Columbus worked as a screenwriter with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Productions, working on "Gremlins" (1984), "The Goonies" (1985) and "Young Sherlock Holmes" (1985). He wrote the first episodes of the animated series "Galaxy High" (1986) and later made his directorial debut with the teen comedy "Adventures in Babysitting" (1987) and "Heartbreak Hotel" (1988).