment in the film made all the more endearing by the use of Elliot’s 1980s equipment.
I didn’t want to shy away from showing E.T. as a major element of the poster as he’s so iconic but also because I welcomed the challenge of drawing a creature so fascinatingly odd. The character is a great design of unthreatening strangeness and this balance is tricky to capture. His pointing finger is an obvious tribute to the original poster though I like how we have it leading to his home, and with the special spot varnish we only get a glimpse of his solar system within the right light.
Oh how I crave the BMX of my youth.”
I would have loved to get my hands on one of these prints.
