Steven Spielberg Pitched This Charming Sci-Fi Movie As An Episode Of His '80s TV Show

Sometimes a story is just too big for television, no matter how small the characters that are a part of it might be. That was the case when director Steven Spielberg was developing an idea for one episode of his original anthology series, "Amazing Stories" (which returned on Apple TV). The initial concept was called "Gramps and Grammie and Company" and followed an elderly couple who are visited by small alien lifeforms that look like flying saucers.

If that sounds familiar, it's because the story would go on to become the cult family classic "Batteries Not Included," directed by Matthew Robbins. The first draft of the story was penned by Mick Garris, who would write eight episodes for Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" and direct the original television adaptation of Stephen King's "The Stand." From there, it would be tweaked by writer Brad Bird (who would go on to direct the brilliant box-office bomb, "The Iron Giant") and Robbins, who had previously worked with Spielberg on "The Sugarland Express."

The end result was an elderly couple (played by Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn) who, along with the rest of their neighbors in their apartment block, are under threat from property tycoons. Thankfully, help arrives in the form of two mechanical creatures resembling model flying saucers. The film had the Amblin-esque, Spielbergian edge that audiences would eat up. Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the same legacy as some other films before it.

Upon release, "Batteries Not Included" earned over $65 million at the box office against an estimated budget of $25 million. That's not too shabby for a story that Spielberg had been throwing around while getting through his massive movie to-do list at the time. It also potentially explains that Spielberg's absence behind the chair was felt, and perhaps why it didn't quite make the impact it could've among audiences and critics alike.

The film sits at 55% on Rotten Tomatoes, which marks it as rotten on the review aggregator. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune (via WhatsOnNetflix) said that "this film is so harmless it's boring," while Victoria Mather of The Daily Telegraph said that "'Batteries Not Included' is both ineffectual and dated." The legendary Roger Ebert, on the other hand, backed the film, saying, "'Batteries Not Included' is a sweet, cheerful, and funny family entertainment."

There's no doubt that, as overlooked as it might be, Robbins did a decent job of building a warm-hearted sci-fi fantasy with some charming little tin-plated heroes at the center of it. As far as family-friendly aliens go, the world might always look to the likes of ET, The Iron Giant, or even talking trees that can only say "I am Groot," but perhaps people should show some more love for the space invaders that could easily disguise themselves as a dinner set, once in a while, too.