<P> Steven Spielberg was the film's executive producer, with the film being produced by Michael Finnell and written by Chris Columbus, drawing on legends of gremlins going back to World War II . The film stars Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of Gizmo, the main mogwai character . </P> <P> Gremlins was a commercial success and received positive reviews from critics . However, the film was also heavily criticized for some of its more violent sequences . In response to this and to similar complaints about Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Spielberg suggested that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) alter its rating system, which it did within two months of the film's release . </P> <P> Randall Peltzer, a struggling inventor, visits a Chinatown antique store in the hope of finding a Christmas present for his son Billy . In the store, Randall encounters a small, furry creature called a mogwai (Cantonese: 魔怪, "monster"). The owner, Mr. Wing, refuses to sell the creature to Randall . However, his grandson secretly sells the mogwai to Randall, warning him to remember three important rules that must never be broken--do not expose the mogwai to bright lights or sunlight which will kill it, do not let it get wet, and never feed it after midnight . </P> <P> Randall returns home to Kingston Falls where he gives the mogwai to Billy as a pet . Billy works in the local bank, where he fears his dog Barney will be captured and killed by the elderly Mrs. Deagle . Randall names the mogwai "Gizmo" and Billy makes sure to treat him well . When Billy's friend Pete spills a glass of water over Gizmo, five more mogwai spawn from his back, a more troublemaking sort led by the aggressive Stripe . Billy shows one of the mogwai to his former science teacher Mr. Hanson, spawning another mogwai, on whom Hanson experiments . Back at home, Stripe's gang tricks Billy into feeding them after midnight by chewing out the power cord to his bedside clock . They make cocoons, as does Hanson's mogwai . Shortly after, the cocoons hatch and they emerge as mischievous, reptilian monsters that torture Gizmo and try to murder Billy's mother, while Hanson is killed by his gremlin . </P>

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