'E.T.' model on auction block in NY, could fetch $900,000

An original animatronic model of the iconic alien created for Steven Spielberg's classic 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is for sale at Sotheby's—and is estimated to fetch as much as $900,000 (P51.6 million).

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 E.T. is hiding among loads of stuffed animals.

The model—which stands three feet (91.4 centimeters) tall, according to Sotheby's listing—is from the personal collection of Rambaldi, an animatronics pioneer who died in 2012. 

The starting bid is $500,000 (P28.6 million) in the online sale, which closes on April 3. The estimated price is from $600,000 to $900,000 (P34.4 million to P51.6 million).

"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 E.T. 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.