12 cutest movie aliens

These babyish, teddy-bear-like creatures from the forest moon of Endor are often condemned as a too-cute addition to a franchise on its way to Jar-Jar Binks. Still, there's no denying that their help was critical to defeating the empire — not to mention the aww-inducing power of a baby Ewok. —Jackson McHenry

Also known as Experiment 626, Stitch is an aggressive blue creature designed to destroy everything in his path. But when little Hawaiian girl Lilo adopts Stitch, she ends up teaching him to be good: ''Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.'' —Jackson McHenry

E.T. is peaceful, he can heal people with the touch of a finger, and all he wants is to go home again. Not to mention that he has adorable blue eyes and can fit in a bicycle basket. —Samantha Highfill

Those eyes! Those ears! Whether communicating with his winsome whistle or whizzing down the streets in a miniature truck, this little guy just wanted to reunite with his family. —Lanford Beard

The name might not sound all that appealing, but even Agent J can't deny that the big-eyed, thumb-sucking Squid Baby is, as he puts it, "actually kind of cute." —Samantha Highfill

The cuddly, big-eyed extraterrestrial from Stephen Chow's (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) family film appears to have been designed in a lab for maximum cuteness. —Keith Staskiewicz

Who wouldn't be bowled over by this owlish little alien-bot? No one, that's who. —Lanford Beard

Sure, their three-eyed faces, teeny-weeny antennae, and chubby little bodies are all adorable. However, what really sends these claw game refugees over the top is the way they talk. Those chipper intergalactic chipmunk voices could make anything sound cute. Oooooooo. —Hillary Busis

As one of the many parodies/ripoffs/clones of E.T., the mushy grey alien from camp-comedy Meatballs 2 may look like a three-week-old meatloaf found in the back of the mess hall. However, he's pretty darn cute. Still no replacement for Bill Murray, though. —Keith Staskiewicz

Unwatchable without the smartassery of MST3K, this boy-finds-an-alien rip-off of E.T. features a furry, vacuum-snouted ALF-esque creature who's all cute and such...until its mother goes on a murderous rampage! —Anthony Breznican

Of the more traditional, big-headed alien ilk, these UFO-travelers from Steven Spielberg's follow-up to Jaws were definitely more viewer-friendly than that shark. Their friendly faces even helped snag the film an Oscar nom for Best Visual Effects. —Lanford Beard

Before bringing superheroes (The Incredibles) and rodents (Ratatouille) to Pixar, Brad Bird wrote this tale about otherworldly machines defending an elderly couple from street thugs. Cute and able to fly! —Lanford Beard