Back to the Future Trivia

50+ Best Back to the Future Trivia Questions & Answers

Mike Oberman

Updated: August 22nd, 2023

Get ready to travel through time with Back to the Future trivia! Test your knowledge of the classic 80s movie trilogy and challenge your friends to see who knows the most about Marty, Doc, and their adventures through the decades

Film Details and Release Trivia

Question: What type of car does Marty use to travel through time?

Answer: DeLorean

Question: Who directed Back to the Future?

Answer: Robert Zemeckis

Question: When was Back to the Future released?

Answer: 1985

Question: Who plays Marty McFly in Back to the Future?

Answer: Michael J. Fox

Question: Where is Back to the Future set?

Answer: Hill Valley

Question: Who is Marty's friend and the inventor of the time machine in Back to the Future?

Answer: Doc Brown

Question: How many sequels does Back to the Future have?

Answer: 3

Question: Who composed the soundtrack for Back to the Future?

Answer: Alan Silvestri

Question: How many Academy Awards was Back to the Future nominated for?

Answer: 4

Question: What is the design on Doc's shirt in the second film and what does it foreshadow?

Answer: Cowboys on horseback and a train

Question: Who composed the soundtrack for Back to the Future?

Answer: Alan Silvestri

Question: What song does Marty play in his audition for Battle of the Bands?

Answer: The Power of Love

Question: This song is playing as Marty enters the Cafe 80s in Part 2?

Answer: Beat It

Question: What was the name of Marty's band?

Answer: The Pinheads

Question: Marty find himself trapped in what year?

Answer: 1955

Question: In 1955, people thought of Marty as a member of which military division?

Answer: Coast Guard

Production and Behind the Scenes Trivia

Question: Why does Doc have a distinctive hunched-over look in the film?

Answer: To compensate for the height difference between Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox

Question: Who worked together on the 1980 comedy "Used Cars"?

Answer: Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale

Question: How many times was the screenplay for "Back to the Future" rejected?

Answer: 40 times

Question: What was the issue with Robert Zemeckis as a director in getting "Back to the Future" made?

Answer: Not a superstar director

Question: Who suggested that Robert Zemeckis take on a work-for-hire gig to prove his directing abilities?

Answer: Steven Spielberg

Question: What movie did Zemeckis direct after "Used Cars" to prove his abilities as a director?

Answer: "Romancing the Stone"

Question: Why was Claudia Wells chosen to play Jennifer instead of Melora Hardin?

Answer: Hardin was replaced due to height concerns.

Question: Who was Robert Zemeckis' mentor and good friend?

Answer: Steven Spielberg

Question: What nationality were the terrorists who shot Doc Brown?

Answer: Algerians

Question: What did Doc Brown hit his head off when he invented the flux capacitor?

Answer: Sink in his toilet

Question: What was the name of the animal that was replaced by Einstein in the script?

Answer: The script originally had a chimp named Shemp

Question: Why was the decision to replace the chimp with Einstein a good one according to the script?

Answer: According to the script, films with chimps never do well.

Question: How many scenes in the film feature the same actor interacting with themselves?

Answer: 3

Question: How many boards does Marty ride, in the whole trilogy?

Answer: 3

Question: Exactly how many days, hours, and minutes did Marty stay in 1955?

Answer: 7 days, 16 hours & 4 minutes

Question: What is the status of "Back to the Future" in popular culture today?

Answer: Iconic movie and one of the most-popular films ever

Film Production and Effects Trivia

Question: What is the time period Marty travels back to in Back to the Future?

Answer: 1950s

Question: How many times was the Back to the Future script rejected before it was made into a movie?

Answer: 45 times

Question: Why did Disney's studio executives initially view Back to the Future as inappropriate?

Answer: The script was too raunchy

Question: Who was the original choice for Jennifer in "Back to the Future"?

Answer: Melora Hardin

Question: What is Melora Hardin now known for?

Answer: Jan from "The Office"

Question: Who was the first time traveler in the movie "Back to the Future"?

Answer: Einstein, Doc Brown's dog

Question: Who was the director of photography for the iconic moment in "Back to the Future"?

Answer: Dean Cundey

Question: What was the name of the company that did the visual effects for the film?

Answer: Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Question: What was the method used to create the effect of the DeLorean traveling through time?

Answer: Mix of practical and digital effects

Question: Was practical or digital effects mainly used in the creation of the iconic moment in "Back to the Future"?

Answer: Mix of practical and digital effects

Question: What was the technique used to superimpose the footage of the stunt man driving the DeLorean on top of the footage of the tyre tracks?

Answer: Footage superimposition

Question: What was used to create the flames that shot up the gasoline tracks?

Answer: Flames from burning gasoline tracks

Question: How was the impression of the flames shooting out from the car when it vanished achieved?

Answer: By using compressed air

Question: What was added digitally to create the effect of the DeLorean vanishing in the movie?

Answer: Lightning bolts and puffs of smoke

Question: How was the camera rigged for the iconic moment in "Back to the Future"?

Answer: Rigged to a dolly

Question: What was the film's main visual effects team's approach to creating the iconic moment?

Answer: Mix of practical and digital effects