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
Back to the Future Part II arrived in 1989 from Universal Pictures, a rare sequel that expanded its predecessor's mythology rather than simply repeating it. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and reuniting the core cast, it pushed Marty McFly and Doc Brown into an imagined future, a dystopian alternate 1985, and back to 1955, weaving three timelines into one dense adventure. Its box office success and technical ambition cemented the trilogy's place in blockbuster history, and it remains a touchstone for time travel storytelling in mainstream cinema.
This piece pairs Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker, the couple whose relationship anchors the human stakes beneath the film's time travel mechanics. Jennifer's presence signals one of the story's throughlines, her involvement in the future sequences and the consequences that ripple from meddling with fate. Collectors seek this pairing because it represents the domestic, grounded side of a franchise built on paradox and spectacle. A cell like this preserves a single frame of celluloid, a physical artifact from the release print itself, offering a tangible connection to the moment these two characters shared the screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Back to the Future Part II (1989).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frames is obscured by the strip edges and no track structure can be confirmed.
Edge print
Edge text reads 'FUJI' and 'FC13' (mirrored as captured), indicating emulsion-up orientation; no key numbers are legible at this size.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-blue tint consistent with Fuji color negative stock; dye image reads as a warm-toned positive with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are observed on the frames shown.
Picture
Positive color image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Era check
Fuji-branded 35mm color positive stock with this edge coding is consistent with theatrical release prints produced in 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 000064117
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
