--- description: The Lion King and The Breakfast Club were among the 25 films to be preserved under the National Film Preservation Act for 2016. title: The Lion King Was Just Named to the National Film Registry image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30a24246c3a69154/6988b2e4bc6cfce6e43df950/princess_bride.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These 25 Movies Were Just Added to the National Film Registry by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 14, 2016 8:01 AM CUT  Westley (Cary Elwes) defends Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from Prince Humperdink’s henchman in "The Princess Bride." Westley (Cary Elwes) defends Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from Prince Humperdink’s henchman in "The Princess Bride."20th Century Fox by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 14, 2016 8:01 AM CUT The [Library of Congress](http://time.com/4148272/ghostbusters-and-top-gun-were-just-named-to-the-national-film-registry/ "undefined") had better make room for a stampede, because pretty soon there’s going to be an entire kingdom of animals. On Wednesday morning, the 1994 animated Disney classic [_The Lion King_](http://time.com/4511368/disney-lion-king-reboot/ "undefined") was among the 25 films added to the National Film Registry, bringing the number of total [films recognized](http://time.com/4596105/golden-globes-movie-nominations-surprises-2017/ "undefined") to 700\. Under the National Film Preservation Act, movies are only eligible to be preserved under the registry if they are at least a decade old and recognized in the National Film Preservation Board’s view as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The Librarian of Congress makes the calls, but the public can also nominate films for their consideration. _The Lion King_ was already on the brain as Disney announced this year that director Jon Favreau will tackle the animated favorite as a live-action film. The Registry also added the 1985 John Hughes coming-of-age classic _The Breakfast Club_. Modern moviegoers will likely recognize a number of additions, including _The Princess Bride_ (1987), _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ (1916) and Frank Capra’s _Lost Horizon_ (1937), while some—like _Steamboat Bill, Jr._ (1928)—will only ring familiar to the most dedicated film buffs. Other notable additions include the divisive 1969 cult classic _Putney Swope_; the 1991 feminist manifesto _Thelma & Louise;_ and _Paris Is Burning_, a 1990 documentary that explored drag ballroom dance culture through the eyes of New York City’s black and Latino LGBTQ community. Below is the full list of films newly named to the registry: _The Atomic Cafe_ (1982) _Ball of Fire_ (1941) _The Beau Brummels_ (1928) _The Birds_ (1963) _Blackboard Jungle_ (1955) _The Breakfast Club_ (1985) _The Decline of Western Civilization_ (1981) _East of Eden_ (1955) _Funny Girl_ (1968) _Life of an American Fireman_ (1903) _The Lion King_ (1994) _Lost Horizon_ (1937) _Musketeers of Pig Alley_ (1912) _Paris Is Burning_ (1990) _Point Blank_ (1967) _The Princess Bride_ (1987) _Putney Swope_ (1969) _Rushmore_ (1998) Solomon Sir Jones films (1924-28) _Steamboat Bill, Jr._ (1928) _Suzanne, Suzanne_ (1982) _Thelma & Louise_ (1991) _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ (1916) _A Walk in the Sun_ (1945) _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ (1988) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4600173/national-film-registry-announcement-2016-films/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4600173/national-film-registry-announcement-2016-films/"},"headline":"These 25 Movies Were Just Added to the National Film Registry","datePublished":"2016-12-14T08:01:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:17:40.263Z","description":"The Library of Congress announced a new list that includes \"The Princess Bride\" and \"The Lion King\"","url":"https://time.com/4600173/national-film-registry-announcement-2016-films/","keywords":["movies","History"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30a24246c3a69154/6988b2e4bc6cfce6e43df950/princess_bride.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ashley Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30a24246c3a69154/6988b2e4bc6cfce6e43df950/princess_bride.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Westley (Cary Elwes) defends Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from Prince Humperdink’s henchman in \"The Princess Bride.\"","caption":"Westley (Cary Elwes) defends Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from Prince Humperdink’s henchman in \"The Princess Bride.\"","creditText":"20th Century Fox","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4600173/national-film-registry-announcement-2016-films/","name":"These 25 Movies Were Just Added to the National Film Registry"}}]}] ```