British Academy Film Awards — 2 wins, 1 nominationAcademy Awards — 1 nominationKids' Choice Award — 1 nominationSaturn Award — 1 nominationAll 2 wins · 4 nominations on record
British Academy Film Awards: Best Special Visual Effects
Scholarship
Named in the title of 1 peer-reviewed work
Examples
Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released by Universal Pictures in 1989, Back to the Future Part II arrived as the immediate sequel to one of the decade's defining blockbusters, pushing Robert Zemeckis's time travel saga into bold new territory with visions of 2015, an alternate 1985, and a return to 1955. Produced with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, it expanded the mythology established by the original film while showcasing ambitious effects work for its era. Its continuation of Marty McFly and Doc Brown's adventures, along with its darker Biff Tannen storyline, cemented the trilogy's place in popular culture and made it a cornerstone of science fiction filmmaking from the late 1980s.
This piece preserves the opening title card, the frame that first announces the picture to its audience before a single scene of story unfolds. Title card cells hold particular appeal for collectors because they mark the threshold moment of the viewing experience, the transition from anticipation to narrative. For a franchise as beloved as Back to the Future, this artifact represents the exact strip of film that once introduced millions of theatergoers to the sequel, a tangible connection to opening night presentations of a genuine cultural touchstone.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Back to the Future Part II (1989).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks visible as parallel white lines running along the bottom edge beside the picture area.
Edge print
Bottom edge reads, mirrored: '2VEE 14 YT 14 FILM M' — consistent with a Kodak safety stock key-number sequence read in reverse.
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image renders strong orange and black with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or visible scratches observed in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames show the same title-card composition, consistent with a title sequence held on consecutive frames matching Back to the Future Part II.
Era check
Dual variable-area optical soundtrack and Kodak safety stock edge coding are consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the late 1980s to early 1990s, matching the 1989 release date on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000064114
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
