BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY

The '''Back to the Future'' trilogy' is a science fiction film trilogy written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, directed by Zemeckis and distributed by Universal Pictures. It follows the adventures of high-school student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and scientist Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) as they use a modified DeLorean automobile to time travel to different periods in the history of Hill Valley, California.
The first film was the highest grossing film of 1985 and became an international phenomenon, leading to two sequels which were filmed back-to-back and released in 1989 and 1990 respectively. The trilogy is widely noted for its irreverent comedy, eccentric characters and ability to incorporate complex theories of time-travel without confusing the audience. Though the two sequels did not perform quite as well at the box office as the first film, the trilogy remains immensely popular after 20 years and has yielded such spin-offs as an and a at the Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Florida (now closed); Universal City, California (closed on September 3, 2007), and Osaka, Japan.

Contents

Films

Main cast

Storylines

Back to the Future

Back to the Future Part II

Back to the Future Part III

Themes

Relevant notes

Recurring gags

Trivia

DVD release

Region 1

Framing issues

Release formats and features

References in popular culture

Promotional posters

Games

See also

External links

Scripts

Films

★ ''Back to the Future'' (1985)

★ ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989)

★ ''Back to the Future Part III'' (1990)

Main cast

Main articles: List of Back to the Future cast members


★ Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, Marty McFly Jr. (son of Marty), Marlene McFly (daughter of Marty), and Seamus McFly (great-great-grandfather of Marty).

★ Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown

★ Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen, Griff Tannen (grandson of Biff) and Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (great-grandfather of Biff)

★ Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines (McFly/Tannen) and Maggie McFly (Seamus' wife, Marty's great-great-grandmother)

★ James Tolkan as Mr. Strickland and Chief Marshal James Strickland (grandfather)

★ Claudia Wells and Elisabeth Shue as Jennifer Parker (McFly)

★ Crispin Glover and Jeffrey Weissman as George McFly

★ Mary Steenburgen as Clara Clayton

Storylines

Back to the Future

Main articles: Back to the Future

In ''Part I'', 17-year-old Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955 in a time machine built from a De Lorean by eccentric scientist Doc Emmett L. Brown. Upon arriving in 1955, he inadvertently causes his mother to fall for him, rather than his father. To make matters worse, Marty did not bring back any extra plutonium to power the time machine, so he must find the 1955 version of Doc Brown to help him out. Not only is his own existence in danger (Marty must get his parents together or he will never be born) but he also runs the risk of being trapped in 1955 if he cannot harness a bolt of lightning that is known to strike the clock tower.

Back to the Future Part II

Main articles: Back to the Future Part II

In ''Part II'', Doc Brown travels with Marty to the year 2015, where he has discovered Marty's family is in ruins. Marty buys a sports almanac containing the outcomes of decades' worth of sporting events. However, Doc catches him and throws the almanac in the trash, where the aged Biff Tannen finds it. While Marty and Doc are at Marty's future house, Biff steals the DeLorean and gives the book to himself at some point in the past. When Doc and Marty return to 1985, they find that Biff has used the almanac's knowledge for financial gain, which allows him to get away with the murder of George McFly and later marry Marty's mother. Marty learns that Biff was given the book by an old man in 1955, so he and Doc go back to that date in order to steal the almanac from Biff before he can use it to destroy their lives. They accomplish this in a complex fashion, often crossing their own past-selves' paths. When the duo are about to travel back to 1985, a lightning bolt strikes the DeLorean and scrambles the time circuits, sending Doc back to 1885 and leaving Marty stranded in 1955.

Back to the Future Part III

Main articles: Back to the Future Part III

After finding out that Doc Brown is trapped in 1885, Marty sets out to find the 1955 Doc to help him fix the DeLorean (which has been waiting for him in a mineshaft for 70 years) and restore it to working order. Learning that Doc dies shortly after his arrival in 1885, Marty travels back in time to save Doc and bring him back to the future. Unfortunately, Marty rips a hole in the fuel line, rendering the DeLorean immobile. Furthermore, Doc falls in love with schoolteacher Clara Clayton, and considers staying in 1885. Marty must convince Doc to come back with him and find a way to get back to his time before it's too late.

Themes

A hallmark of the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy and a contributor to its popularity is its use of commonalities: running gags, similar events, catch phrases, and parallel situations that recur in the different time frames from film to film. Note that, due to simultaneous productions of ''Part II'' and ''Part III'', they have the most commonalities.
The trilogy is particularly unique amongst films in that, due to the subject matter (time travel), it has a perfectly logical reason to revisit scenes and events from different perspectives. For example, in ''Back to the Future Part II'', we are able to witness the scene of George McFly punching out Biff for the first time from the point of view of a different Marty. We are also able to re-attend the high school dance where Marty from the first film plays "Johnny B. Goode" on stage while Marty from Part II climbs overhead in the stage rigging. While this works as a clever joke, it can also be compared to the idea of seeing scenes and shots from different angles, common today with DVD technology but virtually unheard of in the late 1980s. This storytelling technique has become much more common today, with the same event being revisited from different points of view (the films of Alejandro González Iñárritu are a prime example), but ''Back to the Future'' stands out as truly unique in that this same technique is applied to a single character's point of view at any given time.
''Back to the Future Part II'' was also one of the first movies that show an actor playing three different characters (each played by Michael J. Fox) who are on screen at the same time. Other movies that involve twins or clones (like in ''Multiplicity'' or ''The Nutty Professor'', for example) have since expanded on this idea.

Relevant notes

★ The movie makes use of several oxymorons and contradictions, including in the title itself and in the name of the city, Hill Valley. Likewise, when the time machine travels through time, it always leaves fire trails where its tires would have been; however, when it appears in the destination time, it is "damn cold" according to Doc Brown and frost is visible on the surface of the vehicle. Additionally, the term "flux capacitor" can be seen as an oxymoron.

★ Three sonic booms are always heard when the DeLorean appears in the destination time. After each trip, the delay between the three sonic booms becomes larger.

★ In ''Part II'', Old Biff steals the time machine and goes back in time to give "'50s Biff" the book. Old Biff then returns to the future to return the machine. However, the Doc says that if they go into the future from the altered past (1985A) it will be the future of 1985A (2015A), not the normal 1985. By this, Old Biff should have arrived in 2015A, when Biff was rich, and not the normal 2015. Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis explain in the BTTF FAQ that their intention was that Old Biff ''did'' return to 2015A, because the original 2015 transformed into 2015A around Marty and Doc as they were carrying Jennifer back to the DeLorean. A deleted scene shows Old Biff vanishing immediately upon arriving back to the future, and it is explained by Gale and Zemeckis that Lorraine must have shot Biff sometime between 1985 and 2015 (the FAQ suggests a date of 1996, while Gale suggests a date of 1991 in the DVD commentary for this deleted scene) after getting tired of their marriage, resulting in old Biff's lack of existence from the future Hill Valley. This explanation, however, might result in a time paradox (how could Old Biff have traveled back if he never existed?). Then again, due to the fuzzy and complex nature of the "ripple effect" in the movies, it might not cause a paradox at all.

★ In ''Part II'', when 1985 Jennifer comes face to face with 2015 Jennifer, they both pass out from the shock of seeing their former/future self, however 2015 Biff meets 1955 Biff to give him the book without incident. Zemeckis and Gale also address this issue in the BTTF FAQ, explaining that "Jennifer definitely realizes she is seeing herself 30 years older and that puts her into shock. Old Biff, however, is advanced enough in age that young Biff has no idea who he really is -- he thinks it's just 'some old codger with a cane.'"

★ There are actually at least three separate "copies" of the DeLorean time machine in existence at the same time on November 12, 1955. One of them is the machine that Marty originally takes back to 1955 in ''Part I''. The second is the one that Biff takes back to 1955 in ''Part II'' to give the sports almanac to himself. The third is the DeLorean that Marty and Doc take to 1955 in Part II to stop Biff from giving the almanac to himself. A possible fourth copy of the time machine is the DeLorean that Doc hides in the old mine to send to Marty in ''Part III'', although based on the way the "ripple effect" is shown to work in the movies, this one would probably not have appeared in the mine until after Doc was sent back to 1885 by the lightning strike.

★ In several scenes, Biff Tannen is shown to have a confused understanding of cliches. For example, in ''Part II'', the 1955 Biff says that his rejection by Lorraine is "as funny as screen doors on a battleship" whereas the correct phrase would be "as funny as a screen door on a submarine" (Marty mutters under his breath "Screen door on a submarine, ya dork") This extends to the non-canonical ''Back to the Future'' ride at Universal Studios where he tries to steal a time machine and trips the guards with marbles saying, "Have a nice trip, see you next winter!" whereas the correct phrase would be "See you next fall!" In parts I and II, he says to someone "now make like a tree and get outta here!", which in ''Part II'', his older self slaps him and corrects him to say "make like a tree and leave." Biff's ancestor "Mad Dog" Tannen is shown to have this same tendency. For example, in the scene where he and his gang try to murder Doc Brown at the town dance, Buford says "I'll hunt you and shoot you down and shoot you like a duck." Immedately one of his men correct him by saying "It's dog Buford, hunt him down and shoot him like a dog."

★ Biff (young or old) is frequently shown to use the pejorative phrase "Butthead." As seen in the '', his ancestors and descendants also use the term, most notably Tannen's great grandfather, a Confederate officer in the Civil War, who calls his enemies "buttocks brains" but changes it to "butthead" after being corrected by one of Doc Brown's sons.

★ It is a common misconception that Mayor Red Thomas of 1955 and Red the Bum of 1985 were meant to be the same character. According to Bob Gale's commentary on the ''Back to the Future'' DVD set, the name of the bum was ad-libbed by Michael J. Fox. Gale also commented that the photo of the mayor in 1955 on the side of the campaign van was that of set decorator Hal Gausman, whereas the bum was played by George "Buck" Flower.

★ Throughout the trilogy (and despite Jennifer's claim that Doc "always" says it), Doc never actually says the quote, "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything," onscreen. The line was only used in ''Part I''; twice by Marty and once by George.

★ After Marty arrives in 1885 in ''Part III'', the DeLorean is hit by an arrow which ruptures the fuel line, causing all the gasoline to leak out. Many fans wonder why Marty did not simply siphon the gas from the other version of the car - the one which Doc had buried there (and which Marty unearthed in 1955 and used to travel to 1885). In the BTTF FAQ Gale and Zemeckis suggest two separate answers. Firstly, all the fluids must be drained out of a car before storage for extended periods of time, so Doc would have done so before burying it in the mine. Secondly, Doc would not have dared risk damaging the car in the mine by uncovering it again, since Marty had uncovered it in 1955 and used it to get back to 1885, so any damage to it in 1885 after Marty had already arrived could create a paradox.

Recurring gags

These are some of the things that happen in nearly the same way in each of the films:

★ Marty waking up on a bed after being knocked unconscious by something (car in pt.1, one of Biff's cohorts in pt.2, and a fence board in pt.3) saying "Mom? Mom is that you?" Some one says "There there, you've been asleep for (9 hours in pt.1, 2 hours in pt.2, and 6 hours in pt.3)" then they say something that makes Marty jump up ("in 1955" in pt.1, "on the 27th floor" in pt.2, "McFly farm" in pt.3). Marty stammers saying "You're my...my". Then he uses a pseudonym to hide his true identity (Calvin Klein in pt.1 and Clint Eastwood in pt.3) from (17 year old mom in pt.1 and his great-great-grandmother Maggie in pt.3). After waking, he then goes to dinner with their family (his grandparents, uncles, and his mom in pt.1 and his great-great-grandparents and his great-grandfather, who was an infant at the time, in pt.3).

★ In every single movie, either Biff Tannen (who crashes his 1946 Ford convertible into a truck in pt.1 and pt.2) or Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (who simply falls into a cart) ends up in a pile of manure (supplied by "D. Jones Manure Hauling" in pt.1 and pt.2 and "A. Jones Manure Hauling" in pt.3). In pts.2 and 3 he emerges saying: "I hate manure!".

★ Also in every movie the lines "This is heavy," from Marty and "Great Scott!" from Doc are said. At one point in ''Part III'' they both switch catchphrases when Doc explains to Marty that he could die tomorrow and Marty replies "Great Scott!" to which Doc replies "I know, this is heavy".

★ One way or another, there's always a McFly in a cafe or bar with a Tannen relation walking in and saying "Hey, McFly!"

★ Another catchphrase Biff says is "Hello? Is anybody home, McFly?" after knocking on their head. In part II, Old Biff uses a fist on the tip of his cane.

★ The skateboard chase (Scooter in pt.1, Hoverboard in pt.2, and Marty being dragged by a horse in pt.3)

★ The scene where lightning strikes the clock tower appears at the ends of pt 1 & 2 and at the beginning of pt 3.

Trivia

★ In ''Part I'' Marty's band performs "The Power of Love," which was a 1985 hit recorded by Huey Lewis & the News. Interestingly, Huey Lewis played the part of the high school band audition judge who disapproved of the performance. "I'm afraid you're just too darn loud."

★ ''Back to the Future Part II'' and ''Part III'' is the sixth set of movies ever shot back to back. See: List of films produced back-to-back.

★ ''Back to the Future Part II'' was one of the first movies to feature the same actor (showing their face, not just someone else's back) playing different roles at the same time.

★ ''Back to the Future Part II'' is Elijah Wood's first movie. He is one of the two boys trying to play the videogame ("Wild Gunman") at Cafe '80s (in 2015) and he comments about the video-game gun: "That's like a baby's toy".

★ In ''Back to the Future Part III'', as Marty is talking to Needles about street racing, you can hear "Power of Love" (a song from the first movie) playing on Needles' car radio.

★ In the first scene of ''Back to the Future'', Marty switches an amplifier with the words 'CRM-114' printed on it. The CRM-114 is the nomenclature of the Strategic Air Command encryption/decryption device aboard the B-52 Stratofortress in the 1964 film ''.

★ At the beginning of ''Back to the Future Part I'' the camera pans through many clocks, one of which shows a man hanging from a clock tower just as Doc is at the end of the film.

★ In ''Part II'' Biff is watching a film in which Clint Eastwood hides an iron plate under his poncho to deflect bullets in a gunfight. Marty later uses the same technique against Mad Dog in ''Part III'', while using "Clint Eastwood" as a pseudonym.

★ Michael J. Fox has stated that he is interested in making another Back to the Future film, only if his character Marty McFly succeeds "Doc" Brown as the mad scientist.

★ In the beginning of ''Back to the Future Part I'', Doc tells Marty to meet him at Twin Pines Mall. At the end of the movie when Marty gets back to 1985, the name of the mall has changed to Lone Pine Mall, probably due to the fact that Marty ran over one of the two pine trees owned by Old Man Peabody back in 1955.

★ In the three films, Marty was seen being punched in the stomach.

DVD release

In July 1997, Universal Studios announced that ''Back to the Future'' would be one of their first 10 releases to the new format, though it ended up being delayed for five years. The footage that was shot with Eric Stoltz in the role of Marty McFly (before he was replaced with Michael J. Fox a few weeks into shooting) has never been officially released. This footage was not included in Universal's original DVD release in 2002 or in 2005, despite many fans hoping that Universal would include it.

Region 1

The ''Back to the Future'' trilogy was first released on DVD at the end of 2002 in both widescreen and fullscreen versions (in a blue box with Marty and Doc on the cover).

Framing issues

Devoted fans of the films quickly noticed that the video of the widescreen version of ''Parts II'' and ''III'' contained numerous shots that had been framed incorrectly, either because the shots were too high or low to center the image correctly, or because they "zoomed in" on the image, eliminating portions of the image on all sides. (Because the movies were originally shot in open matte, the fullscreen version was unaffected by this.) Outraged fans quickly organized petitions demanding that Universal Studios correct the problem and re-release the DVD set.
In May 2003, Universal corrected the problem and issued "V2" (Version 2) DVDs, that could only be distinguished from the original, flawed DVDs by the mark of a small "V2" near the edge of the discs themselves (and, of course, by comparing the corrected video). However, they did not initially begin packaging the V2 discs with the trilogy box set that was being sent to retailers. Instead, Universal set up a toll-free phone number ((888) 703-0010 in the US) which owners of the original DVDs could call, and ask for a postage-paid envelope to be sent to them. The owner would send their flawed discs to Universal in the envelope, and would soon thereafter receive the corrected "V2" discs by mail. Because Universal did little to publicize this offer outside of the Internet and devoted fan circles, many have criticized Universal's refusal to issue a straight recall of the flawed discs and instead force concerned customers to jump through hoops just to get the correct video of the film.
In January 2005, Universal began a nationwide promotional campaign, announcing that they would re-issue the DVDs of the trilogy at a special low price (about half the set's original retail price) on January 25, 2005, and then put the entire trilogy on moratorium merely a week later, on February 1, 2005. (New stickers on the box declared "Lowest Price Ever: Own It Before Time Runs Out!") The discs in this release contained no new content or bonus features from the original release (indeed, even the packaging was almost identical, except for the promotional sticker and excluding the multi-page, full color DVD menu booklet. No booklet or chapter insert is included in the revised release.), but did finally contain the corrected V2 discs. Curiously, only the disc for ''Part II'' displays the "V2" marking on its edge; the ''Part III'' disc does not, but fans have analyzed its video carefully and concluded that, despite the lack of the "V2" marking, the ''Part III'' disc is the corrected one. (This is also supported by the date of creation of the disc, which matches that of the "V2" release.)

Release formats and features

	Box	Audio	Scene Specific Commentary	Framing	Enhanced MJ Fox interview
1986 (Part I) CED	Tan with Marty and DeLorean	Stereo	No	?	No
1986 (Part I) VHS	Blue with Marty and DeLorean-	Stereo	No	Correct Widescreen	No
1993 Japanese Laserdisc	Charcoal with logo	Stereo	No	Generous	No
VCD	Blue with Marty and DeLorean	Stereo	No	Correct Widescreen	No
2002 R1 DVD	Blue with Marty and Doc with DeLorean	Dolby 5.1	Yes	Incorrect Widescreen	Yes
2002 R2/R4 UK DVD	Black with DeLorean	Dolby 5.1 and DTS	No	Incorrect Widescreen	No
2002 R2 German DVD	Black with DeLorean	Dolby 5.1 and DTS	No	Incorrect Widescreen	?
2003 "V2" (Part II & Part III) DVD	No box	Dolby 5.1	Yes	Corrected Widescreen	Yes
2005 R1 DVD	Blue with Marty and Doc	Dolby 5.1	Yes	Corrected Widescreen	Yes
2005 R2/R4 UK DVD	Blue with DeLorean	Dolby 5.1 and DTS	Yes	Corrected Widescreen	Yes
2005 R2 German DVD	Blue with DeLorean	Dolby 5.1 and DTS	No	Corrected Widescreen	?
2005 R2 Japanese DVD	Blue with DeLorean	?	?	Corrected Widescreen	?
2006 R2 UK DVD	Blue with DeLorean	?	?	Corrected Widescreen	?

References in popular culture

★ In an episode of ''Top Gear'', Tiff Needell testdrives a ''BMW M5'' (E39 chassis). In the end of the segment, he says reviewing the car has been so much fun that he wants to go back and do it all over again. He revs the engine and speeds away, the Back To The Future main movie theme is faded in as the spedometer is shown increasing to 88 mph (142 km/h). The car gets engulfed in lightning and disappears leaving a cloud of smoke and flaming stripes from the tires. A burning licence plate reading "TOP GEAR" drops down by the flames and the text "to be continued..." is shown onscreen, with simliar font and colors as in the movies.

★ In the ''Stargate Atlantis'' episode "Before I Sleep", Maj. Sheppard brings up the DeLorean in a discussion about time travel, to which Dr. McKay responds, "Do ''not'' get me started on that movie!" Later, when they find out about a time-traveling puddle jumper, Sheppard calls its added component the "flux capacitor."

★ In the ''Cartoon Network'' series "Johnny Bravo", there is an episode in which Johnny is found unconscious by three children who think he is from the future. Johnny believes them when he is woken up, and in an attempt to escape the non-existent future, he jumps into a woman's car and tells her to go 88 miles per hour "like in that movie" so they can travel back in time.

★ ''Family Guy'' has made multiple references to the trilogy.

★
★ In "Mind Over Murder", when the grown-ups get ahold of the blueprints for Stewie's time machine, one of them points out, "Here's where the flux capacitor goes!"

★
★ In a cutaway in "The Perfect Castaway", Peter Griffin builds a time machine out of a DeLorean and intends to travel to the past. He crashes into a wall right after starting the car and gets out. When people run out of the building in flames, Peter says, "Everyone in 1955 was on fire! I never knew that."

★
★ In "If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'", Peter Griffin remembers his cousin Rufus, who starred in a series of blaxploitation films including "Black to the Future" (said to be "from the people who brought you ''Caddyblack'', ''Blackdraft'', and ''Black Kramer vs. Kramer''").

★
★ In "The Courtship of Stewie's Father", Stewie Griffin imagines Doc Brown at the end of the first film telling Marty and Jennifer "Something's gotta be done about your kids." However, Doc goes further, telling them their daughter marries a black man. This news does little to offend Marty, although Doc's racist attitude alienates Marty and Jennifer.

★
★ In "Meet the Quagmires", the entire plot is based on a parody of the trilogy. Peter travels from 2007 back to 1984, and alters the future, creating an "2007A" (as with "1985A" in ''BTTF II''). When Brian tries to explain this alternative 2007 to Peter, it is the exact same way Doc explained it to Marty in ''BTTF II''. Later on, there is a long, continuous parody of the "''Enchantment Under the Sea Dance''" scenes from ''BTTF II'', with Brian parodying Marty and Peter parodying George. There is even a direct parody of the picture Marty had of he and his two siblings that had them "fade from existence"—in the Family Guy episode it is a picture of Stewie, Chris, and Meg; all three of whom vanish from the picture and then return, as with ''BTTF''.

★ On ''The Colbert Report'', Stephen Colbert is said to "believe Back to the Future is a documentary"

★ The ''Back to the Future'' movies have been referenced several times on ''Drawn Together''.

★
★ In the episode "Captain Girl", Wooldoor Sockbat takes off in a time traveling car called the Wooldelorean. Right after the car disappears leaving fire trails, another Sockbat clad in Western gear runs up behind where the car was, then fades out of existence. When Wooldoor arrives at his destination, the car is covered in ice, just as it was after making its first time travel trip in the first movie. He also runs over a male and female Sockbat, implying that their deaths erased the first Sockbat.

★
★ In the episode "A Tale of Two Cows", Toot Braunstein attends a dance called the Enchantment Under the Seafood dance, a reference to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in the first film.

★ One episode of ''The Simpsons'' is entitled "Bart to the Future"; in addition, Nelson Muntz's future appearance is similar to that of Biff Tannen's in 1985A, plus Bart Simpson working for Nelson is similar to George McFly working for Biff in the first film or Marty working for Needles in the second film. Another episode, "Half-Decent Proposal", contains a more subtle reference, when Homer thinks that he is actually seeing Marge with Artie Ziff at their prom many years in the past and says "If Marge marries Artie, I'll never be born!"

★ There is a ''DuckTales'' episode entitled "Duck to the Future", in which Magica De Spell sends Scrooge McDuck forty years into the future so she can steal his Number One Dime and take over his company. Scrooge then has to find a way to return to the present in order to prevent the unwanted future from ever happening.

★ In the movie ''Big Fat Liar'', Jason and Kayly hide out in a huge movie backlot storage facility and at one point Jason calls Kayly who takes the call lying on the infamous DeLorean.

★ The video game '' for SNES, at the end of stage 2, a Wild West stage, Buster Bunny and Montana Max pump a minecart to get away from a runaway train. After the cart reaches 88 mph (142 km/h), it dashes away from the train and escapes, leaving behind a fire trail. This references the DeLorean's reaching 88 mph (142 km/h) to travel in time. In addition, Doc makes a cameo appearance on the series itself in the episode "Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian".

★ The series finale of the Disney Channel sitcom ''Phil of the Future'' was titled, "Back to the Future (not the movie)."

★ As of March 2007, ''BTTF'' appeared on commercial TV and online ad to promote the DirecTV service. The clip showed the fire tracks of the DeLorean leading towards the familiar ''BTTF'' town hall with a clip of Doc Brown prompting customers to upgrade their cable TV service.

★ In the ''Doctor Who'' episode "The Shakespeare Code", the Doctor attempts to explain time travel and ripple effects to Matha, only to have to compare it to ''Back to the Future''.

★ The concept of '' is similar to ''Part II''.

★ British Pop Group ''McFly'' are named after the character ''Marty Mcfly'' in the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy.

★ ''Busted'', a British Pop Group, released a single named Year 3000 which chronicles an imaginary trip to the year 3000. The lyrics nod to ''Back to the Future'' in several places, due to the lead singer's love for the films. The relevant lyrics are:"Stood there, was my neighbour, called Peter, And a Flux Capacitor". "He told me he'd built a time machine like the one in the film I've seen..." and "he took me to the future in the flux thing and I saw everything..."

★ ''The Fairly Oddparents'' have shown the De Lorean for ''Back to the Future II'' for a brief moment in the episode "The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker" when Timmy Turner travels to the 80's.

★ In the PlayStation video game '', in one of the three "Old West" stages, Duke enters a secret area in a mine shaft, and discovers a covered up DeLorean, like the one Doc left for Marty to use in the beginning of Part III. Duke then makes a humorous quip about it (i.e.: "Hello?? McFly????").

★ The film, Doc Brown and the Time Machine are alluded to in a scene from ''Knocked Up'', in referencing when someone might want to go back in time to change something. Paul Rudd's character quotes Doc Brown as well: "Where we're going we don't need roads."

Promotional posters

All three posters were created by noted poster artist Drew Struzan, although the original concept poster of Marty looking at his watch by the car was by Wayne Coe. Each poster features a variation on the same pose, and has the same number of characters present as each movie is numbered (one character for ''Part I'', two for ''Part II'', and three for ''Part III''). It should also be noted that the DeLorean's wheels change in each poster: in ''Part I'' they're normal wheels, in ''Part II'' they're hover wheels, and in ''Part III'' they're bare rims (without the tires) on train tracks. In the ''Part I'' and ''Part II'' posters, Marty and the Doc (in ''Part II'') look at their wristwatches and lift glasses and a visor respectively, whereas in ''Part III'' they look at pocketwatches and raise their hats.
A modified version of the ''Part I'' artwork, which added Doc Brown to the original image, was used on the cover of the trilogy's DVD release.

Games

★ Various video games based on the Back to the Future movies have been released over the years for home video game systems, including the Commodore 64 computer, the Sega Master System, the Sega Genesis/Megadrive, NES, and Super Nintendo system.

★ LJN also released ''Back to the Future II & III'' for the NES in 1990, which unlike the previous game, was a side scrolling platform game that allowed travelling back and forth between the different time periods from the trilogy as Marty attempts to correct the timeline and get back to the real 1985.

★ A 1990 pinball game designed by Joe Kaminkow and Ed Cebula and released by Data East Pinball. It is based on the Back to the Future trilogy of movies. This game features three songs that were featured in the movies: "Back in Time" and "Power of Love" (originally performed by Huey Lewis & The News), and Doubleback (originally performed by ZZ Top).IPDB listing for Back to the Future: The Pinball

See also

★ Flux capacitor

★ De Lorean DMC-12

External links

★ BTTF.com

★ BTTF.com's 'Time Travel Terminal' Collectibles Store

★ Official Universal Pictures site advertising the trilogy.

★ BTTF Frequently Asked Questions written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis

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Scripts

★ Back to the Future 1st draft

★ Back to the Future final draft

★ Back to the Future II 1st draft

★ Back to the Future II/III Feb. 8, 1989 draft

★ Back to the Future I/II/III final drafts