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 through Universal Pictures, a sequel to one of the defining blockbusters of the decade. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and built around the time travel mechanics established in the first film, it pushed the story into a dystopian future and an alternate 1985, expanding the mythology while deepening the rivalry between its core characters. The film's ambition and technical achievement, particularly its dual-timeline structure, made it a fixture of late-eighties studio filmmaking and a lasting piece of franchise history.
This cell centers on Marty McFly and Griff, the antagonist whose family lineage carries the menace first established through his ancestor Biff. Their pairing on film represents one of the story's central conflicts, a generational echo of hostility that drives much of the plot's tension across timelines. A 35mm cell showing these two together holds particular appeal for collectors invested in the saga's continuity, capturing a moment where legacy and consequence intersect on screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of Back to the Future Part II, likely a post-1992 reissue.
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
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area (two-track) pattern; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a hybrid optical/Dolby Digital soundtrack.
Edge print
Edge text reads reversed, consistent with emulsion-up orientation; partial characters visible read approximately 'S 5 3 1' and 'B I T', with additional fragmentary key numbers not fully legible.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-teal tint typical of modern safety stock; dye image reads as warm and well-saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices or cue marks visible; minor fine vertical lines consistent with projection use are faintly present.
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 hybrid Dolby Digital plus variable-area optical soundtrack combination was introduced in 1992, consistent with a reissue or later release print rather than the original 1989 theatrical run, though the stock and dye are consistent with a Universal release print of this title.
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 000064209
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
