Gremlins is a 1984 American comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante. The story follows a young man who receives a strange creature called a "mogwai" as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters that all wreak havoc on a whole town on Christmas Eve. It draws on legends of folkloric mischievous creatures that caused malfunctions — "gremlins" — in the British Royal Air Force 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. Steven Spielberg was the film's executive producer, with the film being produced by Michael Finnell and released by Warner Bros.