Earth to Echo

Earth to Echo is a 2014 American science fiction film directed by Dave Green in his theatrical directorial film debut, and produced by Ryan Kavanaugh and Andrew Panay. Based on a screenplay by Henry Gayden, the film stars Teo Halm, Brian "Astro" Bradley, Reese C. Hartwig and Ella Wahlestedt as four neighborhood friends who find a robotic, telekinetic alien in the desert, and are soon hunted by dangerous forces who seek to take the alien, who the kids name "Echo", for themselves. The film is shot in a found footage style from many perspectives, including through a handheld camera, smartphone cameras, and the alien's eyes. The film was originally developed and produced by Walt Disney Pictures, under the leadership of Rich Ross, but Disney, dissatisfied with the project, sold the distribution rights to Relativity Media in 2013, on the advice of producer Andrew Panay. Relativity Media theatrically released the film in the United States on July 2, 2014, to mixed critical reviews and grossed $45.3 million worldwide.