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 premise rather than simply repeating it. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and reuniting Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and the core creative team, the film pushed the trilogy into 2015, a future imagined with hoverboards, self-drying jackets, and flying cars. It remains a touchstone of late-eighties blockbuster filmmaking, prized for its ambition, its interlocking timeline logic, and its lasting cultural footprint.
This cell brings together Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and Einstein, Doc's ever-present canine companion whose name nods to the science underpinning the whole saga. Jennifer Parker's presence alongside them places this among frames tied to the group dynamic that anchors the film's time travel stakes. Scenes featuring Doc and Einstein together are especially sought after, since the dog represents Doc's earliest experiments and grounds his character in warmth and continuity. A 35mm cell like this preserves a physical fragment of that shared screen history.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour 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 frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-bilateral (two-track) waveform pattern.
Edge print
Partial characters visible along the top edge reading 'S Y S' and what appears to be numeric key code fragments; full sequence not legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image retains colour saturation with no obvious fading or red shift visible.
Projection history
Light longitudinal scratches are visible running parallel to the film length, 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 dual-bilateral variable-area optical track and colour positive stock on a safety base are consistent with a 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 000064148
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
