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 into competing futures, pasts, and alternate presents. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and reuniting the original cast, it pushed special effects and narrative structure further than most studio comedies of its era attempted, cementing the trilogy's place in blockbuster history and expanding the mythology begun in the 1985 original.
This cell isolates Dr. Emmett Brown, the eccentric scientist whose time-traveling DeLorean drives the entire saga. Collectors prize Doc Brown material for his instantly recognizable presence, a character defined by wild invention and restless intellect rather than conventional heroics. A single-character cell like this one strips away plot complexity, offering a distilled piece of the film's visual identity tied directly to its most iconic inventor. Whether drawn from trailer material or studio reels, such pieces serve as compact artifacts of the franchise, valued for representing the man behind the machine that makes the whole story possible.
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 and appearing cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs along one edge, appearing as a dual bilateral waveform; no Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode stripe, or SDDS outer-edge tracks are visible in this capture.
Edge print
Bottom edge reads, mirrored: 'M3 28 69 34'; top edge shows partial text reading reversed as 'EASTM' (truncated, consistent with EASTMAN).
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image shows warm amber-yellow tones consistent with a colour release print in reasonable dye retention.
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, and the subject matter is consistent with a theatrical release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical track, Eastman stock edge print, and clear polyester-type base are all consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
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 000064208
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
