- This article is about the real-life entertainment franchise. For the film as seen in the Simpsons universe, see Back to the Future.
Back to the Future is an American science fiction/comedy movie trilogy that stars Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox. In the first movie, which appeared in 1985, eccentric scientist Emmett "Doc" Brown (portrayed by Lloyd) builds a time machine in a DeLorean sports car. By mischance, Doc's teenage friend Marty McFly (Fox) takes the DeLorean back in time to the year 1955 and must enlist the help of Doc's 1955 counterpart to return to 1985. The sequels, Back to the Future Part II and Part III, appeared in 1989 and 1990, respectively, and chronicle the further adventures of the duo in times ranging from 1885 to 2015, as well as an alternate history version of 1985.
All three movies performed very well at the box office. The franchise has also spawned an animated / live-action television series, comic books, video games, novelizations of the movies, and a Universal Studios theme park ride.
In the Simpsons universe, the Back to the Future franchise has been referenced several times in various media.
References
Television episodes
| Picture
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Season
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Episode number
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Episode name
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Reference
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8
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160
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"Lisa's Date with Density"
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In addition to being a wordplay on the expression "date with destiny", the episode title is a reference to the scene in the first movie where George McFly attempts to ask Lorraine out on a date. George mixes up his words and says to her, "My density has brought me to you" and "I'm your density", when he means to say "destiny".
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178
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"The Secret War of Lisa Simpson"
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Bart sneaks away from a school field trip at the Springfield Police Station and pulls a prank where he lines up a row of megaphones and speaks into the last one. The resulting blast of sound not only shatters windows all over town, but also sends Bart flying backwards across the room. In the opening scene of Back to the Future, Marty McFly turns Doc Brown's sound equipment to maximum volume, plugs in his guitar, strums a chord, and is sent flying backwards across the room by the force of the sound.
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10
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208
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"When You Dish Upon a Star"
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The time machine in Homer's movie script (The Terminizor: An Erotic Thriller) has a component which looks like the flux capacitor, a Y-shaped device which is the core component in Doc Brown's time machine.
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11
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243
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"Bart to the Future"
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Punned in the episode title. Also, the future Nelson Muntz bears a strong resemblance to Biff Tannen in the alternate history version of 1985 seen in Back to the Future Part II.
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13
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279
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"Half-Decent Proposal"
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In the first movie, shortly after Marty McFly arrives in 1955, he accidentally disrupts his parents' first meeting and later realizes that if he doesn't get them together, he will never be born. In "Half-Decent Proposal", Artie Ziff stages a re-creation of the senior prom, dances with Marge, and then kisses her. Homer watches through a skylight as the scene unfolds and laments, "If Marge marries Artie, I'll never be born!"
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19
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411
|
"That '90s Show"
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Marvin Cobain calling his cousin Kurt is a reference to the scene in Back to the Future where Marvin Berry calls his cousin Chuck and holds the phone toward the stage while Marty McFly and the Starlighters perform "Johnny B. Goode".
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24
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510
|
"Treehouse of Horror XXIII"
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The third segment, "Bart & Homer's Excellent Adventure", parodies the first movie. Professor Frink has built a time machine into a car, and Bart steals it and goes back to 1974 to buy a classic Radioactive Man comic book for its original cover price of 25 cents. While in the past, Bart disrupts Homer's and Marge's first meeting, which alters his own future as well, as Marge ends up marrying Artie Ziff. Bart decides he likes the change and wants to leave the new future as it is, but teen-aged Homer from 1974 and various other versions of Homer team up to try to change it back.
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26
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565
|
"Walking Big & Tall"
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While Bart and Lisa are working on Springfield's new anthem (Lisa playing her sax and Bart making armpit noises), Maggie dials on her toy phone, then holds it up to the music and smiles. Maggie's call is a reference to the scene in Back to the Future where Marvin Berry calls his cousin Chuck and holds the phone toward the stage while Marty McFly and the Starlighters perform "Johnny B. Goode".
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27
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580
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"Friend with Benefit"
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When the Simpson family left Jambowski Island, the movie was about to be shown in the island's swim-up movie theatre.
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585
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"Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles"
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Doc Brown and Marty McFly appear in the LA-Z Rider couch gag.
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Comic stories
| Picture
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Comic issue
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Story name
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Reference
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Simpsons Comics 36
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The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth
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When Doug meets with Troy McClure to work on making a movie with him, McClure gives his standard "You might remember me from such films as ..." introduction. However, Doug interrupts, says he knows McClure's entire filmography by heart, and rattles off a list of movies, including Back to the Sequel, a wordplay on Back to the Future.
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Chief Wiggum's Felonious Funnies 1
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Future Cop!
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In Chief Wiggum's dream of being a cop in the future, Marty McFly and his "clone-daughter" are hoverboarding in a town that resembles the Hill Valley of 2015, as seen in Back to the Future Part II. When Snake comes along and steals Marty's bitcoins, he is dressed like Griff Tannen.
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Later, as Wiggum and his partner are flying in their air car, Leeloo from The Fifth Element falls seemingly out of nowhere and lands on their windshield, then jumps onto the flying DeLorean with Doc Brown at the wheel.
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Books
| Account
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Date
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Tweet
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| ComicBookGuy
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July 23, 2011
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I have come to a conclusion: "Back to the Future Part III," though DEEPLY flawed, is still the finest movie ever made.
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Other
| Picture
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Source
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Reference
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The Simpsons Ride
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Doc Brown appears in the video shown to guests who are waiting in line to take the ride. Also, Professor Frink uses a DeLorean time machine to go back in time.
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Common Cast and Crew
Cast
Crew
External links
Back to the Future (franchise) at Wikipedia
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