Cocoon

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Cocoon

PG-13

1985

1h 57m

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Oscar-winning fantasy in which the residents of a Florida rest home get a new lease of life when they stumble across an alien "fountain of youth" in a disused holiday home. Unbeknown to them, aliens have been using the swimming pool in the house to store their cocooned brethren, giving the waters a powerful, rejuvenating quality.

Critics Consensus

Though it may be too sentimental for some, Ron Howard's supernatural tale of eternal youth is gentle and heartwarming, touching on poignant issues of age in the process.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Nov 12, 2023

3/4

"Cocoon" is one of the sweetest, gentlest science-fiction movies I’ve seen, a hymn to the notion that aliens might come from outer space and yet still be almost as corny and impulsive as we are.

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Rick Lyman

Philadelphia Inquirer

Nov 12, 2023

4/4

Though the film is impressive in most details... Cocoon is most compelling for the tone of tearful hope that Howard has been able to create.

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Joe Pollack

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Nov 12, 2023

"Cocoon" really is a pretty enjoyable film; it's optimistic, and filled with warmth and love.

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Rick Chatenever

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Nov 12, 2023

Even the heartrending "E.T." was basically old-fashioned melodrama in a new sci-fi wrapping; this one, in contrast, manages to be quite provocative at the same time it's thoroughly entertaining.

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Robert W. Butler

Kansas City Star

Nov 12, 2023

3.5/4

Mr. Howard has a terrific sense of humor, compassion for his characters, and a willingness to look beyond the obvious for revelatory details and touches. “Cocoon” is a first-class example of popular moviemaking.

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Malcolm L. Johnson

Hartford Courant

Nov 12, 2023

From the very start, "Cocoon" wraps us in a spell.

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Le S

@RT67114437 Aug 3, 2026

It feels like a second-rate Spielberg movie, borrowing heavily from E.T. and Close Encounters. Don Ameche, and Wilford Brimley, shine as they always do, but the real star is Brian Dennehy. Pair this with First Blood for a great double feature.

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Carlos R

@CRF77 Mar 14, 2026

This movie has become one of my all time absolutly favorites and most respected. Cocoon never get's old.

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Eye C

@ECinc Aug 28, 2025

It's cute, but the VFX are just awful specially for ILM in the mid 80s after Return of the Jedi and Temple of Doom, I mean come on put a real effort here the aliens look really bad.

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Gareth v

@geewah Aug 6, 2025

Cocoon may not be groundbreaking, but it’s gentle, imaginative, and life-affirming—a touching tale with just enough wonder.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 4, 2025

Success in 1 hour and 57 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $75,900,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Garrett B

@gmoney637 Jun 10, 2025

Cocoon has solid performances and dazzling visual effects.

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Ron Howard

Director

Don Ameche

Art Selwyn

Wilford Brimley

Ben Luckett

Brian Dennehy

Walter

Hume Cronyn

Joe Finley

Jack Gilford

Bernie Lefkowitz

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Synopsis

Oscar-winning fantasy in which the residents of a Florida rest home get a new lease of life when they stumble across an alien "fountain of youth" in a disused holiday home. Unbeknown to them, aliens have been using the swimming pool in the house to store their cocooned brethren, giving the waters a powerful, rejuvenating quality.

Director: Ron Howard
Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, Lili Fini Zanuck, David Brown
Screenwriter: Tom Benedek
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox, SLM Production Group, Zanuck/Brown Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $75.9M
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: Surround

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