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 in 1989 by Universal Pictures, Back to the Future Part II arrived as the immediate sequel to one of the defining hits of the decade, pushing Robert Zemeckis's time travel saga into 2015, an alternate 1985, and a return to 1955. Its ambition, visual effects work, and layered plotting expanded the mythology built by the original film, cementing the trilogy's place in popular culture and making it a perennial touchstone for discussions of cinematic sequels done right.
This cell preserves a piece of 35mm film bearing Marty McFly, the character played by Michael J. Fox and the emotional center of the entire trilogy. Collectors seek out Marty because he anchors every timeline and every joke, every stakes-raising twist across the series. A cell like this represents a physical fragment of the actual release print, a tangible artifact from projection history rather than a reproduction, offering owners a direct link to the character who carries the story forward.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour optical release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area.
Edge print
Partial characters visible along the upper edge read approximately '+ + X W 7 2 2 1'; full text is obscured by the strip's angle and crop.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour safety stock; dye image appears warm and well-saturated with no visible fading.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, colour dye image, and blue-tinted polyester safety base 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 000064120
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
