It's the film that launched the career of fledgling actor Michael J. Fox, transforming him from small screen staple into certified m ovie star. This sci-fi classic also launched another show-stopper; the film made "DeLorean" a household name.

The Synopsis: Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is dealing with more than typical teen angst; bullied at school and misunderstood by his stuck-in-a-rut family, he aspires to greater things. When his friend, Dr. Brown (Christopher Lloyd), transforms a DeLorean into a time machine, Marty is beyond excited—that is, until a miscalculation sends Marty smack into the 1950s, where he accidentally prevents his then-teenage parents from having their first romantic encounter. Now, Marty’s in a race against time to correct his mistake before he ceases to exist, and to return to his own era without damaging more of his future. Oscar Winner for Sound Editing, nominated for Sound, Original Screenplay, and Song (The Power of Love" from Huey Lewis, who appears in the film as a band judge).

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Back to the Future

1. Back to the Future's clocktower climax was a nod to both Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo and the silent classic Safety Last! (starring Harold Lloyd).

2. Although the movie was widely adored after its 1985 release, the script had been rejected by every major studio just four years earlier.

3. Christopher Lloyd based his portrayal of "Doc Brown" on both Albert Einstein and conductor Leopold Stokowski.

4. Originally, "Einstein" was supposed to be a monkey, not a dog; Universal's president ruled that chimps were box-office poison.

5. The time-travel device was initially a refrigerator, not a DeLorean. Zemeckis and Gale changed the portal to a car for fear that children might emulate the film and become trapped in their own refrigerators.

6. Most of Michael J. Fox's daylight scenes were filmed on weekends. On weekdays, he was still rehearsing and taping Family Ties, so he shot most of Back to the Future on the late shift – from 6:30pm to 2:30am.

7. Then-president Ronald Reagan loved Back to the Future so much, he invited Michael J. Fox to dinner and even quoted the film's final line in his 1986 State of the Union address: "As they said in the film Back to the Future, "Where we're going, we don't need roads."

8. 6'1" Christopher Lloyd had to hunch over to fit into the camera frame next to 5'4" Michael J. Fox; if Lloyd hadn't stooped, his co-star would have been staring up at him in every shot.

9. After the film's release, the McFly® restaurant chain sued Universal for damaging their name. Said McFly president Jay Paul, "Our image is heroic, romantic and bold. The movie McFlys would be considered nerds by any stretch of the imagination."

10. Back to the Future revived skateboarding, a pastime that hadn't been popular for decades. Soon after the film's release, towns everywhere began passing skateboard safety laws due to a burgeoning generation of 'skate rats.'