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 from Universal Pictures in 1989, the immediate sequel to a defining hit of the decade. Robert Zemeckis pushed the franchise into a speculative 2015, pairing time travel spectacle with the series' established wit. It expanded the mythology considerably, introducing dual timelines, sports almanacs, and future iterations of familiar faces, cementing the trilogy's reputation as one of Hollywood's most ambitious blockbuster sequels.
This cell centers on Marty McFly and Griff Tannen, with Michael J. Fox and Thomas F. Wilson carrying the weight of dual roles across generations. Wilson's Griff, a descendant echo of Biff, represents the film's clever generational doubling, while Fox anchors both Marty and his son Marty Jr. Collectors prize this pairing for its snapshot of the future timeline's central conflict, a scene where legacy, rivalry, and identity collide across decades in a single frame of 35mm history.
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 both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean throughout the strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as two bilateral wavy lines consistent with a stereo optical track; Dolby Digital data blocks are not clearly distinguishable in this capture.
Edge print
The numeral '18' is legible near the top edge of the strip; further key numbers or manufacturer text are not clearly readable in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight warm-amber tint typical of processed colour print stock; the dye image appears reasonably saturated without obvious red-shifting or significant fading.
Projection history
Light vertical lines consistent with projection wear are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks are seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the visual content is consistent with a release print of Back to the Future Part II (1989).
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive print stock with amber base, and four-perforation 35mm format are all consistent with a 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 000064220
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
