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Emmett Brown

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Emmett Brown
Back to the Future character
Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown
First appearanceBack to the Future (1985)
Created byRobert Zemeckis
Bob Gale
Portrayed byChristopher Lloyd
Voiced by
In-universe information
Full nameEmmett Lathrop Brown
OccupationScientist
SpouseClara Clayton
Children
HomeHill Valley, California
NationalityGerman American
Time travel
Original time1985, 1955
Known years visited1885 , 1931, 1955, 1985, 1985A, 2015, 2015A

Emmett Lathrop Brown, commonly referred to as "Doc Brown", is a fictional scientist in the Back to the Future franchise. In Back to the Future, he introduces his friend Marty McFly to the DeLorean time machine that he invented using a DMC DeLorean. In Back to the Future Part III he builds another time machine using a steam engine locomotive.

The character is portrayed by Christopher Lloyd in all three films, as well as in the live action sequences of the animated series. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta in the animated series. The character's appearance and mannerisms are loosely inspired by Leopold Stokowski and Albert Einstein. He is of a benevolent mad scientist archetype, with his madness being visionary and eccentric enthusiasm rather than insanity or evil. He is the only character to appear in all Back to the Future media.

In 2008, Dr. Emmett Brown was selected by Empire magazine as one of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time, ranking at #20.[1]

Development

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Casting

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During development of Back to the Future, several actors were considered for the role, including John Lithgow. Jeff Goldblum auditioned for the part but lost out when Christopher Lloyd was cast as Emmett Brown.[2] Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh also recalled being approached by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg for the role, but turned it down because he was not interested in acting.[3] Producer Neil Canton suggested Lloyd to Bob Gale and Zemeckis, as he had previously worked with him on The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Lloyd initially turned it down as he was not familiar with Zemeckis, but was encouraged by his wife to reconsider.[4] Lloyd was significantly younger than his character, being 46 years old at the time of filming Back to the Future, so the makeup artists made him look older. The Back to the Future novels state that Emmett Brown was born in 1920, placing him at the age of 65 in 1985. The character's appearance was inspired by Albert Einstein and Leopold Stokowski.[5] Lloyd recalled discussing his inspirations with Zemeckis, after he was influenced by an album cover depicting Stokowski in front of the cosmos with white hair.[6]

Filming

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Filming for Back to the Future took place in late 1984 and early 1985 in a variety of locations. The scenes involving Doc Brown's 1955 mansion home, which in the film is located at the fictional address of 1640 Riverside Drive in Hill Valley, California, were shot at the Gamble House in Pasadena. The Gamble House's carriage house was used for Doc Brown's garage, which by 1985, has become his residence after the mansion is destroyed. The garage's exterior was replicated for the scenes. For the interior of his home, the Robert R. Blacker House was used for filming.[7] When Eric Stoltz was replaced by Michael J. Fox for the part of Marty McFly in the sixth week of filming, Lloyd was initially worried by the casting change, as he was concerned about having to reshoot the scenes.[8] Despite these reservations, he found that he had a natural chemistry with Fox that meant it was easy to work with him.[9] In Back to the Future Part III, Doc Brown develops a relationship with Clara Clayton in 1885, a character portrayed by Mary Steenburgen. Despite being an experienced actor of 15 years, Lloyd needed to speak to Zemeckis before filming a scene in which he kisses her, to explain that he had never before had an onscreen kiss.[10] Gale opined that Lloyd was effective in the part of a romantic male lead. Zemeckis said that during production of the first film, they decided to write a scene to explain Doc Brown's disinterest in women, in which he is forced to choose between a relationship and science and ends up choosing science. The scene was eventually left out of the second film. Zemeckis explained that the third film illustrates the character's growth from an eccentric to a man capable of falling in love: "he gets in touch with that boyish, romantic, innocent part of himself".[11]

Characteristics

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"Doc himself is a very positive person. He's always in crisis, he's always worried that he'll do something that might disrupt the space/time continuum, which would be a calamity for the entire universe. It weighs on his soul. So he constantly has to be one step ahead of himself — and he has a lot of fun doing it even though he gets himself in some nerve-wracking situations."

Christopher Lloyd discussing Emmett Brown[12]

Emmett Brown is a white-haired scientist who is called "Doc" by his teenage friend Marty McFly. Despite his many failed inventions, he successfully makes time travel possible, by building a DeLorean time machine out of a DMC DeLorean.[13] Gale stated that Doc Brown met Marty when the teenager was about 14 years old. Marty sneaked into Doc's lab after learning that he was considered a lunatic and was discovered there by Doc. Marty considered Doc to be cool and this resulted in Doc hiring Marty as his part-time lab assistant.[14] Despite being initially wealthy, Doc Brown's mansion was destroyed by fire, so he subsequently resides in the mansion's garage.[15] Doc's garage is packed with gadgets and he has an impressive clock collection. Although he is American and a baseball fan, Doc's father was German and his family name was Von Braun.[16]

Doc Brown's friendship with Marty is a central aspect of the film trilogy. Marty typically seeks out his friend each time he finds himself in a perilous situation, knowing that Doc will provide a solution. Doc not only takes the role of Marty's sidekick, but also provides much of the comic relief.[17] He is shown to be selfless by nature, often putting his life in danger to help his friend because he believes in doing what is right.[18] Whenever he makes a new discovery, he typically expresses his astonishment by exclaiming the catchphrase "Great Scott!".[19] Lloyd described Doc Brown as a positive character who is inventive and energetic. He said that he loved the character's passion and excitement in discovering new things.[12] Doc's positive influence on Marty encourages him to mentor his father George in 1955 and influence him into becoming a novelist, which in turn results in the success of the McFly family in 1985. This positivity is articulated in Doc's line, "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything", which Marty later repeats to George.[20]

Doc Brown is eccentric but also a genius.[21] He tells Marty that he invented time travel in November 1955 by accident. While trying to hang a clock in his bathroom by standing on the toilet, he slipped, banged his head and while he was knocked out had a vision of the flux capacitor, the component that makes time travel possible.[22] In 1985, he uses stolen plutonium to create a "nuclear reaction to generate 1.21 gigawatts of electricity" to power the DeLorean and enable it to time travel. Upon realising that plutonium is impossible to obtain in 1955, the younger Doc decides that the only other way to power the DeLorean is with a bolt of lightning.[23] When conducting his science experiments, Doc Brown often uses his pet dogs as test subjects. In 1985, he tests the DeLorean by sending his dog Einstein one minute into the future. When Marty meets up with the younger Doc Brown in 1955, his dog is named Copernicus and is used as a test subject for Doc's "brain wave analyzer". When Doc and Marty travel to 2015, he leaves Einstein in a "suspended animation kennel".[24]

When Doc Brown meets Clara Clayton in 1885, he finds romance with a character who is similarly eccentric and interested in science.[25] After having been left behind in 1885 when Marty departs in the DeLorean for 1985, Doc starts a family with Clara; the couple have two sons, Jules and Verne. He eventually builds another time machine out of a steam locomotive, completed it in September 1893,[26] and the Browns return to 1985 in order to pick up Einstein and meet with Marty again before setting out for another adventure.

Other Back to the Future appearances

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Doc Brown, as he appeared in Back to the Future: The Animated Series.
  • Back to the Future: The Animated Series, a sequel to the film trilogy, features Dan Castellaneta as the voice of Doc Brown, with Christopher Lloyd appearing in live-action segments.
  • Lloyd filmed new material for Back to the Future the Ride, directed by Douglas Trumbull. The ride serves as a sequel to the films, following Doc Brown and his founding of the 'Institute of Future Technology'. He invites tourists to embark on a time-traveling adventure in his newly made eight-passenger DeLorean. The ride was included on the first film's 2009 DVD re-release and on the trilogy's 2010 Blu-ray set.[27][28]
  • Doc Brown appeared in the Back to the Future comic series published by Harvey Comics, which detailed further adventures of the animated series.
  • Lloyd voiced Doc Brown in Back to the Future: The Game, developed by Telltale Games as a sequel to the film series.
  • Doc Brown appeared in the Back to the Future comic series published by IDW Publishing, which detailed Doc's and Marty's adventures before and after the events depicted in the films.
  • Lloyd reprised the role of Doc Brown in the 2015 direct-to-video short film Doc Brown Saves the World, which reveals that he has returned to his time at some point after the events of Back to the Future Part III and erased the future witnessed in Back to the Future Part II as the various inventions of that time led to mass obesity and Griff Tannen triggering a nuclear holocaust using a restored DeLorean time machine.
  • In February 2020, a stage musical adaptation of the first film premiered at the Manchester Opera House in the UK, starring Roger Bart in the role of Doc Brown.[29] The production was forced to close early due to the shutting down of performance venues at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,[30] but was revived for a West End run at the Adelphi Theatre from August 2021, with Bart reprising the Doc Brown role.[31] In 2023, Cory English took over the role at the Adelphi Theatre.[32] The show transferred to Broadway in June 2023, with Bart once again reprising his role as Doc Brown.[33]
  • In 2023, Lloyd appeared as Doc Brown in Busted's 20th Anniversary & Greatest Hits Tour.[34]

Other appearances

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Influence

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Rick Sanchez of the American animated series Rick and Morty (voiced by Justin Roiland) began as a parody of Doc Brown; in September 2021, Christopher Lloyd portrayed Sanchez himself in a series of promotional interstitials for the series' two-part fifth season finale, alongside Jaeden Martell as Morty Smith (also voiced by Roiland in the series), a character inspired by Marty McFly.[38][39][40] Addressing Roiland's and his own portrayals of Rick compared to Doc Brown, Christopher Lloyd stated "that he felt like Doc and Rick were like two brothers that took different paths".[41]

References

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  1. ^ "Empire's The 100 Greatest Movie Characters". Empire. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  2. ^ Evans, Bradford (2012-09-20). "The Lost Roles of 'Back to the Future'". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  3. ^ "Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh Was Almost Doc Brown in 'Back to the Future,' but Just Wanted to Score It". The Wrap - YouTube.
  4. ^ Lambie, Ryan (2015-07-10). "25 Things We Didn't Know About Back to the Future". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  5. ^ Austin, Henry; Russell, Tom (2022-07-18). "How Old Was Christopher Lloyd In Back To The Future?". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  6. ^ "Entertainment | Lloyd: `Back to the Future' still gratifying | Seattle Times Newspaper". The Seattle Times. 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  7. ^ Blake, Lindsay (2015-07-09). "Doc Brown's House from Back to the Future". LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  8. ^ Parker, Ryan (2022-01-31). "Christopher Lloyd Had Serious Reservations About Eric Stoltz's 'Back to the Future' Firing". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  9. ^ "Christopher Lloyd Was 'Worried' About Michael J. Fox Replacing Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  10. ^ "'Back to the Future Part III' at 30: 10 things you might not know about the sci-fi classic". uk.movies.yahoo.com. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  11. ^ Smith, Laurie Halpern (1990-05-20). "FILM; After 15 Years, a Kiss for Christopher Lloyd". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  12. ^ a b "Christopher Lloyd loves Doc Brown just as much as you do". Los Angeles Daily News. 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  13. ^ Lamont, Tom (2011-12-01). "My favourite film: Back to the Future". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  14. ^ "How Marty McFly Met Doc Brown". IGN.
  15. ^ Johnston, Rich (2015-11-11). "Doc Brown Didn't Burn Down His House For The Insurance In Back To The Future (SPOILERS)". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  16. ^ Parker, Ryan (2020-10-21). "'Back to the Future' Screenwriter Bob Gale Explains Doc's Denver Broncos Clock". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  17. ^ Furzan, Federico (2023-02-26). "Why Doc Brown Is One of the Greatest Movie Characters of All Time". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  18. ^ Crews, Dyler (2021-12-03). "Back To The Future: 10 Ways Doc Brown Is Actually The Main Character". CBR. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  19. ^ Press, Lindsay (2024-02-12). "10 Best Back to the Future Quotes For Instant '80s Nostalgia". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  20. ^ Silverio, Ben F. (2021-12-08). "Back To The Future Ending Explained: If You Put Your Mind To It, You Can Accomplish Anything". SlashFilm. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  21. ^ Iyengar, Rishi (2015-10-21). "Watch Doc Brown's Message for "Back to the Future" Day". TIME. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  22. ^ Barros, Marie (2022-11-07). "Back To The Future 3 Paid Off A Doc Brown Story (& Made A Plot Hole?)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  23. ^ "How Much Power Is 1.21 Gigawatts, Anyway? The Science Behind Back to the Future". SYFY Official Site. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  24. ^ Tombs, Jen (2023-09-17). "10 Clues Back To The Future's Real Villain Was Doc Brown All Along". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  25. ^ Ryan, Danielle (2024-01-24). "Great Scott! Could Back To The Future 3 Be The Best Back To The Future Movie?". SlashFilm. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  26. ^ Gale, Bob; Walser, Joe (2021). DeLorean Time Machine: Doc Brown's Owner's Workshop Manual. San Rafael, California: Insight Editions. ISBN 9781683836216.
  27. ^ "BTTF 2-Disc Special Edition DVD coming in February!". 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Universal [...] will be re-releasing the Back to the Future Trilogy on DVD this February as individually released editions. [...] The classic original film will be a two-disc special edition collection which also contains Back to the Future...The Ride[.]
  28. ^ Shaffer, R.L. (October 25, 2010). "Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 16, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2022. Classic extras include [...] the complete Back to the Future: The Ride simulation (right down to the lobby videos).
  29. ^ "Back to the Future musical sets date for world premiere in Manchester". BBC News. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  30. ^ "'Broken-hearted' Back to the Future producers issue statement on Manchester musical". Manchester Evening News. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  31. ^ "Back to the Future confirms new West End opening date". WhatsOnStage. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  32. ^ "Cory English to take over from Roger Bart in "Back to the Future the Musical" in the West End". 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  33. ^ "Casey Likes Will Star in Back to the Future On Broadway". March 1, 2023.
  34. ^ "REVIEW: Busted bring energy and nostalgia to Bournemouth in 'Greatest Hits' tour". 7 September 2023.
  35. ^ "Christopher Lloyd Suits Up as Doc Brown for Back to the Future Series: 'It Was Kind of An Adventure' (Exclusive)". Toofab. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  36. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (April 25, 2023). "Funko Fusion Teaser Features Properties Like The Thing, Child's Play 2, Jurassic World, And More". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  37. ^ Lawson, Sean (May 9, 2023). "Funko Fusion guide — every character and IP in the upcoming PS5 game". TrueTrophies. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  38. ^ Plante, Corey (26 April 2017). "'Rick and Morty' Exists Because Its Creators Are Huge Trolls". Inverse. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  39. ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (3 September 2021). "Rick and Morty…This Is Heavy". Gizmodo. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  40. ^ Guttmann, Graeme (5 September 2021). "New Rick & Morty Live-Action Clip Has Christopher Lloyd Eat a Pickle". Screen Rant. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  41. ^ Cummings, Paul B. (September 5, 2021). "Paul B. Cummings: "Chris said to me that he felt like Doc and Rick were like two brothers that took different paths. I thought that was a very interesting thing for him to say."". r/rickandmorty. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
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