The chime is associated with Back to the Future, the 1985 science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and followed by sequels in 1989 and 1990. Starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown, the series made time travel, the DeLorean and clock imagery instantly familiar in popular culture. Short distinctive tones from the films later circulated online as ringtones, notifications and editing stings, and this one endured because a single ring can suggest an idea arriving or a timeline shifting without needing any dialogue.