BACK TO THE FUTURE
Created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, Back to the Future is a seminal sci-fi comedy franchise produced by Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. The narrative follows teenager Marty McFly and eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett 'Doc' Brown as they travel through time across different eras of Hill Valley, California, using a plutonium-powered DeLorean.
Cronologia
Panoramica
Created by director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Bob Gale, Back to the Future launched on July 3, 1985, with the release of the landmark sci-fi comedy film produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. Built around the adventures of high schooler Marty McFly and scientist Dr.
Emmett 'Doc' Brown, the core franchise consists of a theatrical film trilogy—Back to the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part II (1989), and Back to the Future Part III (1990)—alongside the 2015 live-action short Doc Brown Saves the World.
Beyond feature films, the franchise expanded into a 26-episode animated television series (1991–1992), an iconic theme park simulator ride, over fifteen video game adaptations, official novelizations, and extensive comic series from Harvey Comics and IDW Publishing. In 2020, the IP debuted on stage with Back to the Future: The Musical, expanding internationally across the West End, Broadway, and global tours. Creators Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis hold contractual rights preventing cinematic remakes or Part IV, keeping the franchise focused on stage adaptations, published lore, and merchandise.
Origini
The origin of Back to the Future stems from the creative collaboration between screenwriter Bob Gale and director Robert Zemeckis.
Brought to the screen by Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer—alongside producers Neil Canton, Bob Gale, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall—the original film was made on a budget of $19 million. Starring Michael J.
Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown, the story introduced a time machine crafted from a modified DeLorean requiring 1.21 gigawatts of power and a speed of 88 mph to activate its flux capacitor. Upon its release on July 3, 1985, the film became an unprecedented commercial and critical hit, grossing $210 million at the US box office to become the highest-grossing film of 1985 and winning an Academy Award for Sound Editing. Its massive popularity prompted the back-to-back production of Part II (1989) and Part III (1990), weaving a multi-generational narrative across 1885, 1955, 1985, and 2015.
Personaggi
Collezionismo
In the pop culture and action figure community, Back to the Future stands as a tier-one collectible property driven by legendary character designs and the iconic DeLorean time machine. Major manufacturers producing licensed products include Hot Toys, NECA, LEGO (spanning Lego Dimensions level packs and standalone sets), Funko, and specialized die-cast scale model makers.
The holy grails for dedicated collectors are 1:6 scale premium figures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown, alongside high-end die-cast DeLorean replicas featuring working lights and flux capacitor details. Physical media and archival books also command top market demand, notably the 40th Anniversary 4K UHD Trilogy box set from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and annotated reference books like Back to the Future: The Complete Screenplay and The Ultimate Visual History. Because creators Gale and Zemeckis strictly prohibit cinematic remakes, authentic screen-accurate collectibles, vintage 1980s merchandise, and official crossovers—such as IDW's Transformers 'Gigawatt' figure—maintain outstanding value in the secondary market.
Curiosità
• The guitar Marty McFly plays during the 1955 dance scene is a 1959 Gibson ES-345 TDC, an instrument created four years after 1955. • Produced on a budget of $19 million, the original 1985 film grossed $210 million domestically and became the highest-grossing movie of the year.
• Creators Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis retain contractual rights ensuring no Back to the Future Part IV or cinematic remake will ever be made in their lifetimes. • Christopher Lloyd reprised his role as Doc Brown in Doc Brown Saves the World (2015), an official live-action short created for the film's 30th anniversary. • Back to the Future: The Animated Series featured live-action educational segments starring Christopher Lloyd alongside science communicator Bill Nye.
Film
• Back to the Future (1985): Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Marty McFly accidentally travels back to 1955 in a DeLorean and must reunite his teenage parents to save his existence.
• Back to the Future Part II (1989): Marty and Doc travel to futuristic 2015, resulting in an alternate dystopian 1985 that forces a return trip to 1955 to retrieve a stolen sports almanac. • Back to the Future Part III (1990): Marty travels back to the Old West in 1885 to rescue Doc Brown from outlaw Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen. • Doc Brown Saves the World (2015): A 30th-anniversary live-action short film starring Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown preventing a future 2045 catastrophe.
Serie TV
• Back to the Future: The Animated Series (1991–1992): A 26-episode CBS Saturday morning series following the McFly and Brown families, featuring live-action segments with Christopher Lloyd and Bill Nye.
Videogiochi
• Back to the Future (1985): Action-adventure game by Electric Dreams Software for ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and Pony Canyon for MSX. • Back to the Future (1986): Japan-exclusive MSX2 adventure game released by Pony Canyon. • Back to the Future (1989): NES side-scrolling action title published by LJN. • Back to the Future Part II (1990): Home computer adaptation released for Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Master System, and ZX Spectrum. • Back to the Future Part II & III (1990): NES side-scrolling adventure published by LJN. • Back to the Future: The Pinball (1990): Physical arcade pinball machine released by Data East. • Back to the Future Part III (1991): Action game for Sega Genesis, Master System, Amiga, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS.
• Back to the Future Handheld (1991): LCD handheld game manufactured by Tiger Electronics based on the animated series. • Super Back to the Future II (1993): Japan-exclusive Super Famicom 2D hoverboard platformer developed by Toshiba EMI. • Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure (2001): Nintendo GameCube title featuring a mini-game reproducing The Ride. • Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time (2010): Facebook Flash puzzle game. • Back to the Future: The Game (2010–2011): A 5-part episodic graphic adventure by Telltale Games co-written by Bob Gale; re-released in 2015 for PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360. • Lego Dimensions (2015): Toys-to-life game featuring dedicated Back to the Future Level and Fun Packs. • Planet Coaster: Back to the Future Construction Kit (2017): Official theme park simulator DLC construction add-on. • Pinball FX3: Back to the Future (2017): Digital pinball table adaptation released by Zen Studios.
Libri & Fumetti
• Back to the Future (1985): Official film novelization written by George Gipe. • Back to the Future Part II (1989): Official film novelization written by Craig Shaw Gardner. • Back to the Future Part III (1990): Official film novelization written by Craig Shaw Gardner. • Harvey Comics Series (1991–1993): 7-issue series expanding the animated show alongside a 3-issue adaptation of Part II. • IDW: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines (2015–2016): 5-issue comic series co-created and plotted by original screenwriter Bob Gale. • IDW: Continuum Conundrum (2016): Issues #6–11 of IDW's core comic series following Marty and Doc's time travels. • IDW: Who is Marty McFly?
(2016–2017): Issues #12–17 exploring timeline identity shifts. • IDW: Hard Time & Time Served (2017): Issues #18–25 featuring alternate prison storylines. • IDW: Biff to the Future (2017): 6-issue mini-series detailing Biff Tannen's rise to power in alternate 1985. • IDW: Tales from the Time Train (2017–2018): 6-issue mini-series following Doc Brown's family on their steam train. • Transformers / Back to the Future (2020–2021): 4-issue IDW crossover featuring Gigawatt, a DeLorean Transformer. • Back to the Future: The Complete Screenplay (2026): Annotated official publication with foreword by Robert Zemeckis. • Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History - 40th Anniversary Edition (2026): Expanded reference book on franchise history.
