Movies Like ‘Allen’ on Netflix That Carry the Same Friendly Alien Spirit
Netflix’s ‘Allen’ is the first feature film from Ludo Studio, the team behind ‘Bluey.’ It follows Petey, a man still stuck in the past, who is reunited with his childhood alien friend two decades after they were separated. The trailer pitches the film as ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ twenty years later, and some viewers have also picked up on a ‘Paul’ flavor.
Anyone looking for movies like ‘Allen’ will find that the friendly alien story has a long lineage. These picks share its mix of nostalgia, friendship and comic chaos.
‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’
The obvious starting point is Steven Spielberg’s classic. A gentle alien is stranded on Earth, and a lonely boy named Elliott discovers him hiding in the backyard, then helps him evade government agents. The film became the highest grossing movie of all time on release, with a total box office of $797.3 million.
‘The Iron Giant’
This 1999 animated film follows a young boy who discovers a massive extraterrestrial robot in the forest against the backdrop of the Cold War. As in ‘E.T.’, the government soon sets its sights on the visitor and threatens to break up the friendship. That makes it a good match for the trouble the ‘Allen’ trailer hints at.
‘Lilo & Stitch’
Stitch starts the film as a hellraising terror, but he turns out to be a big sweetie who simply needed a family. Like ‘E.T.’, it shows how an alien encounter can help a lonely child find a friend and a sense of belonging.
‘Home’
The film pairs a quirky alien named Oh, voiced by Jim Parsons, with a resourceful human girl named Tip, voiced by Rihanna, after his species invades Earth. The two go on a road trip across the globe, and Oh is an outcast among his own kind. It suits viewers who want something colorful and upbeat.
‘Aliens in the Attic’
In a Michigan vacation home, a group of kids stumble upon four pint sized aliens planning a full scale invasion. The kids fight back with clever tricks and makeshift weapons while the adults remain clueless. It is a lighter and more chaotic romp, and it sits at 35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Earth to Echo’
This adventure combines a benign alien, friendship, found footage and youth, and it lands in the family and science fiction space. Recommendation engines group it with ‘Super 8’ and ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’. It is a natural pick for viewers who like the buddy dynamic at the center of ‘Allen’.
‘Project Hail Mary’
An astronaut named Grace is sent into space to save humanity from a sun eating alien species, and he encounters an alien he names Rocky. The stakes are higher and the story is more intergalactic than ‘E.T.’, yet at its core it is still a human’s friendship with an alien.
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’
Spielberg’s first alien movie, released in 1977, follows a man convinced he has spotted a UFO who sets out on a crusade to get proof. ‘E.T.’ began as a planned successor titled ‘Night Skies’, so this film is where the lineage starts.
‘Arrival’
The Heptapods come to Earth to give humanity a gift, a language that allows those who comprehend it to see throughout time. Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a linguist tasked with finding a way to communicate with the visitors. It is a quieter and more thoughtful take on friendship across species.
‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’
Klaatu comes to Earth with good intentions, and after a trigger happy soldier shoots him he orders his robot, Gort, to stand down. He forms a relationship with a widow and her son, yet he is also there to issue an ultimatum to humanity. The ‘Allen’ trailer likewise suggests that the alien’s return is not just a friendly social call. If Allen’s return strikes you as more warning than reunion, tell us in the comments whether he belongs closer to Klaatu or to E.T.
