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, a direct sequel to Robert Zemeckis's blockbuster that pushed its time-travel premise forward into a speculative 2015 and backward into an alternate 1985. Produced with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, it expanded the franchise's mythology with hoverboards, self-lacing shoes, and a darker Biff-controlled timeline. The film remains a touchstone of late-eighties studio filmmaking, prized for its ambitious effects work and cultural footprint, and it cemented the trilogy's status as one of Hollywood's defining sci-fi comedy achievements.
This cell centers on Marty McFly, the character audiences follow across every era the trilogy visits, and one of the most collected figures from the franchise given his role as the story's anchor and everyman. A 35mm cell bearing his name alone suggests a single frame excerpted from the reel, isolated for study or display rather than tied to a specific scene description. Collectors seek out Marty material because he represents continuity across the timeline-jumping plot, making any authenticated piece from his screen presence a meaningful artifact of the film's production 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 complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-track variable-area format.
Edge print
Edge code reads 'M3 28 68 45' (mirrored as captured); no manufacturer name or SAFETY FILM text is legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight cool tint; dye image shows warm, saturated colour consistent with an intact colour print.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across 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, colour dye image, and perforation layout are all consistent with a 35mm 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 000064256
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
