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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

10 incredible never-before-seen Back to the Future extras

Features
By Lauren O'Callaghan published 21 October 2015

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Great Scott!

Great Scott!

Happy Back to the Future day! Yes, October 21 2015 is the date Marty and Doc land in the future and no matter what the 1989 sequel got right (or wrong) about the future, it's still one of the most popular movies of all time.

We're celebrating the momentous movie occasion with some exclusive extras from the franchise, including behind-the-scenes set images, original concept art and never-before-seen shots of Michael J. Fox filming *that* hoverboard scene! What are you waiting for? This is what made the films so incredible...

Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History is out now from Titan Books.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
This is heavy

This is heavy

You might recognise this scene from the first Back To The Future film. Marty thinks all his troubles are over, only for Doc to appear and tell him his future is in jeopardy. It's the final scene in the movie, which sets up the sequel where Doc and Marty travel to 2015, and here's the crew filming it in Arleta, California, with Michael J. Fox and Claudia Wells.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Best chase scene of all time

Best chase scene of all time

The tunnel chase scene, which sees Marty use his borrowed hoverboard to get back the Almanac from Biff, was the first-ever CGI shot for visual effects company, Industrial Light and Magic. Zemeckis digital removed the pipe attached from the shooting rig to the hoverboard, and then had Michael J. Fox use harnesses, flying rigs, dollies, and even a real skateboard to shoot the scene again and again, in a myriad of different ways, just to prevent the audience from figuring out how the effects were achieved. Now that's commitment!

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?

Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?

Here's some early concept art for the reappearance of the DeLorean after a time jump. Animator Wes Takahashi said Bob Gale told him, I want it to be extremely violent, something akin to a Neanderthal siting on the hood of the car, chipping away at the fabric of time in front of him. Mission accomplished!

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
YOU'RE FIRED!!!

YOU'RE FIRED!!!

Here's Joanna Johnstons design for old Martys look, including the now iconic double tie. When are we getting those, again? The tie was the least arduous part of getting into character, with Michael J. Fox saying of prosthetic makeup, The thing that people dont understand about it and with the event of CG, it might be different now but they put it on with airplane glue and took it off with gasoline, and it used to ravage my face.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
I need to borrow your... hoverboard?

I need to borrow your... hoverboard?

Over the course of two years, Industrial Light and Magics John Bell designed a variety of hoverboards for Marty, Griff and Griffs gang. All he was told was the term hoverboard, and asked to sketch whatever came to mind.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.

Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.

This on-set snap shows how the flying cars were filming for Back to the Future II. Basically, just pick up the car with a forklift and hang on!

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Self-lacing shoes? Yes, please

Self-lacing shoes? Yes, please

This is one invention that's soon to become a reality with Nike announcing the release of Marty's futuristic footwear later this year. Think of how much time you'll save not have to tie your trainers every morning? This is the initial concept art for the self-lacing shoe by designer Tinker Hatfield.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
When this baby hits 88 miles per hour...

When this baby hits 88 miles per hour...

The explosive scenes where the DeLorean travels through time were based on this original concept art. Did you know that there are actually only 32 optical special effects shots in the entire movie? Still looks pretty good, right?

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
You've come here from a great distance

You've come here from a great distance

Check out Michael Scheffes design sketches for Doc Browns brain-wave analyser. There's also pictures of the final prop used in the film, when Marty tries to tell Doc he's come from the future, but Doc insists on attempting to read his mind instead. Spoiler, it doesn't work.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Tales From Space!

Tales From Space!

This the cover of Sherman Peabody's comic book (designed by Andrew Probert), which he used to identify Marty as an alien when he crashed into his family's barn. Like he said, Marty had already mutated into human form by the time his dad got his shotgun so, there wasn't much they could do about it.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Lauren O'Callaghan
Lauren O'Callaghan
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Lauren O'Callaghan is the former Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar+. You'd typically find Lauren writing features and reviews about the latest and greatest in pop culture and entertainment, and assisting the teams at Total Film and SFX to bring their excellent content onto GamesRadar+. Lauren is now the digital marketing manager at the National Trust.

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