32 years ago, the greatest time travel film of all time was released. That film was Back To The Future. In 2017, it is hard to imagine anyone over the age of 21 that have not seen this film. It has left an impact on film that will never be forgotten. From my first experience watching the film, I was taken back by not just the film itself but by its casting. A film that simply was almost cast perfectly and is shown by the end product.
At this year’s Rhode Island Comic Con, Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson took the main stage in a panel where they looked back at not only their time on set but other projects in their careers. The panel kicked off with a standing ovation from the crowd who were all in excitement with the appearance of the duo. Tom Wilson spoke about being intimidated by Christopher Lloyd early on in production. Despite the fact that they had little time on screen together until Back To The Future Part III, Wilson’s intimidation stemmed from Lloyd’s work throughout his career.
The duo continued on about their time together working on Back To The Future: The Ride which was located at both Universal Studios: Florida and Hollywood. From personal experience, the ride was one of the highlights of the park; from its queue to the ride, it truly was an experience for park goers. Wilson spoke about Doug Trumbull’s work on the theme park attraction. I was surprised to hear that Trumbull also worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film that is quite possibly one of the greatest films ever made. Wilson continued on by revealing that the model for the ride was built in straight line angles so when projected on the dome, the ride would appear straight.
Lloyd spoke about his time working on Dennis The Menace, Who Framed Rodger Rabbit, and Clue in which Wilson jokingly revealed that he has been cast in the film version of Parchisi. Lloyd spoke about how he felt about working as the villain in Menace and Rabbit. However, out of all his outside projects he spoke about, I was most intrigued by his talk about John Belushi and working with him. Of Belushi, Lloyd stated that he gave is all and spoke about his dedication to the film.
Earlier on, I mentioned how Back To The Future was almost perfectly cast. I say almost because Michael J. Fox was not the original Marty Mcfly. Tom Wilson spoke about being worried fearful that he would lose his job after Eric Stoltz was fired from the film. He revealed that Bob Gale asked to speak to him which added to his fear. Gale eventually told Wilson that he had to recast Mcfly and if Wilson would be ok with reshooting all his scenes.
All and all, it was a fun experience watching two men who represented my childhood. Back To The Future is not only the greatest time travel film of all time but one of my favorite films of all time. A weekend full of childhood memories rehashed was bookended by watching Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson in all their glory.
