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 Robert Zemeckis's genre-defining 1985 original. Riding the momentum of a cultural phenomenon, the film pushed the trilogy into bolder territory, sending Marty McFly and Doc Brown forward to a speculative 2015 before looping back through an altered 1985. It expanded the franchise's mythology of timelines and consequence, cementing its place as a benchmark of high-concept studio filmmaking in the late eighties, and remains one of the most referenced sequels of its decade for its inventive structure and lasting cultural footprint.
This cell carries the name of Mr. Strickland, the stern authority figure who anchors the series across its shifting decades, a role collectors prize for its continuity through Hill Valley's many timelines. Whether drawn from a school corridor scene or a variant reality, his presence signals the film's recurring theme of fixed character amid fluctuating history. A cell bearing a character's name alone, without further descriptive text, typically marks a single frame excerpted from the actual release print, valued for representing that figure's screen identity rather than any specific plot beat or dialogue exchange.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour optical-track 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 each edge; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A single variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible along one edge of the strip; no Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode line, or SDDS outer-edge tracks are visible.
Base shows a neutral-to-slightly-warm tint; dye image appears well-saturated 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 shot, consistent with a release print of Back to the Future Part II.
Era check
A single variable-area optical track and SAFETY-marked polyester or acetate base stock are consistent with a 1989 theatrical release print era.
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 000064280
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
