Cosplay Catwalk

STARBURST: Tell us about your fascination with Marty McFly and BTTF…

 

Shannon: I wasn’t fortunate enough to grow up with Back to the Future. I wasn’t even alive when the movie came out, I was born in 1990! I was going through a bit of a rough time, and my friends suggested that we all sit down and enjoy a movie together. After flipping through our options, one of my friends suggested Back to the Future. When I replied that I had never seen it, I was rightfully met with looks of horror, disbelief, bewilderment, and shame. And just like that, something clicked. Not a quiet sound, but a prominent echo that resonated in my very soul.

- Martin Unsworth

What was the best experience you’ve had as Marty?

In 2015, it was announced that an immense Back to the Future celebration would be taking place in October to commemorate a date of great importance in Back to the Future history: October 21st, 2015. Future Day, the date that Doc and Marty travel to in Back to the Future

Part II. Secretly, my friends had raised enough money for me to go the event as they knew how much it meant to me.

At the celebration at Universal Studios in Hollywood, the atmosphere was full of excitement. We hopped on the trams, and took the back lot tour with a very special stop. We rounded a corner and suddenly we were in Hill Valley. We got off the trams, and had time to walk around the lot, taking everything in. Looking up at the clock tower for the first time on October 21st was one of my absolute favourite experiences. Unforgettable. I was standing in Hill Valley, California on October 21st, 2015 at the world’s largest Back to the Future event ever. I felt like I was dreaming! It was so surreal to be in the real location, and knowing your way around simply from watching the movie. There’s nowhere else I would have rather been on that day.

On Day Two, we spent the day in Fillmore, California, which had been transformed into our own Hill Valley. The DeLorean, Marty’s 4x4, and even a 2015 police cruiser lined the streets. Oliver and Terry had their time machine on the train tracks that ran through town, a replica clock was mounted above City Hall, the band was playing, and there were cosplayers everywhere. It was like seeing a real functional Hill Valley! We were free to roam the entire day. Cranes were even set up to give people hoverboard rides, using the same method they used during filming! The day concluded with an outdoor showing of Back to the Future Part III.