After bombing a music audition, Hill Valley teen Marty McFly wonders if he'll become another McFly failure. At the mall, his much older scientist friend Doc Brown reveals a time machine he built from a DeLorean, set to travel back to 1955. After Libyan terrorists gun him down for stealing plutonium needed for the DeLorean, Marty takes off in it, hitting 88 mph and activates time travel. He arrives in Hill Valley 1955 and tracks Doc down, who informs him the only way to currently time travel is via lightning bolt, which coincidentally will occur in a few days at the courthouse. Meanwhile, Marty attempts to get his future parents together, which eventually happens at the school dance, where Marty shines playing guitar for an injured band member. When lightning strikes, Marty travels back to 1985 to save Doc, who padded himself with a bulletproof vest after reading a letter Marty wrote. Doc takes off for 2015 but soon returns to tell Marty and his girlfriend Jennifer they must travel with him to save their kids.
Back to the Future is hailed by many as one of the greatest films of the 1980s, maybe even of all time. It's difficult to imagine that the script was rejected 40 times. In one of the most famous recasts, Michael J. Fox assumed the role of Marty McFly after Eric Stoltz didn't quite work out. Fox filmed Back to the Future at the same time he filmed Family Ties, often leaving one set and heading directly to another. The recast paid off, as the movie was a box office success, earning 210 million and remaining #1 for several weeks. It was also well-received by critics. 80s powerhouse Huey Lewis and the News scored their first #1 hit with The Power of Love, which was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. Several video games were released in addition to an animated series and Back to the Future: The Ride opened at Universal Studios, further cementing the film in pop culture. It would make its way to Broadway as a musical in 2023. To no one's surprise, a sequel would follow, though not initially planned, as well as a third installment.
Back to the Future is also quite popular with filming location enthusiasts. I think it's safe to say the film is in most of their top 10 lists. That is partly why I have held off on visiting the locations for so long, as the movie has been covered quite extensively. But with the arrival of the 40th anniversary and attending a few cool events related to Back to the Future, I figured it was time.
Location: Doc Brown's Garage
Address: 535 North Victory Boulevard, Burbank, CA
A facade was built in the parking lot behind the Burger King...
Location: Hill Valley Town Square
Address: Courthouse Square - Universal Studios, Universal City, CA
This area was also used as Kingston Falls Town Square in Gremlins (1984)
Location: Hill Valley High School
Address: 12417 Philadelphia Street, Whittier, CA
Whittier High School
Location: Battle Of The Band Audition
Address: 1515 North Glenoaks Boulevard, Burbank, CA
McCambridge Recreation Center
Location: Lyon Estates Entrance 1985
Address: Kagel Canyon Street & Sandusky Avenue, Arleta, CA
Replicas of the Lyon Estates signs were displayed on the Universal lot for some time...
Location: The McFly House
Address: 9303 Roslyndale Avenue, Arleta, CA
Location: Twin Pines Mall
Address: 1600 South Azusa Avenue, City of Industry, CA
Puente Hills Mall
A replica of the Twin Pines Mall is located inside the mall...
Location: Twin Pines Ranch
Address: 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, CA
Disney Golden Oak Ranch
Location: Lyon Estates Entrance 1955
Address: 17545 Cucamonga Avenue, Chino, CA
The water tower can still be seen in the background...
Location: Lorraine Baines' House
Address: 1727 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, CA
Location: Doc Brown's House
Address: 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA
Location: George McFly's House
Address: 1711 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, CA
Location: The Enchantment Under The Sea Dance
Address: 6817 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
Hollywood United Methodist Church
Location: Start Here Line
Address: North Vermont Canyon Road, Los Angeles, CA
This is just up the road from The Greek Theater in Griffith Park...
The wishing well is located on the Universal lot off Amblin Drive near Steven Spielberg's office. Unfortunately it is not available to the public...
There's a fan meetup every October 25th at the Puente Hills Mall to celebrate the film. These are from the 2024 event....
The Hollywood United Methodist Church sometimes holds an Enchantment Under The Sea Dance, where it was originally filmed...
In the spring of 2025, Universal Studios Hollywood held Fan Fest Nights, an immersive experience of some of their properties, one being Back to the Future. Courthouse Square on the backlot was transformed into Hill Valley once again with decorations, reenactments and musical numbers...
