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
Robert Zemeckis's Back to the Future Part II arrived from Universal Pictures in 1989, a direct sequel built to expand the mythology established by the 1985 original. Trading the small-town warmth of the first film for hoverboards, dystopian 1985s, and a tangled time-travel plot, it pushed the trilogy into darker, more ambitious territory. Its box office success cemented the franchise as one of the defining adventure series of the decade, and it remains a touchstone for collectors of 1980s studio filmmaking.
This cell centers on Marty McFly and Griff Tannen, the film's protagonist and his antagonist's descendant, whose confrontations drive much of the sequel's tension across timelines. Marty remains the franchise's most sought-after figure, the everyman thrust into escalating chaos, while Griff represents the recurring Tannen menace reimagined for a new generation. A cell pairing the two captures a moment of direct conflict between hero and adversary, the kind of frame collectors prize for placing two key figures together in a single strip of original 35mm film history.
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 or distortion.
Soundtrack
A dual variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a stereo optical print.
Edge print
Partial alphanumeric key numbers are visible along the top edge; full sequence not legible at this capture resolution. 'SAFETY' text not clearly readable.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-blue tint typical of processed acetate safety stock; dye image appears warm and saturated with no obvious fading.
Projection history
Light vertical scratches are visible running through 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, consistent with a theatrical release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Era check
The dual variable-area optical soundtrack, acetate safety base, and colour dye saturation are all consistent with a 1989–early 1990s theatrical release print era.
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 000064215
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
