Once a kid has started college, he/she has practically stepped on the road of adulthood and that means living away from one’s parents and basically, making a life for oneself.
In the spirit of independence, a lot of these new adults range far and wide from their hometowns perfectly emulating the same drive that brought the first Pilgrims to America from the Old World.
Because of this, there are only a few times in the year when a family can be complete again. Thanks to air travel, this has become even easier with the only barriers being funds and getting enough time to take a few days off from work (it’s hard to believe, but some people actually find this hard, not necessarily because their boss didn’t let them but because they’re too much of a workaholic to take some time off).
In any case, Thanksgiving and Christmas are pretty much the two chances that family members have to come together and reconnect with more innocent times when all they had to worry about was what to have for dinner and what gifts they were going to receive.
And Sky perfectly displays the importance of reconnection with their new Christmas ad that features E.T. the Extra-Terrestial coming back to spend some quality time with his old friend and now grown-up Elliot (played by the same actor, Henry Thomas).
It starts with Elliot’s kids nearly frightened out of their pants on first meeting E.T. until Elliot introduces all of them. They then spend time together, doing stuff that families usually do during the holidays.
Fans of the original movie will certainly get all the right feels when the ad recreates THAT iconic scene in the movie with the flying bicycles but this time featuring Elliot’s kids.
Of course, like all good things, the reunion has to come to an end as E.T. has to go back home. But the message is clear: never forget where you came from and realize the value of reconnecting with the people you grew up with.
A Sky spokesperson said: “E.T. is back on Earth for a surprise visit with Elliott, who now has his own family. Although technology has changed our world since they last saw each other 37 years ago, their friendship remains strong and is a touching reminder of how important reconnecting is at Christmas.”
It’s hands down one of the best Christmas ads of the year and other people agree.
One person commented: “Sky has won the best Christmas ad of the year in my opinion. Really magical and a lovely Christmas message too.”
Another joked: “No wonder @SkyHelpTeam @SkyUK can’t afford engineers to do my SKY Q install, they have blown their budget in ET Xmas advert!!!”
Stephen van Rooyen, CEO UK & Ireland, Sky said: “It’s an honor to bring E.T. back to Earth in this new festive short story, helping us to celebrate the magic of family time at Christmas and Sky’s part in bringing our customers together at this special time of year.”
Replaced!