Back To The Future Replaced Christopher Lloyd As Doc Brown After Part 3, And You Definitely Know The Actor

In regards to the role of Doc Brown in theBack to the Futuremovies, Christopher Lloyd had a rather unexpected successor. This came in the form of Dan Castellaneta, one of the most recognizable voices in the world. Even those who haven’t seen the long-running animated sitcom in full have likely heard his voice at some point or another. What many don’t know, though, is that Dan Castellaneta has a connection to another iconic franchise that started in the ’80s.Back to the Future, one of thebest feel-good movies of the 1980s, introduced the world to Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown, who Castellaneta would later be connected to.

Chrstopher Lloyd famously portrayed the science fiction icon three times on the big screen, with his character’s journey taking him all sorts of places, including to the Wild West in the final movie. This particular stop inBack to the Future Part IIIwas seemingly revisited with Lloyd’s shock return to the role inA Million Ways to Die in the West,which amounted to one of thebest surprise movie cameosever. The cameo came after a long break in playing the character, but that’s not to say Brown wasn’t around - interestingly, he was voiced by Dan Castellaneta in the 1980s.

Marty and Doc in Back to the Future: The Animated Series

Dan Castellaneta Voiced Doc Brown In Back To The Future: The Animated Series

The Show Ran For 2 Seasons From 1991 To 1992

At the end ofBack to the Future Part III, Doc Brown, despite initially deciding to stay back in 1885, shows up in 1985 with a new time machine, built out of a train. While that is the last scene in the trilogy, it’s not the last time Doc and Marty have gone on an adventure together. Just a year after the release ofBack to the Future Part III,Back to the Future: The Animated Seriesaired its first season, continuing the story from Doc’s perspective.

The few live-action segments in the animated show still feature Christopher Lloyd as the beloved character, so it’s forgivable if viewers assume Lloyd voices the character in the show. However, it’s actually Dan Castellaneta’s voice that we hear as the animated Doc. The actor, whohad already debuted as the voice of Homer Simpson in 1989, gives a chameleonic performance as Doc, making it hard to differentiate his voice from the voice and accent associated with the character, thanks to Lloyd’s iconic performance in the trilogy.

Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown in Back to the Future

Back To The Future’s Animated Sequel Series Made Doc Brown The Main Character

He Was A Supporting Character In The Trilogy

While Doc Brown plays a major role in the events in theBack to the Futuretrilogy, he’s mostly a supporting character, and the most important secondary character. Marty McFly is the protagonist through whose eyes we see the story unfold in the movies, which is why his love for rock and roll makesBack to the Futureamemorable 1980s movie associated with one song. However, the animated series flips the script on the dynamic between him and Doc.

While it is technically not canon, the animated series serves as a sequel because it picks up where the trilogy left off, and Christopher Lloyd reprising his role for the live-action segments further legitimizes the show as a continuation of sorts.

Back to the Future (1985) Movie Poster

Doc Brown is the protagonist ofBack to the Future: The Animated Series. While Marty and his girlfriend Jennifer appear in some of the episodes, the animated show primarily focuses on Doc and his family, detailing the wacky adventures he takes his family on. Moreover, making Marty a side character introduced a new interesting dynamic for Doc, asBill Nye appears as his sidekick and lab assistantin the live-action sequences in the show. The chemistry between Lloyd and Nye as partners helped create many viewers' perfect introduction to Bill Nye.