Mark Elliott Mark Elliott

Back to the Future - Detailed Storyline

It all started when…

Marty: "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Doc, uh... Are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?"

Doc: "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? Besides, the stainless steel construction makes the flux dispersal- l…….ook out !!!"

Read the plot to Back to the Future in our Blog to the Future post today !

Doc Brown and Marty McFly - Credit to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Doc Brown and Marty McFly - Credit to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

It all started when…

Marty: "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Doc, uh... Are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?"

Doc: "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? Besides, the stainless steel construction makes the flux dispersal- look out!!!"

— Doc and Marty during the first test

The DeLorean time machine was Dr. Emmett Brown's most successful invention, a plutonium-powered time machinecomprised of a DeLorean DMC-12 sports car that had to reach 88 miles per hour in order to time travel.

On November 51955, Doc was standing on the edge of his toilet, while hanging a clock in his bathroom. But the porcelain was wet, making Doc slip, fall and hit his head on the sink. When Doc came to, he had a vision of the flux capacitor in his head, and drew a crude schematic diagram as well as scrawling some hurried calculations. The capacitor was constructed afterward and completed in 1985.

Doc Browns Flux Capacitor - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Doc Browns Flux Capacitor - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Hill Valley Telegraph

Hill Valley Telegraph

History

Doc purchased the DeLorean DMC-12 from a seller named Robert, who had advertised it in the classifieds section of the August 111984 issue of the Hill Valley Telegraph.

BACK

The first test

Main article: World's first temporal displacement

Doc and Marty stand in the fire trails left behind by the DeLorean on the first test.

Doc Brown revealed his creation to his friend Marty McFly at Twin Pines Mall, in the early morning of October 26, 1985, and for its first test, Doc sent his dog Einstein one minute into the future. The sequence of events that followed were as so; after Doc revved up the engine to 65 m.p.h. while braked, he released the brake sending the car towards Doc and Marty. 

Einstein Time Travelling Dog - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Einstein Time Travelling Dog - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

A faint glow developed at the front of the car and then engulfed the vehicle. The coils lit up, internal circuits glowed, and the flux capacitor fired rapidly. Suddenly the car seemed to explode just before it hit Doc and Marty. Fire trails then scorched the pavement where the vehicle would have passed through, completing the temporal displacement sequence.

Marty: "Jesus Christ, Doc. You disintegrated Einstein!"

Doc: "Calm down, Marty, I didn't disintegrate anything. The molecular structure of both Einstein and the car are completely intact!"

Marty: "Well, where the hell are they?!"

Doc: "The appropriate question is "When the hell are they?" You see, Einstein has just become the world's first time traveler. I sent him into the future! One minute into the future to be precise. And at exactly 1:21 A.M. and zero seconds we will catch up to him and the time machine."

— Doc and Marty after the time travel experiment.

For Einstein, the trip was instantaneous, but to Marty and Doc they had to wait exactly one minute to catch up to Einstein in the timeline. In the meantime, Marty asked why a DeLorean was used. 

Doc explained that it needed some style and implied that the stainless steel construction of the car helped it in temporal displacement. But Doc didn't fully explain why because the watch he was wearing at the time beeped, warning him that the DeLorean's return was only seconds away.

The car suddenly appeared where Doc and Marty were standing and screeched to a halt as a frozen shell. Supercooled from traveling through time, the gullwing door was troublesome for Doc to open while using his hands. Inside the car, Einstein was unharmed, much to the surprise of Marty. Doc then showed Marty the interior and its controls.

"First, you turn the time circuits on. This read-out tells you where you're going. This one tells you where you are. This one tells you where you were."

—Doc Brown

While inputting dates on the keypad, Doc used July 41776 (the date the American declaration of Independence was signed) and December 250000 (the date of the birth of Christ) as examples, before inputting "a red-letter date in the history of science, November 51955". From there he left the cockpit of the DeLorean and reminisced about the past, particularly about Old Man Peabody owning the land that is now Twin Pines Mall and his pine tree farm.

"My, things sure have changed. I can remember when this was all open land as far as the eye can see. Old Man Peabody owned all of this. He had this crazy idea... about breeding pine trees."

—Doc talking to Marty

Trapped in 1955

Soon after a new pellet of plutonium was inserted into the time machine, the Libyans who he stole the plutonium from intervened in a Volkswagen and shot Doc dead. Marty ran into the DeLorean to try to escape the Libyans. Marty accidentally turned the time circuits (still set to 1955) on while shifting, and as he avoided being destroyed by a rocket-propelled grenade, he sped up to 88 and entered temporal displacement. Suddenly, Marty went from a mall parking lot in 1985, to a field in 1955, and the DeLorean crashed into a scarecrow and then the Peabodys' barn.

Frozen Delorean - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Frozen Delorean - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

VW Camper Chasing DeLorean - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

VW Camper Chasing DeLorean - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Lyon Estate - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Lyon Estate - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

radiation suit-clad Marty trips as he leaves the DeLorean.

"It looks like an airplane... without wings."

Doc Brown and the Time Machine

Doc Brown and the Time Machine

—Otis Peabody

For a moment, Marty was stunned, and the Peabody family ran from their house to the barn to investigate. Believing that the vehicle was from another world, they screamed in horror as Marty lifted the gullwing door and stepped out, dressed in a radiation suit. Marty was almost shot from the buckshot of Otis Peabody's shotgun, and ran back to the safety of the time machine, floored the accelerator, and smashed through the doors of the barn. After escaping from Peabody's shotgun, the car ran over one of the two pines that Peabody had been growing. This was the first effect of Marty's trip into the past that would alter the future (the "Twin Pines Mall" would become the "Lone Pine Mall"). 

Marty pulled the DeLorean onto a highway that ran by the future site of Lyon Estates. He immediately stopped and viewed the undeveloped land stretch far out into the distance, questioning whether or not it was a dream. A meter in the DeLorean indicated that it was out of plutonium, and the car shut down. Marty failed to get it running again and decided to hide the DeLorean behind the Lyon Estates sign, covered by a few shrubs, and walked the two miles to town.

"It works! Ha ha, it works! I finally invented something that works."

—Young Doc Brown

After convincing the 1955 Doc that he was indeed from the future, Marty and Doc went back to the site to recover the time machine. Doc opened the door and turned on the flux capacitor which he had envisioned after his fall earlier that day. The DeLorean was driven back to Doc's garage where it was hidden under a tarpaulin until the night of the thunderstorm, November 12.

On the 12th, Doc brought the time machine to Courthouse Square in downtown Hill Valley, and started working on the cable assembly that would harness the impending lightning strike. Arriving late, Marty was briefed by Doc, just as the storm moved in and took down a tree. Marty drove the DeLorean to the starting line at the Bluebird Motel, and inserted a tall connecting hook into the flux capacitor. He then waited for the alarm to go off while Doc reconnected the cable, and decided to reset the controls to arrive 11 minutes earlier than scheduled. With that, the engine suddenly died, and left Marty trying to restart it. Marty finally (and unexpectedly) succeeded in restarting the engine after head-butting the horn in frustration, and took off. The DeLorean reached the cable just as the lightning struck, and Doc made the connection, sending the time machine back to 1985.

In 1985, Red the Bum was awoken by the sonic boom of the DeLorean, followed by the sound of a crash at the Town Theater. Marty jumped out of the icy time machine to check out downtown and to verify that he had gotten back to the future, and back to his normal year of 1985. Returning to the car to save Doc, Marty tried to drive off and the engine died once again. This was the last time in the trilogy that it had done so. The Libyans passed him on the street, and Marty ran back to the mall. There, he saw the first DeLorean make the jump to 1955, with the terrorists' van crashing into a photo booth. Originally believing he was too late, Marty was in grief, then surprise. Doc recovered, and revealed that he was wearing a bulletproof vest, having read the warning letter that Marty had written 30 years earlier.

Doc returned to downtown to start the DeLorean up, and drove Marty back to his home in Lyon Estates. Doc told Marty he would go roughly 30 years into the future, "a nice round number". Doc backed the DeLorean up with enough room to reach 88 mph on the street and vanished in three sonic booms.

While in the future, Doc decided to give the DeLorean a now standard hover conversion. To afford this, he traveled back to 1938, and bought several copies of Action Comics #1. He sold them for $2.5 million in 2015, and flew off in the newly converted DeLorean. At some point, he discovered that Marty's children were destined to accidentally go to prison, which would eventually destroy the McFly family.

BACK

biffTo the future

Marty: "Hey Doc, we better back up. We don't have enough road to get up to 88."

Where we’re going we don’t need …. roads …. Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Where we’re going we don’t need …. roads …. Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Skyway  to Hill Valley - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Skyway to Hill Valley - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Doc: "Roads? Where we're going we don't need... roads."

— Discussion between Doc and Marty in the DeLorean before takeoff

The DeLorean lifts off, bound for 2015.

Doc returned to the McFly residence, the morning after he left. Marty had discovered that his life had changed for the better. His visiting girlfriend Jennifer Parker, and he, were interrupted by the sonic boom and wind blast. The newly upgraded DeLorean knocked over some trashcans, and a futuristically-garbed Doc emerged from the vehicle. Doc made use of his upgraded time machine by adding garbage to the Mr. Fusion as fuel. Plutonium was no longer needed after the trip to the future. Doc told Marty and Jennifer of their future family, and the trouble that occurred (or would occur) with their children.

The DeLorean lifted off the ground and its wheels folded providing thrust. The rear louver then propelled it forward down the street, and Doc turned the car around to get the speed needed to make temporal displacement. This entire sequence was witnessed by Biff Tannen in the McFly driveway.

The time machine entered October 212015, then descended through the clouds into a busy skyway, nearly in the wrong lane of multilevel traffic. Doc pulled off onto an exit ramp to downtown Hill Valley. He landed the DeLorean in an alleyway, just outside Courthouse Square, then left while Marty completed his mission to save Marty, Jr. After Doc recovered Einstein from a suspended animation kennel, he pulled the DeLorean out into the open, where Old Biff saw it, and eventually put two and two together to realize that they were time travelers. 

Biff steals the DeLorean.

"Flying DeLorean? Haven't seen one of those in... thirty years"

—Old Biff

Biff followed Doc and Marty in a taxi cab, and while the DeLorean was parked outside Hilldale, Biff stole it and went back to 1955 to hand the Grays Sports Almanac (that Doc had thrown away) to his younger self, thus altering history. In a matter of minutes, Biff returned the vehicle in the same position; however, he was feeling the effects of changing history.

In pain, he left the silver-colored bag and receipt for the almanac, as well as the top of his cane which broke off in the DeLorean when he doubled over. Getting out of view, Biff slumped to the ground and faded from existence behind a parked car. Doc and Marty, unaware that anything had happened, returned to the time machine with Jennifer and headed back for 1985.

An alternate history

"Imagine that this line represents time. At some point in the past, the timeline skewed into this tangent creating an alternate 1985. Alternate for you, me, Jennifer and Einstein...But reality for everyone else."

—Doc showing Marty 1985A on a blackboard.

Doc Brown - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Doc Brown - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

DeLorean getting struck by lighting - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

DeLorean getting struck by lighting - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

By this time it was too late to prevent the changing of the timeline. Flying at a high altitude, the DeLorean was nearly hit by an airliner in the sky. The time circuits began to malfunction as well, indicating 1885 temporarily. After discovering the truth behind the alternate 1985, Doc and Marty left Einstein in Doc's garage, and Jennifer at her house, where time would alter around them pending a change in the past. They traveled back to November 12, 1955, the date that Biff revealed to have been the day he had gotten the almanac.

Doc parked the time machine behind the same sign that Marty hid it the first time in 1955. Marty notified Doc of his status with Biff, and after some repairs, Doc jumped into the DeLorean to pick him up at Hill Valley High School.

As Doc left Lyon Estates, the car had hooked onto some of the pennants on the sign. Doc and Marty followed Biff in his car, and hovered over him, until Marty thought of using the hoverboard to get closer. Marty grabbed the almanac after some fighting, but was faced with being in the middle of a long tunnel from which to escape.

At the end of the tunnel, Doc dropped the string of pennants that he had hooked onto earlier, and Marty grabbed the rope in time to prevent himself from getting run over by Biff (who crashed, for the second time in a week, into a manure truck).

Returning to Lyon Estates to destroy the almanac, Doc lowered Marty onto the ground, but deemed it unsafe to land the DeLorean in the storm. Marty successfully burned the almanac in an old bucket, reverting all effects that had been created by 2015 Biff. The celebration was short-lived; lightning struck a tree close to Marty, who warned Doc about getting struck himself. In the next instant, however, lightning struck the DeLorean as feared, spinning it up to 88 mph (thus creating the fire trails in the shape of backward 9's), scrambling the circuits, and sent Doc and the DeLorean back to January 11885[1]

Less than a minute later, a man, representing Western Union, appeared on the rainy street and handed Marty a letter. The letter, from Doc, had been held in their possession for over 70 years, with instructions for delivery to that exact position, at that exact moment, to that exact person — Marty.

Marty ran back downtown, arriving just moments after his other self was going back to the future, and after the temporal displacement, he encountered 1955 Doc, who then fainted.

Marty: "OK, Doc, just calm down. It's me. It's me! It's Marty!"

Doc: "No, it can't be you! I just sent you back to the future!"

Marty: "Yeah, I know. But I'm back. I'm back from the future."

— Marty to Doc before Doc exclaims "Great Scott" and faints.

Doc Brown - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Doc Brown - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Delgado Mine - Back to the Future Part 3

Delgado Mine - Back to the Future Part 3

BACK

The letter, read the next morning by Doc, stated that the DeLorean was buried in the Delgado Mine, and provided repair instructions on fixing the time circuits with 1955 parts. At the Boot Hill Cemetery, outside the mine, Marty and Doc stumbled onto 1985 Doc's tombstone from 1885. It was now Marty's mission to save Doc in the past, and bring him back to the future as well.

Finding the DeLorean

Finding the DeLorean

Doc replaced the rotting tires with new whitewall tires and, working from the schematic diagram provided with the repair instructions, replaced all the broken instruments with 1955-era vacuum tubes and other components. He also put gasoline in the tank, since 1985 Doc had to drain all the fluids from the car, including the gas, before putting it into long-term storage.

1885 - Back to the Future - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

1885 - Back to the Future - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

The Old West

The DeLorean encounters a tribe of local Indians.

"Marty, you're not thinking fourth-dimensionally. You'll instantly be transported to 1885 and those Indians won't even be there..."

1955 Doc and Marty set up at the Pohatchee Drive-In Theatre, far away from town, so that Marty's arrival would not be noticed by residents in 1885. Doc set the time circuits to the day after his 1885 counterpart sent the letter on September 1. Marty hesitated to drive at the screen because of a wall with Indians painted on it; but as Marty reached 88 mph, the 1955 wall was gone, but was replaced with real, 1885, Pohatchee Indians, who chased after the DeLorean, which Marty hid in a bear cave.

Marty avoided the Indians, and the U.S. Cavalry that was chasing them, but discovered that an Indian had shot an arrow into the engine of the DeLorean. Upon removing the arrow, Marty accidentally tears a hole in the fuel line of the car. He pays it no mind as he is chased out of the cave by the bear living there at the time, and fell down the hill and landed on the property of his Irish ancestors.

The DeLorean was recovered by Doc, but there was no gasoline available in 1885 to replace the fuel that had leaked out. [2]Marty wasn't concerned as he stated Mr. Fusion could refuel the DeLorean. Doc said that was impossible as the engine always ran on gasoline and Mr. Fusion only powered the flux compacitor and the flight circuits. Doc then plotted means of powering the car, including having his horses try to reach 88 mph out in the desert, they only made 30 mph.

DeLorean fuel tank damaged by a arrow - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

DeLorean fuel tank damaged by a arrow - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Doc received a strong alcohol concoction from the town bartender, Chester, that he hoped would have a similar effect to gasoline, but instead, blew the fuel injection manifold out. This left only one available option: pushing the DeLorean up to 88, which came in the form of a locomotive.

Doc and Marty's plan was to hijack, or borrow,  the locomotive, and take it to an unused spur that ran to Shonash Ravine, where it would push the car before running off the end of the track. On the night of September 6, Doc placed the car onto the track. There, it awaited the locomotive.

DeLorean being pushed to 88mph - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

DeLorean being pushed to 88mph - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

DeLorean Destroyed by Locomotive - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

DeLorean Destroyed by Locomotive - Credits to Universal Picture Amblin Entertainment

Their plan was successfully enacted on September 7, and though Marty was sent back to 1985, Doc and Clara Clayton remained in the past. The DeLorean reached temporal displacement just before hitting the buffer at the edge of the ravine; however the train crashed through and landed into the ravine in a large explosion.

The DeLorean is destroyed by a locomotive.

Back in 1985, the DeLorean traveled along the railroad tracks for about a mile until it came to rest on the track outside Hilldale. Immediately, Marty was stunned to see a modern locomotive barreling towards him, and escaped from the DeLorean just before it was destroyed by the train. After it had passed by, Marty gazed at the time circuits and flux capacitor in shock just as they flickered on and then off for the last time.

"...Well Doc, it's destroyed... Just like you wanted..."

—Marty standing at the remains of the DeLorean

Marty and Jennifer, who had remained on her porch, both went through the wreckage. Then, peculiarly, the railroad crossing's bells sounded and its gates went down. No trains were to be seen. Just then, the Jules Verne Train appeared, and blew Marty and Jennifer back several feet. This was Doc's way to return without the aid of the DeLorean. After introducing Marty and Jennifer to the two new members of the family, Jules and Verne, Doc handed Marty a gift — the photograph of them standing in front of the clock — and gave some words of advice before leaving to times unknown.

"Your future hasn't been written yet! No one's has! Your future is whatever you make of it. So make it a GOOD one!"

Doc Brown - Your Future hasn’t been written yet

Doc Brown - Your Future hasn’t been written yet

—Doc to Marty and Jennifer

Marty: "Where ya going Doc? Back to the future?"

Doc: "No, already been there!"

— Doc and Marty during the final scene of Back to the Future Part III

Just before its destruction, the DeLorean can be seen to have parts from every time period it has been in. Inside the time machine was also a walkie-talkie from 1985A.

Rebirth of the DeLorean

Note: The following section is considered non-canon or is disputed in canonicity.



Six months after the destruction of the DeLorean, another DeLorean time machine, nearly identical to the one used previously by Marty and Doc, appeared outside of Doc's garage. Upon following Einstein's clues to the source of the time machine, Marty drove it back to 1931, where he found Doc in jail for allegedly blowing up a speakeasy.

Doc told Marty that the DeLorean he had been driving was a temporal duplicate, created when the DeLorean was struck by lightning; the original going seventy years back to 1885, and the other version seventy years forward to 2025. Doc went forward in time with the Jules Verne Train, recovered the second DeLorean, fixed it up, and began traveling again. Doc also installed a program that would activate upon Doc not returning to the vehicle within a certain length of time. This automatic retrieval feature allowed the DeLorean to return to a set time and location of Doc's choosing.[3]

Around 1991, Doc Brown and his family returned to Hill Valley in the Train and settled down in the present. Marty had, by now, been attending Hill Valley College, and he visited the Brown family regularly. The DeLorean was rebuilt with added features, including a new audio receptive series of time circuits, submersible capabilities, a pincer, and having the ability to fold into a compact suitcase-sized box (which still weighed as much as the car at 2,796 pounds[4]). The greatest improvement to the DeLorean was the addition of spatial displacement, which allowed the car to travel not only through time, but through space.

Soon after, Doc built additional DeLoreans for use by the Institute of Future Technology.

In 1931B

The DeLorean time machine burned out after Edna burnt down Hill Valley.

One version of the DeLorean was stolen by Edna Strickland who took it back to 1876 to light Beauregard Tannen's half-finished saloon on fire, accidentally burning down Hill Valley and the DeLorean in the process. When Doc and Marty arrive at her residence in the newly created 1931B, the vehicle is a rusted hulk of metal on Edna's property.

Non-canon or disputable information ends here.

Behind the scenes

A rack of vacuum tubes and other components strapped to the hood replaces the time control microchip.

  • In the animated series, the DeLorean is supposedly rebuilt, regardless of what Doc said about the dangers of time traveling.

  • In the first script of Back to the Future the time machine was shaped like a refrigerator. The idea was scrapped, for fear of kids climbing into and becoming trapped in refrigerators. Because an abandoned refrigerator can become an inescapable trap for a small child, laws in most nations require that the door be removed when such an item is disposed of.

    • Coincidentally, the final version of the time machine was composed of stainless steel, from which many refrigerators are made of.

  • At the end of Back to the Future, the alarm clock that the 1955 Doc had placed on the dashboard of the DeLorean could be seen. But in the beginning of Back to the Future Part II, it is no longer on the dashboard of the DeLorean.

  • At the start of the 1990 behind-the-scenes TV show The Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy, host Kirk Cameron arrived in an Old West town in the DeLorean.

Construction of the DeLorean for the films

The base of the DeLorean's nuclear reactor was constructed from a hubcap of a Dodge Polara. The engine sounds came from a Porsche but the engine was never replaced with a Porsche engine and kept stock.[5] Aircraft parts and blinking lights were added for additional effects.

Since all American models of the actual DMC-12 had speedometers that only read up to 85 miles per hour, a modified instrument cluster was installed, with a speedometer that reached 95. (A law from the administration of President Jimmy Carter prescribed that automobile speedometers could not read more than 85 m.p.h. with the intent that if people could not read speeds higher than that, that they wouldn't drive faster than that.)

In popular culture

The Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge engine defines a "delorean" as a unit of power equal to 1.21 jigowatts, and uses 88 miles per hour as a benchmark for comparing speeds. See: "speed cheetah".

In the game Borderlands there is an achievement on the Xbox 360 version entitled "1.21 Gigawatts" which is a clear reference to the amount of electricity needed for the time travel.

In the game Sonic CD (4th generation iPhone/iPod Only) there is an achievement called "88 miles per hour". Sonic's way of time traveling is similar to Back to the Future.

Similarly to Sonic CD, there is a trophy for the PS3 exclusive game Ratchet and Clank (Future): a Crack in Timecalled 88 MPH, though the action for doing so is by preventing a time travel rather than travelling through time.

In Grand Theft Auto V, there are several power stations which have the label "Danger: 1.21 GW", also referring to the amount of electricity needed.

The DeLorean Time Machine appears in Ready Player One as the vehicle of the protagonist Parzival in the OASIS. Parzival uses the DeLorean to win the race that is the first challenge and then speeds through the battlefield in the car during the final battle. The DeLorean is destroyed by MechaGodzilla during the final battle.

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Is Time Travel Possible ? And what would it take ? Back to the Future

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Back to the Future Mark Elliott Back to the Future Mark Elliott

Hill Valley - ‘Back to the Future’ History

Back to the Future - Learn all about the famous town featured in the film called Hill Valley which we seen in 1985, 2015, 1955, 1885

Hill Valley 

 Is the fictional town in California that serves as the setting of the Back to the Future trilogy.

Hill Valley Clock Towner - Back to the Future set

Hill Valley Clock Towner - Back to the Future set

 In the trilogy, Hill Valley is seen in four different time periods (1885, 1955, 1985 and 2015) as well as in a dystopian alternate 1985.

 The films contain many sight gags, verbal innuendos and detailed set design elements, from which a detailed and consistent history of the area can be derived.

 The name "Hill Valley" is a joke, being an oxymoron. However, an early script for Back to the Future Part II mentioned that Hill Valley was named after its founder, William "Bill" Hill.

Production

For Back to the Future, the producers considered filming the town square scenes in the real city of Petaluma, California, but soon realized it would be prohibitively expensive and impractical to alter a real place to suit the different eras.

Instead filming was completed on the Universal Studios backlot, where they had more control. 

Hill Valley - Back to the Future set

Hill Valley - Back to the Future set

Gremlins Set

Gremlins Set

 The town square set, once called Mockingbird Square after the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird but now known as Courthouse Square, had been used for many films and television shows dating back to 1948's An Act of Murder.

One notable example is the very first episode of the sci-fi series The Twilight Zone, called "Where Is Everybody?" in 1959.

 The Hill Valley courthouse can also be found in the movies Bruce AlmightyGremlinsBye Bye BirdieSneakersThe Offspring's music video "Why Don't You Get a Job?", an episode of Major Dad entitled "Who's That Blonde" and even in an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Gremlins Cinema - (Remember the DeLorean crashing into it !)

Gremlins Cinema - (Remember the DeLorean crashing into it !)

 The clock tower itself was a removable addition, one of many ways in which the Courthouse building has been redressed over the years to suit the needs of a production.

 Many of the cars that appear in the 2015 scenes are either modified for the film or concept cars.

Hill Valley Sign 2015

Hill Valley Sign 2015

Hill Valley - No Landing.png

Examples include Ford ProbeSaab EV-1Citroën DS 21Pontiac Banshee ConceptPontiac Fiero and Volkswagen Beetle. Cars reused from other science fiction films include the "Star Car" from The Last Starfighter (1984) and a "Spinner" from Blade Runner (1982).

Griff's car is a modified BMW 633 (which was notably never in the convertible form seen in the film).

 For Back to the Future Part III, Hill Valley 1885 was filmed in Sonora, California. The producers were able to use the land rent-free under an agreement to leave the set buildings on site.

 All buildings except the clock tower were left intact after production completed.

 ! On November 6, 1990, an arson fire on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot destroyed much of Courthouse Square, the setting in which all the other time periods were filmed.

 However, the Courthouse itself survived the devastation and other facades were reconstructed.

 ! Another fire on September 6, 1997 again damaged Courthouse Square. Once again, the backlot facades were then rebuilt, with the exception of the facades used for Hill Valley 1885.

 ! On February 14, 1999 fire at Whittier High School, California, where some (mostly exterior) scenes were filmed, destroyed the men's gym there.

 ! On June 1, 2008, yet another fire destroyed part of the rebuilt Courthouse Square backlot and damaged the clock tower.

Real-life locations

Other real-life shooting locations of Hill Valley landmarks include:

Doc Brown House

Doc Brown House

Doc's house in 1955 is the Gamble House in Pasadena, California. Doc's garage in 1985 was a façade set up next to a Burger King on North Victory Boulevard in Burbank, California.

Twin Pines/Lone Pine Mall is actually the Puente Hills Mall in Industry, California.

Lone Pine Mall

Lone Pine Mall

Marty McFlys House

Marty McFlys House

Marty's Lyon Estates house in 1985 is actually at 9303 Roslyndale Avenue, Pacoima, California.

The 1955 Lyon Estates field is actually along farmland between the city borders of Chino, California and Corona, California.

Lyon Estates

Lyon Estates

Peabody on his Ranch

Peabody on his Ranch

Peabody's Twin Pines Ranch is really at Golden Oak Ranch, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company and used in many Disney productions.

·         The houses of George McFly, Lorraine Baines, and Biff Tannen in 1955 are all in South Pasadena, California.

The train that hit the DeLorean and the Futuristic Train was parked in Port Hueneme, California.

Delorean being hit by train.png

·         John F. Kennedy Drive is actually Victory Boulevard in Burbank, California.

·         The River Road Tunnel is actually Observatory Tunnel at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The actual tunnel is only a fraction of the length of the one depicted in Part II.

1885 DeLorean.png

The Pohatchee Drive-In Theater where Marty initially travels from 1955 back to 1885 was not a real theater. It was constructed full-scale for the third film in Monument Valley, Utah (near the Arizona/Utah border) and was torn down after that portion of filming was completed.

·         Marty's race with Needles was shot on Doris Avenue in Oxnard, California.

According to an 1885 railroad map in Back to the Future Part III, Hill Valley is located in Northern California in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Dialogue in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III places it in "Hill County", a fictional county in California.

Fictional history

The following information is taken directly from places and events shown or mentioned in the three films:

Early settlement

The town of Hill Valley is depicted as having been first settled in 1850 and incorporated in 1865.

By the 1880s, it was connected by railroad to San Francisco. Construction of a new county courthouse was well underway in 1885, the setting of Back to the Future Part III, in which a new clock was dedicated for the building.

 The Shonash Ravine Bridge was completed in the summer of 1886, around the same time the ravine was renamed Clayton Ravine in memory of Clara Clayton, a school teacher who died from falling into the chasm.

1885 Clock Tower Hill Valley.png
Clayton Ravine.png

However, in a revised timeline where Doc Brown saved Clara's life, the town renamed it Eastwood Ravine after Marty McFly's persona when it is believed that "Eastwood" fell into the ravine while trying to stop some train hijackers (who are really Marty and Doc).

Town square

By 1955, as seen in the first two Back to the Future films, the area around the courthouse has developed into the downtown of Hill Valley.

 In front of the courthouse is a grass-covered town square, with stores, two movie theaters (Essex and Town), and cafés on the surrounding streets.

 A key moment in the town's fictional history takes place on Saturday, November 12, 1955, at 10:04 p.m. PST, when lightning strikes the courthouse's clock tower, freezing the clock at 10:04.

Hill Valley lighting strike

Hill Valley lighting strike

The clock is never repaired and becomes a local landmark, left in its non-functional state at the behest of the Hill Valley Preservation Society.

Hill Valley Preservation Society

Hill Valley Preservation Society

 The broken piece of ledge from Doc Brown's successful attempt to channel lightning from the clock tower is likewise never repaired, as can be seen when Marty returns to 1985 and in 2015, but not in the Alternate 1985.

 In Marty's original timeline, many of the town square businesses have moved or closed down by 1985.

 The new businesses which replaced them include a second-hand shop, a yoga studio, and an adult book store.

The Essex movie theater now shows porno movies while the Town Theater is used for church services, and the courthouse is in a state of disrepair, and at night at least one homeless person (called "Red" by Marty) sleeps on the town square park benches.

 The grassy park outside of the courthouse has been converted into a parking lot. "That was always one of the major elements of the story even in its earliest incarnation," screenwriter Bob Gale says in The Making of Back to the Future, "was to take a place and show what happens to it over a period of thirty years.

What happened to everybody's home town is obviously the same thing. They built the mall out in the boonies, and killed all the business downtown, and everything changed.”

 By the 21st century, the downtown area has experienced a revival as the courthouse has been converted into the Courthouse Mall.

Hill Valley 2015

Hill Valley 2015

Businesses have begun to move back into and around the town square and the parking lot has been replaced by a pond.

The clock on top of the courthouse is still preserved at 10:04, and the mall's logo is an illustration of a lightning bolt striking the clock tower.

The Town Theater / Assembly of Christ building has been converted to an art museum with a mural painted on the front side of the building above the marquee.

Signs that say "Welcome to Hill Valley" are seen in 1955, 1985 and 2015.

Welcome to Hill Valley

Welcome to Hill Valley

Both 1955 and 2015 signs have symbols representing the RotaryKiwanis and Lions clubs. In addition, the 1955 sign has the logos of the YMCAJaycees, and Future Farmers of America while the 2015 sign has those of the Neighborhood Crime Watch eye logo and the 4-H Club clover logo.

 The "Welcome to Hill Valley" sign in 1985 does not contain any signage representing any clubs and mentions the name of Mayor Goldie Wilson.

 In the alternate 1985 Marty is seen walking over the sign, which has been knocked down and an 'E' has been spray painted over the 'I' in HILL VALLEY making the name HELL VALLEY. 

Welcome to Hell Valley

Welcome to Hell Valley

This sign does not display the name of the mayor but instead the words "A Nice Place to Live" as also seen in 1955. A sign referencing US Highway 395 is also shown next to the Town Square in 1955.

Hill Valley 1955

Hill Valley 1955

Hill Valley 1955

Hill Valley 1955

 Twin Pines Mall (Lone Pine Mall)

 Twin Pines Mall is a shopping center located outside Hill Valley, where Doctor Emmett Brown first tests his time machine, making his dog Einstein the first time traveler in the world.

Lone Pine Mall

Lone Pine Mall

The site where the mall was filmed for the movie is actually Puente Hills Mall, located in City of Industry, California. The J.C. Penney location seen in the movie had been shut down, and is now occupied by a 24 Hour Fitness center.

The mall's name changed to Lone Pine Mall after Marty went back to 1955, because he accidentally destroyed one of the two baby pine trees for which it was named as he fled an irate Old Man Peabody whose barn the DeLorean had crashed into upon arriving in 1955.

Peabody DeLorean

Peabody DeLorean

Peabody Pine Trees

Peabody Pine Trees

Time Machine on Peabody Farm

Time Machine on Peabody Farm

Time Machine lands in Peabody farm

Time Machine lands in Peabody farm

Alternate history

In Back to the Future Part II, a nightmarish alternate version of Hill Valley (dubbed 1985A by Doc) is depicted complete with a partial history. Due to the influence of the powerful and corrupt Biff Tannen, gambling was legalized in 1979. Tannen's toxic waste reclamation plants were built downtown, polluting the air and leading to pollution alerts to be issued.

All of the local businesses in the downtown area closed or relocated and were replaced with strip clubsporn theaters, and brothels. Tannen also bought off the police.

Hell Valley Biff Tannen

Hell Valley Biff Tannen

Consequently, crime increased and biker gangs settled in the city. Hill Valley's public schools burned down and the courthouse was converted into Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino and Hotel. The clock on the courthouse still remains at 10:04 although despite the damage the Doc did to the tower's platform in 1955, for whatever reason, it now seems to have disappeared.

Hill Valley Clock Tower

Hill Valley Clock Tower

Biff also murdered George McFly (Marty's dad) in 1973 so that he could marry George's wife Lorraine (Marty's mom) therefore making him a corrupt family man as well as town ruler. He also helped Richard Nixon remain President of the United States until at least 1985. Biff's effect on history affected the whole world – in this version of history, the Vietnam War was also still ongoing by May 1983.

According to the original script for Back to the Future Part II a partial view of the alternate 2015 was also to be depicted. By this time Biff now owns half the state of California with his influence having gained his son, Biff Jr., the seat of governor and they uphold their power and corruption with an army of large, powerful cyborg police officers.

Hill Valley Business

Many family businesses are passed down from generation to generation in Hill Valley. As a result, the city changes but remains similar from one generation to the next, as businesses are updated but rarely change. These recurring elements were a deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers.

The production designer of Back to the Future Part II, Rick Carter, is quoted in a DVD extra as saying, "The future is built on the present." Director Robert Zemeckis adds that the continuity between the different eras in Hill Valley's history is an example of the adage, "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

The following is a list of such places. When a place is not seen or mentioned in a movie, it is marked unknown. Some buildings shown in 1885 scenes are actually located further down the street in an area not shown in the first two movies.

 List of filming locations :

www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk




This is a list of known filming locations used in Universal Studios' Back to the Future trilogy.

PLEASE NOTE: Many of these locations are privately owned, and may be viewed only from a distance. Always respect the owners' privacy and property. Trespassing on private property is an offence — usually backed up with heavy fines for offenders — and to do so to take photographs is not encouraged.

Hill Valley location Real-world location

McFly residence (1985)     9303 Lyon Drive, Lyon Estates 9303 Roslyndale Avenue, Pacoima, California 91331 PRIVATE

McFlyResidence (2015)     3793 Oakhurst Street, Hilldale 3793 Oakhurst Street, El Monte, California 91732 PRIVATE Gated community

McFly residence (1955)     1711 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, California PRIVATE

Baines residence                                                                                                                                            1727 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, California PRIVATE

Mason Street house      Mason Street 1729 Bushnell Avenue (number unconfirmed), South Pasadena, CaliforniaPRIVATE

Tannen residence              1809 Mason Street 1809 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, California PRIVATE

Strickland residence         (1985-A) 12511 Bailey Street, Whittier, California PRIVATE

Parkerresidence                 (1985A and 1985) 161 N. Magnolia Avenue, Monrovia, California 91016 PRIVATE

Doc'sgarage and Burger King (1985) 535 North Victory Boulevard, Burbank, California PUBLIC

Courthouse Square Universal Studios Backlot PUBLIC

Universal Studios offers tours, most of lot burned

Lyon Estates entrance - (1955) Chino-Corona Road, Chino, California PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Gate access open only on weekends - Lyon Estates entrance (1985 and 1985A)

Sandusky Avenue and Kagel Canyon Road, Pacoima, California 91331 PUBLIC

Audition location for Battle of the Bands                                                        McCambridge Park Recreation Center, 1515 Glenoaks Boulevard, Burbank, California PUBLIC recreation center

Twin Pines/Lone Pine Mall Puente Hills Mall, 1600 South Azusa Avenue, City of Industry, California PUBLIC mall parking lot

Twin Pines Ranch Golden Oak Ranch Place Canyon Road, Newhall, California PRIVATE property of Walt Disney Company

Site of DeLorean Time Machine's destruction - South Ventura Road at Shoreview Drive, Port Hueneme, California PUBLIC street, best photos before 3:00 p.m.

Stairwell of Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel Universal City Hilton  - 555 Universal City Parkway,Universal City, California 91608 PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Access for hotel guests and paid parking only

5401 Olympic Los geles filming location  C A 90036 PRIVATE

Hilldale (1985) Doris Avenue and Oxford Drive, Oxnard, California PUBLIC

Public street, best photos before 3:00 p.m.

Hilldale (2015)                                                                                                                                                Oakhurst Street and Somerset Avenue, El Monte, California 91732 PRIVATE Gated community with NO TRESPASSING signs

The desert (Pohatchee Drive-In) Monument Valley, Utah, Navaho Nation Indian reservation PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Filming took place off roads in protected area

Hill Valley High School, Whittier High School, 12417 Philadelphia Street, Whittier, California PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Public high school, no access allowed during school hours

The exterior of Delgado Mine and Boot Hill Cemetery China Flat, Santa Monica National Recreation Area, Oak Park, California PUBLIC

Involves 40-minute hike to location from King James Ct in Oak Park (CA)

River Road Tunnel Observation Tunnel, Griffith Park, Hollywood, California PUBLIC In park

The exterior of Doc's Mansion and garage (1955) The Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, California PUBLIC Public tours available

The door and interior of Doc's mansion (1955) The Blacker-Hill House, 1777 Hillcrest Avenue, Pasadena, California PRIVATE

Private residence (rare 10-year tour possibly organized)

The interior of Hill Valley High School's gymnasium for Enchantment Under the Seadance

Hollywood United Methodist Church, 6817 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, California PUBLIC

Church usually public, but always ask permission first

The starting line, Griffith Park, across from the Greek Theatre PUBLIC street in public park

McFly Farm (1885) China Flat, Santa Monica National Recreation Area, Oak Park, California PUBLIC

Involves 40-minute hike to location from King James Ct in Oak Park (CA)

Hill Valley (1885), Near Sonora, California, about 6 miles west of Chinese CampPUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS

BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) is public, but Ed Moyle's airstrip is private property.

Shonash Ravine Bridge (1885) Near Sonora, California, about 6 miles west of Chinese Camp PRIVATE

Gated field. Always ask permission first.

Clara's house Tuolumne County PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Unpaved road

Buford Tannen's lake campsite, Near Sonora, California PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Unpaved road

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Credit to Fandom and https://www.wikipedia.org/

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Back to the Future Mark Elliott Back to the Future Mark Elliott

Hill Valley - ‘Back to the Future’ History

Learn all about Hill Valley as Featured in the Film Back to the Future.

Hill Valley 

 Is the fictional town in California that serves as the setting of the Back to the Future trilogy.

Hill Valley Clock Towner - Back to the Future set

Hill Valley Clock Towner - Back to the Future set

 In the trilogy, Hill Valley is seen in four different time periods (1885, 1955, 1985 and 2015) as well as in a dystopian alternate 1985.

 The films contain many sight gags, verbal innuendos and detailed set design elements, from which a detailed and consistent history of the area can be derived.

 The name "Hill Valley" is a joke, being an oxymoron. However, an early script for Back to the Future Part II mentioned that Hill Valley was named after its founder, William "Bill" Hill.

Production

For Back to the Future, the producers considered filming the town square scenes in the real city of Petaluma, California, but soon realized it would be prohibitively expensive and impractical to alter a real place to suit the different eras.

Instead filming was completed on the Universal Studios backlot, where they had more control. 

Hill Valley - Back to the Future set

Hill Valley - Back to the Future set

 The town square set, once called Mockingbird Square after the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird but now known as Courthouse Square, had been used for many films and television shows dating back to 1948's An Act of Murder.

One notable example is the very first episode of the sci-fi series The Twilight Zone, called "Where Is Everybody?" in 1959.

 The Hill Valley courthouse can also be found in the movies Bruce AlmightyGremlinsBye Bye BirdieSneakersThe Offspring's music video "Why Don't You Get a Job?", an episode of Major Dad entitled "Who's That Blonde" and even in an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Gremlins Set

Gremlins Set

Gremlins Cinema - (Remember the DeLorean crashing into it !)

Gremlins Cinema - (Remember the DeLorean crashing into it !)

 The clock tower itself was a removable addition, one of many ways in which the Courthouse building has been redressed over the years to suit the needs of a production.

 Many of the cars that appear in the 2015 scenes are either modified for the film or concept cars.

Hill Valley Sign 2015

Hill Valley Sign 2015

Hill Valley - No Landing.png

Examples include Ford ProbeSaab EV-1Citroën DS 21Pontiac Banshee ConceptPontiac Fiero and Volkswagen Beetle. Cars reused from other science fiction films include the "Star Car" from The Last Starfighter (1984) and a "Spinner" from Blade Runner (1982).

Griff's car is a modified BMW 633 (which was notably never in the convertible form seen in the film).

 For Back to the Future Part III, Hill Valley 1885 was filmed in Sonora, California. The producers were able to use the land rent-free under an agreement to leave the set buildings on site.

 All buildings except the clock tower were left intact after production completed.

 ! On November 6, 1990, an arson fire on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot destroyed much of Courthouse Square, the setting in which all the other time periods were filmed.

 However, the Courthouse itself survived the devastation and other facades were reconstructed.

 ! Another fire on September 6, 1997 again damaged Courthouse Square. Once again, the backlot facades were then rebuilt, with the exception of the facades used for Hill Valley 1885.

 ! On February 14, 1999 fire at Whittier High School, California, where some (mostly exterior) scenes were filmed, destroyed the men's gym there.

 ! On June 1, 2008, yet another fire destroyed part of the rebuilt Courthouse Square backlot and damaged the clock tower.

Real-life locations

Other real-life shooting locations of Hill Valley landmarks include:

·         Doc's house in 1955 is the Gamble House in Pasadena, California. Doc's garage in 1985 was a façade set up next to a Burger King on North Victory Boulevard in Burbank, California.

Doc Browns House.png

Doc Brown House

·         Twin Pines/Lone Pine Mall is actually the Puente Hills Mall in Industry, California.

Lone Pine Mall

Lone Pine Mall

·         Marty's Lyon Estates house in 1985 is actually at 9303 Roslyndale Avenue, Pacoima, California.

Marty McFlys House.png

Marty McFlys House

·         The 1955 Lyon Estates field is actually along farmland between the city borders of Chino, California and Corona, California.

Lyon Estates.png

Lyon Estates

·         Peabody's Twin Pines Ranch is really at Golden Oak Ranch, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company and used in many Disney productions.

Peabody on his Ranch

Peabody on his Ranch

·         The houses of George McFly, Lorraine Baines, and Biff Tannen in 1955 are all in South Pasadena, California.

·         The train that hit the DeLorean and the Futuristic Train was parked in Port Hueneme, California.

Delorean being hit by train.png

·         John F. Kennedy Drive is actually Victory Boulevard in Burbank, California.

·         The River Road Tunnel is actually Observatory Tunnel at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The actual tunnel is only a fraction of the length of the one depicted in Part II.

·         The Pohatchee Drive-In Theater where Marty initially travels from 1955 back to 1885 was not a real theater. It was constructed full-scale for the third film in Monument Valley, Utah (near the Arizona/Utah border) and was torn down after that portion of filming was completed.

1885 DeLorean

·         Marty's race with Needles was shot on Doris Avenue in Oxnard, California.

According to an 1885 railroad map in Back to the Future Part III, Hill Valley is located in Northern California in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Dialogue in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III places it in "Hill County", a fictional county in California.

Fictional history

The following information is taken directly from places and events shown or mentioned in the three films:

Early settlement

The town of Hill Valley is depicted as having been first settled in 1850 and incorporated in 1865.

1885 Clock Tower Hill Valley.png

By the 1880s, it was connected by railroad to San Francisco. Construction of a new county courthouse was well underway in 1885, the setting of Back to the Future Part III, in which a new clock was dedicated for the building.

 The Shonash Ravine Bridge was completed in the summer of 1886, around the same time the ravine was renamed Clayton Ravine in memory of Clara Clayton, a school teacher who died from falling into the chasm.

Clayton Ravine 1885

However, in a revised timeline where Doc Brown saved Clara's life, the town renamed it Eastwood Ravine after Marty McFly's persona when it is believed that "Eastwood" fell into the ravine while trying to stop some train hijackers (who are really Marty and Doc).

Town square

By 1955, as seen in the first two Back to the Future films, the area around the courthouse has developed into the downtown of Hill Valley.

 In front of the courthouse is a grass-covered town square, with stores, two movie theaters (Essex and Town), and cafés on the surrounding streets.

 A key moment in the town's fictional history takes place on Saturday, November 12, 1955, at 10:04 p.m. PST, when lightning strikes the courthouse's clock tower, freezing the clock at 10:04.

Hill Valley lighting strike

Hill Valley lighting strike

The clock is never repaired and becomes a local landmark, left in its non-functional state at the behest of the Hill Valley Preservation Society.

Hill valley Preservation Society.png

Hill Valley Preservation Society

 The broken piece of ledge from Doc Brown's successful attempt to channel lightning from the clock tower is likewise never repaired, as can be seen when Marty returns to 1985 and in 2015, but not in the Alternate 1985.

 In Marty's original timeline, many of the town square businesses have moved or closed down by 1985.

 The new businesses which replaced them include a second-hand shop, a yoga studio, and an adult book store.

The Essex movie theater now shows porno movies while the Town Theater is used for church services, and the courthouse is in a state of disrepair, and at night at least one homeless person (called "Red" by Marty) sleeps on the town square park benches.

 The grassy park outside of the courthouse has been converted into a parking lot. "That was always one of the major elements of the story even in its earliest incarnation," screenwriter Bob Gale says in The Making of Back to the Future, "was to take a place and show what happens to it over a period of thirty years.

What happened to everybody's home town is obviously the same thing. They built the mall out in the boonies, and killed all the business downtown, and everything changed.”

 By the 21st century, the downtown area has experienced a revival as the courthouse has been converted into the Courthouse Mall.

Hill Valley 2015

Hill Valley 2015

Businesses have begun to move back into and around the town square and the parking lot has been replaced by a pond.

The clock on top of the courthouse is still preserved at 10:04, and the mall's logo is an illustration of a lightning bolt striking the clock tower.

The Town Theater / Assembly of Christ building has been converted to an art museum with a mural painted on the front side of the building above the marquee.

Signs that say "Welcome to Hill Valley" are seen in 1955, 1985 and 2015.

Welcome to Hill Valley

Welcome to Hill Valley

Both 1955 and 2015 signs have symbols representing the RotaryKiwanis and Lions clubs. In addition, the 1955 sign has the logos of the YMCAJaycees, and Future Farmers of America while the 2015 sign has those of the Neighborhood Crime Watch eye logo and the 4-H Club clover logo.

 The "Welcome to Hill Valley" sign in 1985 does not contain any signage representing any clubs and mentions the name of Mayor Goldie Wilson.

 In the alternate 1985 Marty is seen walking over the sign, which has been knocked down and an 'E' has been spray painted over the 'I' in HILL VALLEY making the name HELL VALLEY. 

Welcome to Hell Valley

Welcome to Hell Valley

This sign does not display the name of the mayor but instead the words "A Nice Place to Live" as also seen in 1955. A sign referencing US Highway 395 is also shown next to the Town Square in 1955.

Hill Valley 1955.png

Hill Valley 1955

Hill Valley 1955

Hill Valley 1955

 Twin Pines Mall (Lone Pine Mall)

 Twin Pines Mall is a shopping center located outside Hill Valley, where Doctor Emmett Brown first tests his time machine, making his dog Einstein the first time traveler in the world.

Lone Pine Mall.png

Lone Pine Mall

The site where the mall was filmed for the movie is actually Puente Hills Mall, located in City of Industry, California. The J.C. Penney location seen in the movie had been shut down, and is now occupied by a 24 Hour Fitness center.

The mall's name changed to Lone Pine Mall after Marty went back to 1955, because he accidentally destroyed one of the two baby pine trees for which it was named as he fled an irate Old Man Peabody whose barn the DeLorean had crashed into upon arriving in 1955.

Peabody DeLorean

Peabody DeLorean

Peabody Pine Trees.png

Peabody Pine Trees

Time Machine on Peabody Farm

Time Machine on Peabody Farm

Time Machine lands in Peabody farm

Time Machine lands in Peabody farm

Alternate history

In Back to the Future Part II, a nightmarish alternate version of Hill Valley (dubbed 1985A by Doc) is depicted complete with a partial history. Due to the influence of the powerful and corrupt Biff Tannen, gambling was legalized in 1979. Tannen's toxic waste reclamation plants were built downtown, polluting the air and leading to pollution alerts to be issued.

All of the local businesses in the downtown area closed or relocated and were replaced with strip clubsporn theaters, and brothels. Tannen also bought off the police.

Hell Valley Biff Tannen.png

Hell Valley Biff Tannen

Consequently, crime increased and biker gangs settled in the city. Hill Valley's public schools burned down and the courthouse was converted into Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino and Hotel. The clock on the courthouse still remains at 10:04 although despite the damage the Doc did to the tower's platform in 1955, for whatever reason, it now seems to have disappeared.

Hill Valley Clock Tower.png

Hill Valley Clock Tower

Biff also murdered George McFly (Marty's dad) in 1973 so that he could marry George's wife Lorraine (Marty's mom) therefore making him a corrupt family man as well as town ruler. He also helped Richard Nixon remain President of the United States until at least 1985. Biff's effect on history affected the whole world – in this version of history, the Vietnam War was also still ongoing by May 1983.

According to the original script for Back to the Future Part II a partial view of the alternate 2015 was also to be depicted. By this time Biff now owns half the state of California with his influence having gained his son, Biff Jr., the seat of governor and they uphold their power and corruption with an army of large, powerful cyborg police officers.

Hill Valley Business

Many family businesses are passed down from generation to generation in Hill Valley. As a result, the city changes but remains similar from one generation to the next, as businesses are updated but rarely change. These recurring elements were a deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers.

The production designer of Back to the Future Part II, Rick Carter, is quoted in a DVD extra as saying, "The future is built on the present." Director Robert Zemeckis adds that the continuity between the different eras in Hill Valley's history is an example of the adage, "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

The following is a list of such places. When a place is not seen or mentioned in a movie, it is marked unknown. Some buildings shown in 1885 scenes are actually located further down the street in an area not shown in the first two movies.

 List of filming locations :

www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk




This is a list of known filming locations used in Universal Studios' Back to the Future trilogy.

PLEASE NOTE: Many of these locations are privately owned, and may be viewed only from a distance. Always respect the owners' privacy and property. Trespassing on private property is an offence — usually backed up with heavy fines for offenders — and to do so to take photographs is not encouraged.

Hill Valley location Real-world location

McFly residence (1985)     9303 Lyon Drive, Lyon Estates 9303 Roslyndale Avenue, Pacoima, California 91331 PRIVATE

McFlyResidence (2015)     3793 Oakhurst Street, Hilldale 3793 Oakhurst Street, El Monte, California 91732 PRIVATE Gated community

McFly residence (1955)     1711 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, California PRIVATE

Baines residence                                                                                                                                            1727 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, California PRIVATE

Mason Street house      Mason Street 1729 Bushnell Avenue (number unconfirmed), South Pasadena, CaliforniaPRIVATE

Tannen residence              1809 Mason Street 1809 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, California PRIVATE

Strickland residence         (1985-A) 12511 Bailey Street, Whittier, California PRIVATE

Parkerresidence                 (1985A and 1985) 161 N. Magnolia Avenue, Monrovia, California 91016 PRIVATE

Doc'sgarage and Burger King (1985) 535 North Victory Boulevard, Burbank, California PUBLIC

Courthouse Square Universal Studios Backlot PUBLIC

Universal Studios offers tours, most of lot burned

Lyon Estates entrance - (1955) Chino-Corona Road, Chino, California PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Gate access open only on weekends - Lyon Estates entrance (1985 and 1985A)

Sandusky Avenue and Kagel Canyon Road, Pacoima, California 91331 PUBLIC

Audition location for Battle of the Bands                                                        McCambridge Park Recreation Center, 1515 Glenoaks Boulevard, Burbank, California PUBLIC recreation center

Twin Pines/Lone Pine Mall Puente Hills Mall, 1600 South Azusa Avenue, City of Industry, California PUBLIC mall parking lot

Twin Pines Ranch Golden Oak Ranch Place Canyon Road, Newhall, California PRIVATE property of Walt Disney Company

Site of DeLorean Time Machine's destruction - South Ventura Road at Shoreview Drive, Port Hueneme, California PUBLIC street, best photos before 3:00 p.m.

Stairwell of Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel Universal City Hilton  - 555 Universal City Parkway,Universal City, California 91608 PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Access for hotel guests and paid parking only

5401 Olympic Los geles filming location  C A 90036 PRIVATE

Hilldale (1985) Doris Avenue and Oxford Drive, Oxnard, California PUBLIC

Public street, best photos before 3:00 p.m.

Hilldale (2015)                                                                                                                                                Oakhurst Street and Somerset Avenue, El Monte, California 91732 PRIVATE Gated community with NO TRESPASSING signs

The desert (Pohatchee Drive-In) Monument Valley, Utah, Navaho Nation Indian reservation PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Filming took place off roads in protected area

Hill Valley High School, Whittier High School, 12417 Philadelphia Street, Whittier, California PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Public high school, no access allowed during school hours

The exterior of Delgado Mine and Boot Hill Cemetery China Flat, Santa Monica National Recreation Area, Oak Park, California PUBLIC

Involves 40-minute hike to location from King James Ct in Oak Park (CA)

River Road Tunnel Observation Tunnel, Griffith Park, Hollywood, California PUBLIC In park

The exterior of Doc's Mansion and garage (1955) The Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, California PUBLIC Public tours available

The door and interior of Doc's mansion (1955) The Blacker-Hill House, 1777 Hillcrest Avenue, Pasadena, California PRIVATE

Private residence (rare 10-year tour possibly organized)

The interior of Hill Valley High School's gymnasium for Enchantment Under the Seadance

Hollywood United Methodist Church, 6817 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, California PUBLIC

Church usually public, but always ask permission first

The starting line, Griffith Park, across from the Greek Theatre PUBLIC street in public park

McFly Farm (1885) China Flat, Santa Monica National Recreation Area, Oak Park, California PUBLIC

Involves 40-minute hike to location from King James Ct in Oak Park (CA)

Hill Valley (1885), Near Sonora, California, about 6 miles west of Chinese CampPUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS

BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) is public, but Ed Moyle's airstrip is private property.

Shonash Ravine Bridge (1885) Near Sonora, California, about 6 miles west of Chinese Camp PRIVATE

Gated field. Always ask permission first.

Clara's house Tuolumne County PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Unpaved road

Buford Tannen's lake campsite, Near Sonora, California PUBLIC WITH RESTRICTIONS Unpaved road

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To find out more fun Future Facts by clicking our Blogs below……….!!! Please Share …..

Ghostbuster - Ecto 1

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/3/31/ghostbusters-ecto-1

Cars of Back to the Future

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/2/10/the-cars-of-back-to-the-future-55-

Back to the Future Fashion

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/2/19/back-to-the-future-fashion-te2yx

Ariel Leader

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/2/17/ariel-leader

Back to the Future - Hill Valley History

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/2/2/hill-valley-history-jxrr4

Back to the Future Gadgets and Trends we have in 2021

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/2/10/34-back-to-the-future-gadgets-and-trends

Doc Browns Biography and the History of his DeLorean Time Machine

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/1/26/doc-browns-biography-amp-history-of-the-time-machine

Marty McFly Biography also featuring Biff, George, Jennifer, Loranine

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/2/2/biography-marty-mcfly-michael-j-fox-biff-george-jennifer-loranine

Back to the Future - Hill Valley History

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/2/2/hill-valley-history

Back to the Future - Detailed storyline

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/1/24/back-to-the-future-detailed-storyline-

Back to the Future - How to generate 1.21 Giggawatts / Jiggawatts with Mr Fusion

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/1/25/great-scott-how-to-generate-121-giggawatts-jiggawatts-mr-fusion-

What is a Fat Bike ? And where did the idea of Fat Bikes come from ?

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/1/10/fat-bike-what-is-a-fat-bike-history

The Time Paradox explained - Back to the Future

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/1/16/time-paradox-explained-back-to-the-future

The Sinclair C5

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2021/1/9/sinclair-c5-

Mini Jeep Mini Review

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/minicoolsterjeepreview

Hoverboards - Back to the Future

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2020/12/13/hoverboards-

How does the Time Machine work - Back to the Future

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2020/11/22/how-does-the-time-machine-work

The DeLorean Motor Company - What did it fail ? Or did it ?

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2020/11/22/whydiddeloreanmotorcompanyfail

The DeLorean Motor Company - History

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/2020/11/22/deloreanmotorcompany

The Flux Capacitor - Back to the Future

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/fluxcapacitor

Is Time Travel Possible ? And what would it take ? Back to the Future

https://www.sandstoneproductions.co.uk/blogtothefuture/istimetravelpossible

Credit to Fandom and https://www.wikipedia.org/

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