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
Released by Universal Pictures in 1989, Back to the Future Part II arrived as the immediate sequel to one of the defining blockbusters of the decade, pushing the time travel premise into the future, an alternate 1985, and the Old West-flavored past of the third film's setup. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, it expanded the mythology of Hill Valley and the McFly and Brown families, cementing the trilogy's place in science fiction cinema and popular culture.
This cell brings together Jennifer Parker, Marty McFly, and Doc Brown, the core trio whose fates are tangled across timelines in this installment. Jennifer's expanded role here makes her appearances especially sought after, since she carries far more weight in the sequel than in the original. Marty remains the audience's anchor through the chaos of shifting decades, while Doc Brown, the inventor whose foresight and recklessness drive the plot, ties the group together. A 35mm cell featuring all three suggests a moment of shared significance, the kind collectors prize for capturing the ensemble at the heart of the story.
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, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual variable-area (stereo) format; Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks are also visible between the perforations on that same edge.
Edge print
Edge text reads 'SAFETY' along one margin; numerical codes partially legible as '03' and what appears to be additional key-number digits on the opposing margin.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-neutral tint consistent with a colour dye-coupler image; colour saturation looks intact with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices or cue marks are visible; faint longitudinal lines consistent with projection wear are present across the frame area.
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 combination of a dual variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, SAFETY base stock, and colour positive image is 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 000064237
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
