E.T.

E.T. catches the essence of the bond between children who are lonely and their pets. The sequence may relate to scenes from “Meet Me in St. Louis”, but it is more central in E.T. (E.T. is linked to the theme of Hallowe’en.) E.T. was probably the best-worked-out script that Spielberg has ever filmed. It has a playful side and it shows his love for toys. Melissa Mathison, the actual writer, could see what Spielberg needed more than he did himself. Mathison has a feeling for the emotional sources of fantasy.

...