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 in 1989 from Universal Pictures, a rare sequel that expanded its predecessor's mythology by sending its heroes forward to 2015 and sideways into an alternate 1985. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and reuniting Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the film pushed the trilogy's time travel premise into darker, more ambitious territory, pairing dazzling futuristic production design with a plot built on paradox and consequence. It remains a touchstone of late eighties studio filmmaking, prized for its technical daring and its willingness to complicate the optimism of the original.
This piece from 35mm stock centers on Marty McFly and Doc Brown, the inseparable duo whose partnership drives the entire trilogy. Marty, the reluctant time traveler, and Doc, the eccentric scientist whose inventions set every adventure in motion, remain the franchise's defining pair, and collectors seek frames that capture them together above almost any other subject. A cell simply named for the two of them speaks to their central bond, the mentor and protege dynamic that anchors the story's leaps through time.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible torn or deformed perforations.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks visible as a white wavy band running along one edge beside the picture area.
Edge print
"SAFETY" readable (mirrored in capture) along the top edge; a single letter "M" visible along the bottom edge; additional partial numeric or key-number characters present but not fully legible.
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight cool-neutral tint; dye image shows warm, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or significant scratches are visible in this capture.
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, SAFETY-marked polyester or acetate base, and saturated Eastmancolor-style dye image are all consistent with a 1989–1990s theatrical release print.
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 000064274
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
