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
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 hits, pushing Robert Zemeckis's time-travel saga into more ambitious territory with a future-set Hill Valley, alternate timelines, and darker stakes for its characters. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd returned alongside a reshuffled supporting cast, and the film's blend of technical bravado and franchise mythology cemented the trilogy's lasting place in popular culture, expanding a beloved story rather than simply repeating it.
This cell centers on Jennifer and Marty, pairing the franchise's romantic throughline with its lead. Jennifer, Marty's girlfriend, was recast for this installment, making frames featuring her a particular point of interest for collectors tracking the character's screen history across the series. A cell naming both figures together points to a shared scene, a moment of connection central to the story's emotional continuity, preserved here as a single frame of 35mm film excised directly from a theatrical print.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track analogue stripe.
Edge print
Edge print reads, mirrored: '84' '622' '017'; 'SAFETY FILM' not legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base shows a blue-tinted clear stock; dye image appears warm and well-saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratch lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with Back to the Future Part II.
Era check
The single variable-area optical track, blue-tinted safety base, and warm dye saturation are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1980s.
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 000064118
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
