History Creator / RobertZemeckis

** He was reportedly considered to direct ''The Flash'' for the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, but turned it down over scheduling conflicts. Ultimately, Creator/AndresMuschietti was hired instead.

* ''Pinocchio'' (TBA)

* UncannyFamilyResemblance: The ''Back To The Future'' sequels and ''Forrest Gump''.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: He and Creator/StevenSpielberg and writing-wise screenwriter Bob Gale are UsefulNotes/NewHollywood's answer to the shojo anime and manga industry's Creator/NaokoTakeuchi as their ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy had drawn comparisons with Takeuchi's ''Manga/SailorMoon'' (especially the [[Anime/SailorMoon first anime]]) for its tone, plot elements, being heavily visual-laden, character comparisons (an example would be the anime's lead Usagi's CharacterDevelopment to stand up for herself mirroring of that George [=McFly=]'s CharacterDevelopment in the first film, while both Minako and Marty [=McFly=] have dreams to become stars in the music industry), both projects' humble beginnings that traced back to Naoko's and Gale's personal family lives (Naoko WriteWhoYouKnow in regards to Usagi's family based on her own and Rei being a miko taken from her own miko experience, while Bob's InspirationForTheWork was from looking at his dad's old high school yearbook) and how both franchises made an impact to the pop cultural lexicon. The film franchise's time machine being a CoolCar built from a [=DeLorean=] sports car can also connect to Naoko's AuthorAppeal of featuring racing sports cars in her works. The melody of the iconic song "Moonlight Legend" even can [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong sound similar]][[invoked]] to composer Music/AlanSilvestri's equally iconic theme to the films.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: He and Creator/StevenSpielberg and writing-wise screenwriter Bob Gale are UsefulNotes/NewHollywood's answer to the shojo anime and manga industry's Creator/NaokoTakeuchi as their ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy'' had drawn comparisons with Takeuchi's ''Manga/SailorMoon'' (especially the [[Anime/SailorMoon first anime]]) for its tone, plot elements, being heavily visual-laden, character comparisons (an example would be the anime's lead Usagi's CharacterDevelopment to stand up for herself mirroring of that George [=McFly=]'s CharacterDevelopment in the first film, while both Minako and Marty [=McFly=] have dreams to become stars in the music industry), both projects' humble beginnings that traced back to Naoko's and Gale's personal family lives (Naoko WriteWhoYouKnow in regards to Usagi's family based on her own and Rei being a miko taken from her own miko experience, while Bob's InspirationForTheWork was from looking at his dad's old high school yearbook) and how both franchises made an impact to the pop cultural lexicon. The film franchise's time machine being a CoolCar built from a [=DeLorean=] sports car can also connect to Naoko's AuthorAppeal of featuring racing sports cars in her works. The melody of the iconic song "Moonlight Legend" even can [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong sound similar]][[invoked]] to composer Music/AlanSilvestri's equally iconic theme to the films.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: He and Creator/StevenSpielberg and writing-wise screenwriter Bob Gale are UsefulNotes/NewHollywood's answer to the shojo anime and manga industry's Creator/NaokoTakeuchi as their 'Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy'' had drawn comparisons with Takeuchi's Manga/SailorMoon'' (especially the [[Anime/SailorMoon first anime]]) for its tone, plot elements, being heavily visual-laden, character comparisons (an example would be the anime's lead Usagi's CharacterDevelopment to stand up for herself mirroring of that George [=McFly=]'s CharacterDevelopment in the first film, while both Minako and Marty [=McFly=] have dreams to become stars in the music industry), both projects' humble beginnings that traced back to Naoko's and Gale's personal family lives (Naoko WriteWhoYouKnow in regards to Usagi's family based on her own and Rei being a miko taken from her own miko experience, while Bob's InspirationForTheWork was from looking at his dad's old high school yearbook) and how both franchises made an impact to the pop cultural lexicon. The film franchise's time machine being a CoolCar built from a [=DeLorean=] sports car can also connect to Naoko's AuthorAppeal of featuring racing sports cars in her works. The melody of the iconic song "Moonlight Legend" even can [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong sound similar]][[invoked]] to composer Music/AlanSilvestri's equally iconic theme to the films.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: In his earlier works, some shots will linger on one or more characters talking or doing something while there's activity among others in the background that they usually aren't aware of.

* CareerResurrection: Zig-zagged: his MotionCapture films barely made a dent in his career, but his critical feedback improved immensely after ''Film/{{Flight}}''. However the following three films he made all tanked at the box office putting him on the back foot again. In spite of this he's still slated to direct two big upcoming films, ''The King'', a biopic about Kamehameha the Great, the first monarch to unify the Hawaiian Islands into a single Kingdom and a live action/CGI remake of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' which could revive his career.
* CreatorKiller: While ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' didn't damage his career (as the critical acclaim of ''Film/{{Flight}}'' can attest to), it did lead to the closure of Image Movers Studio and convince him to return to live-action. After both ''Film/TheWalk'' and ''Film/{{Allied}}'' bombed, ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'' might be this for him as an original theatrical filmmaker after it tied for the worst opening weekend of the year and is on course to lose the studio $60 million. (His next two films both went to [[Creator/HBOMax streaming]] [[Creator/DisneyPlus services]].) Having said that, as mentioned above he's still slated to direct two big upcoming films, ''The King'', a biopic about Kamehameha the Great, the first monarch to unify the Hawaiian Islands into a single Kingdom and a live action/CGI remake of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' which could revive his career.

* CareerResurrection: Zig-zagged: his MotionCapture films barely made a dent in his career, but his critical feedback improved immensely after ''Film/{{Flight}}''. However the following three films he made all tanked at the box office putting him on the back foot again.
* CreatorKiller: While ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' didn't damage his career (as the critical acclaim of ''Film/{{Flight}}'' can attest to), it did lead to the closure of Image Movers Studio and convince him to return to live-action. After both ''Film/TheWalk'' and ''Film/{{Allied}}'' bombed, ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'' might be this for him as an original theatrical filmmaker after it tied for the worst opening weekend of the year and is on course to lose the studio $60 million. (His next two films both went to [[Creator/HBOMax streaming]] [[Creator/DisneyPlus services]].)

At the TurnOfTheMillennium, Zemeckis made several animated films with [[MotionCapture performance capture]] technology, giving us ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf|2007}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{A Christmas Carol|2009}}''. Responses to these films are mixed, mostly due to how [[UncannyValley disturbing they all looked]], and this phase of his career is now considered his DorkAge. After the [[BoxOfficeBomb box office cataclysm]] that was ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' [[CreatorKiller caused his studio to shut down]], he then had to head back to live-action cinema. In 2012 he released ''Film/{{Flight}}'' starring Creator/DenzelWashington, his first live-action movie in 12 years (and his first R-rated movie as a director since 1980's ''Used Cars'' - The Bobs' script ''The Looters'', written in the pre-[=McFly=] era, was made by Creator/WalterHill Hill in 1992 as ''Trespass''). It was a critical and commercial success, and helped usher in a CareerResurrection.

* CreatorKiller: While ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' didn't damage his career (as the critical acclaim of ''Film/{{Flight}}'' can attest to), it did lead to the closure of Image Movers Studio and convince him to return to live-action. After both ''Film/TheWalk'' and ''Film/{{Allied}}'' bombed, ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'' might be this after it tied for the worst opening weekend of the year and is on course to lose the studio $60 million.

''Film/{{Allied}}'' starring Creator/BradPitt and Creator/MarionCotillard was released in 2016. His most recent film, ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'', starring Creator/SteveCarell was released in December 2018, while his next film, an adaptation of ''Literature/TheWitches'', starring Creator/AnneHathaway and Creator/ChrisRock, was released in October 2020. He is also attached to direct the sci-fi film ''Steel Soldiers'' and a remake of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}''.

''Film/{{Allied}}'' starring Creator/BradPitt and Creator/MarionCotillard was released in 2016. His most recent film, ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'', starring Creator/SteveCarell was released in December 2018, while his next film, an adaptation of ''Literature/TheWitches'', starring Creator/AnneHathaway and Creator/ChrisRock, will be released in October 2020. He is also attached to direct the sci-fi film ''Steel Soldiers'' and a remake of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}''.

Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is the Academy Award-winning director of the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy, ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' and ''Film/ForrestGump''. He started off as a protégé of Creator/StevenSpielberg in TheSeventies. Zemeckis and his writing partner Bob Gale ([[ThoseTwoGuys they were collectively known as The Bobs]]) wrote several cult films which flopped during this time, including ''Film/IWannaHoldYourHand'' (directed by Zemeckis), ''[[Film/NineteenFortyOne 1941]]'' (directed by Spielberg), and ''Film/UsedCars'' (directed by Zemeckis).

* ''Literature/TheWitches'' (2020)

* ''Literature/TheWitches'' (2021)

* ''Literature/TheWitches'' (2020)
* ''Pinocchio'' (2020)

Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is the Academy Award-winning director of the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy, ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' and ''Film/ForrestGump''. He started off as a protégé of Creator/StevenSpielberg in TheSeventies. Zemeckis and his writing partner Bob Gale (they were collectively known as The Bobs) wrote several cult films which flopped during this time, including ''Film/IWannaHoldYourHand'' (directed by Zemeckis), ''[[Film/NineteenFortyOne 1941]]'' (directed by Spielberg), and ''Film/UsedCars'' (directed by Zemeckis).

* ThoseTwoGuys: With co-writer Bob Gale, they were known for as "The Bobs" for awhile.

[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robert-zemeckis.jpg]]

''Film/{{Allied}}'' starring Creator/BradPitt and Creator/MarionCotillard was released in 2016. His most recent film, ''Film/WelcomeToMarwen'', starring Creator/SteveCarell was released in December 2018, while his next film, an adaptation of ''Literature/TheWitches'', starring Creator/AnneHathaway and Creator/ChrisRock, will be released in October 2020. He is also attached to direct the sci-fi film ''Steel Soldiers''. A release date for that film has yet to be announced.

''Film/{{Allied}}'' starring Creator/BradPitt and Creator/MarionCotillard was released in 2016. His most recent film, ''Film/WelcometoMarwen'', starring Creator/SteveCarell was released in December 2018, while his next film, an adaptation of ''Literature/TheWitches'', starring Creator/AnneHathaway and Creator/ChrisRock, will be released in October 2020. He is also attached to direct the sci-fi film ''Steel Soldiers''. A release date for that film has yet to be announced.

''Film/{{Allied}}'' starring Creator/BradPitt and Creator/MarionCotillard was released in 2016. His next film, ''Welcome to Marwen'', starring Creator/SteveCarell was released in December 2018. He is also attached to direct the sci-fi film ''Steel Soldiers''. A release date for that film has yet to be announced.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Some shots will linger on one or more characters talking or doing something while there's activity among others in the background that they usually aren't aware of.

* ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms) (2011) (producer)

* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' (1989)
* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'' (1990)

* ''Literature/TheWitches'' (TBA)

* GenreRoulette: Action-adventure (''Romancing the Stone'', ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''), comedy (''I Wanna Hold Your Hand'', ''Used Cars''), science fiction (''Back to the Future'', ''Contact''), fantasy (''Beowulf''), horror and BlackComedy (''Death Becomes Her'', ''What Lies Beneath''), drama (''Forrest Gump'', ''Cast Away'', ''Flight''), biopic (''The Walk''), espionage thriller (''Allied''), holiday (''The Polar Express'', ''A Christmas Carol''). A lot of the time, he'll actually [[GenreBusting fuse many genres]] into one movie.

Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is the Academy Award-winning director of the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy, ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' and ''Film/ForrestGump''. He started off as a protégé of Creator/StevenSpielberg in TheSeventies. Zemeckis and his writing partner Bob Gale (they were collectively known as The Bobs) wrote several cult films which flopped during this time, including ''Film/IWannaHoldYourHand'' (directed by Zemeckis), ''[[Film/NineteenFortyOne 1941]]'' (directed by Spielberg), and ''Used Cars'' (directed by Zemeckis).

* ''Used Cars'' (1980)