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
FILM NOTES
Universal Pictures released Back to the Future Part II in 1989, sending Marty McFly forward to 2015 in a sequel built to expand the mythology Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale established in the original 1985 hit. The film pushed visual effects further with its vision of hoverboards, flying cars, and dual timelines, cementing the trilogy's place as a defining pop culture touchstone of the era. Its ambition, humor, and layered plotting made it a favorite among collectors of science fiction and franchise cinema alike.
This cell centers on Marty and Griff, pairing the series' everyman hero with the descendant of his hometown antagonist, a character whose menace carries forward the Tannen family lineage across generations. Data, the biff-era henchman figure, rounds out the group. Fans prize material featuring these adversarial dynamics, since the tension between McFly and Tannen bloodlines anchors much of the trilogy's conflict. A 35mm cell like this preserves a fragment of that ongoing rivalry as it exists on physical film.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour 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 holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-bilateral (two-track) waveform pattern.
Edge print
Text readable along the top edge reads 'S TH45' and '93' (mirrored as printed); 'M' is visible along the bottom edge.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image shows warm amber and green tones consistent with a colour release print without obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is 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 release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Era check
The dual-bilateral variable-area optical track, colour positive base, and stock markings are all 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 000064216
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
