framethrowerSign up for free

Explorers (1985)

Directed by Joe Dante · Cinematography by John Hora

PG109 min59 frames

Science FictionAdventureFamily

The adventure begins in your own back yard.

IMDb ↗Watch on Amazon ↗

Stills, screencaps & shots from Explorers

16 of 59 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.

Explorers (1985) movie still: medium — Two boys stand in a dark, rustic attic space with wooden beams above them. The subjects look down toward a…Explorers (1985) movie still: medium — A teenage boy sits outdoors at night in front of thick dark green foliage. He speaks into a small black…Explorers (1985) movie still: closeup — A red fabric tent interior illuminated by a single glowing red lamp. A young boy with brown hair sits in the…Explorers (1985) movie still: closeup — A dimly lit room with the boy resting against a pillow on a bed. He holds a portable radio antenna toward…Explorers (1985) movie still: wide — A dark, expansive void of outer space filled with blue and purple nebula clouds. A large green mechanical…Explorers (1985) movie still: fullbody — A dense layer of clouds spans the frame under a dark blue sky. A young boy in a brown sweater floats…Explorers (1985) movie still: medium — A dark, dimly lit environment provides a stark contrast to the illuminated subject. A young boy looks…Explorers (1985) movie still: medium — Three teenage boys sit closely together in a dim, red-lit craft with NASA branding. The group examines small…Explorers (1985) movie still: wide — A narrow dirt path through a dense wooded area with sunbeams cutting through haze. Two teenage boys walk slowly…Explorers (1985) movie still: closeup — A teenage boy stands in a dark space, his face partially obscured by a projected image. A horizontal…Explorers (1985) movie still: wide — A steeply pitched wooden shingled roof is set against a dark night background. A teenager lies on a blue…Explorers (1985) movie still: closeup — A circular window provides a view of a man peering through at night. The man holds a bright flashlight that…Explorers (1985) movie still: medium — A light-colored backdrop provides a flat, bright wall behind the two characters. A young boy stands next to a…Explorers (1985) movie still: medium — A dark outdoor space illuminated by low-angle light reflecting from a nearby road surface. A young man stands…Explorers (1985) movie still: establishing — An aerial view shows a dense suburban housing development at night under blue light. A highway overpass…Explorers (1985) movie still: wide — A dark, dimly lit laboratory filled with thick white fog on a circular platform. A mechanical red orb sits…
Explorers (1985) — © Paramount Pictures

Explorers — official trailer

What is Explorers about?

Middle schooler Ben spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things fantastical yields a real result – when he has a vivid dream about technology, his prodigy best friend Wolfgang manages to create a working spacecraft. Joined by their buddy Darren, the boys take off into outer space and encounter some very odd extraterrestrial life.

Explorers is a 1985 American science fantasy film written by Eric Luke and directed by Joe Dante. The film stars Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, both in their film debuts, and Jason Presson as young teenage boys who build a spacecraft to explore outer space. The special effects were produced by Industrial Light & Magic, with make-up effects by Rob Bottin.

Second paragraph from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where can you watch Explorers?

US availability for Explorers (1985). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.

Who stars in Explorers?

Who made Explorers?

What does the cinematography of Explorers look like?

Across 59 sampled frames, Explorers builds its coverage from medium shots (46% of the sample), with close-ups (24%) carrying much of the rest. Cinematographer John Hora keeps 78% of it in soft, low-key light. 80% of the frames play at night or in the failing light of dusk. Focus stays shallow in 63% of the frames, isolating subjects from their surroundings. The production design places the film in the 1980s.

What is the color palette of Explorers?

The dominant colors across the sampled frames of Explorers (1985) are #2f2c30, #0d0c0f, #2d344a, #091229, #152734, #4d5055 — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.

  • #2f2c30
  • #0d0c0f
  • #2d344a
  • #091229
  • #152734
  • #4d5055

See the full Explorers colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.

A reference database for filmmakers

FrameThrower is a fully machine-searchable film database and visual reference library — all 59 frames of Explorers (1985), and 5,000+ films besides, indexed frame by frame and readable by AI. Search it in plain language, from a reference image, or by colour; call it from an API, an MCP server or an SDK. It's the reference layer for making the next movie.

Sign up for freeAPI & MCP docs

Techniques in this film

More films by Joe Dante

More Science Fiction films

Cast, trailer and streaming data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.