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 blockbusters of the decade, doubling down on Robert Zemeckis's time travel premise by sending Marty McFly and Doc Brown forward into 2015 before looping back through 1955. It expanded the mythology of the original with parallel timelines and a cliffhanger ending, cementing the trilogy's place as a cornerstone of 1980s studio filmmaking and setting up the franchise's simultaneous production with Part III.
This piece preserves the "We're Back" card, the on-screen text used to reintroduce audiences to the world of the film following its opening sequence. Such cards function as connective tissue in studio releases of the era, bridging setup and story while reinforcing brand identity for a highly anticipated sequel. For collectors, this moment carries the appeal of pure textual identity, a fragment tied directly to the franchise's continuation rather than to any single performer, making it a marker of the film's own narrative momentum and its confident reentry into the beloved series.
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 edges appear clean with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks visible running along one edge beside the picture area.
Edge print
Upper edge reads 'SAFETY' and 'EASTMAN' (mirrored); lower edge reads 'M3 28 69 21' in blue.
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight cool tint; dye image shows strong black with vivid yellow, gold and blue colour rendering.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames carry identical title-card artwork and appear to be consecutive frames of a held title card, consistent with a Back to the Future Part II release print.
Era check
Dual variable-area optical soundtrack, Eastman safety stock edge coding, and the base tint are all consistent with a 35mm 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 000064126
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
