'Back to the Future II' Designer Reveals Treasure Trove of Forgotten Concept Art
Designer Edward Eyth's 20-year-old concepts don't exist yet, but that doesn't mean we're not still waiting for rehydrated pizza, robo-nannies, and automated chefs.
Virtual 3D Headsets, Universal Pictures/Edward Eyth, Images via.If Back to the Future II was some sort of spacetime-defying documentary, then this year we'd be able to expect a slew of technological miracles like robotic nannies, shrink-to-fit jackets, and pizza rehydrators. Unfortunately it's fiction, save for the few real-life inventions the franchise predicted would be real by 2015, including fingerprint scanners, power-tied Nikes, and hoverboards. A small consolation lies in the intricate concept art that designer Edward Eyth just released to the public, 24 years after Back to the Future II's debut.
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The Oculus Rift-like "holo-viewers," smartwatch-like wrist communicators, and spectrum of specialized vending machines that helped Back to the Future II capture generations of devoted fans required a whole lot of detail work on the part of its artists, Eyth included. Many of the images come complete with descriptions of how the devices operate, along with several angles that capture the width and breadth of the ideas. Director Robert Zemeckis nixed many fictional technologies that didn't feel right for his vision, including a giant aquarium for raising and catching live fish.“We were highly motivated to make it so we didn't look like fools in 25 years,” Eyth told Newsweek. “We knew that when we see movies like Metropolis, when they're speculating about the future, it can be so far off. We weren't that far off, I guess, on a number of occasions.”Eyth held onto the concept art from Back to the Future II for over two decades before deciding to publish several alongside his Newsweek interview. Many more designs are now available on the artist's website. Check out a few below:
_Wall Mounted Touch ID and Fax Machine, _Universal Pictures/Edward Eyth__
_Wrist Communicator and Micro Disk Player, _Universal Pictures/Edward Eyth__
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