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 dared to fracture its own timeline rather than simply repeat it. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and reuniting the core cast from the 1985 original, the film pushed the franchise into 2015 and a nightmarish alternate 1985, expanding the mythology while cementing hoverboards and self-lacing shoes in pop culture memory. It stands as a bridge film, dense with plot machinery, released at the height of blockbuster sequel ambition.
This cell centers on Marlene McFly, the future daughter of Marty and Jennifer, played by Lea Thompson in a dual role that let the actress appear as both mother and child within the same story. Marlene exists only in this branch of the saga's timeline, making her a curiosity for collectors interested in the film's more experimental corners. A cell bearing her name captures a specific, self-contained frame from that 35mm print, a physical remnant of the era before digital intermediates, preserved outside the reel it once ran through.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm analog optical release print of Back to the Future Part II.
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 visible torn or deformed holes.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track analog stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers clearly.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-blue tint consistent with a safety acetate or polyester base; dye image reads as warm and well-saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
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
The single variable-area analog optical soundtrack, warm dye saturation, and cool-tinted base are all consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the late 1980s to early 1990s period of the film 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 000064199
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
