Library of Congress Adds Clueless, Inception, and The Incredibles to National Film Registry

An influential 90's teen comedy, a landmark work of contemporary blockbuster cinema, and a modern animated classic are among the films selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry this year.

The Library of Congress announced its annual list of 25 additions on Jan. 29, with Clueless, Inception, and The Incredibles standing out as some of the most widely recognized titles in the 2026 class. The Registry, established in 1988, selects films deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” ensuring their long-term preservation as part of the nation’s audiovisual heritage.

Directed by Amy Heckerling, Clueless has endured far beyond its initial 1995 release as a defining portrait of American teen culture. Loosely inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, the film’s influence spans fashion, language, and the evolution of female-led studio comedies. Its inclusion reflects the Registry’s growing recognition of popular culture as a legitimate historical record.

Christopher Nolan’s Inception, released in 2010, represents a different kind of milestone: a large-scale, original studio blockbuster that combined commercial success with narrative ambition. The film’s complex structure and practical visual effects helped shape a decade of mainstream filmmaking and cemented Nolan’s reputation as one of the most influential directors of his generation.

Brad Bird’s The Incredibles, meanwhile, marked a turning point for Pixar Animation Studios. Released in 2004, the film pushed the boundaries of computer animation while offering a mature exploration of family dynamics, identity, and conformity beneath its superhero framework. Its selection underscores the Registry’s increasing attention to animation as a central component of film history.

The 2026 class also includes Julie Taymor’s Frida, a biographical drama about artist Frida Kahlo; Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, the first entry in his long-running trilogy with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy; and Lawrence Kasdan’s ensemble drama The Big Chill. Two Denzel Washington films were selected as well: Philadelphia (1993), which earned Washington an Academy Award nomination, and Glory (1989), for which he won his first Oscar.

Among the more crowd-pleasing inclusions is The Karate Kid, a defining 80's coming-of-age film. Actor Ralph Macchio, who starred in the movie, emphasized the importance of preservation in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Film preservation is so important because it keeps the integrity of cinema alive for multiple generations,” he said, adding that the Registry allows filmmakers and performers to pass that legacy forward.

The scope of this year’s selections spans nearly 120 years of filmmaking. The oldest title is The Tramp and the Dog (1896), a silent short once thought lost until it was rediscovered in Norway in 2021. The film, which features early slapstick elements and one of cinema’s first documented examples of “pants humor,” offers a rare glimpse into the medium’s earliest narrative experiments.

At the other end of the timeline is The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson’s meticulously crafted period comedy. Anderson has previously credited the Library of Congress’s Photochrome collection, hand-colored photographs from the turn of the 20th century, as a key visual reference for the film’s imagined European setting, making its inclusion particularly apt.

Additional selections include John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), which received the most public nominations this year; Stephen Daldry’s The Hours; Ken Burns’ debut documentary The Brooklyn Bridge; and The Truman Show (1998). The class also highlights music-focused documentaries, such as Say Amen, Somebody and The Wrecking Crew, recognizing their role in preserving American musical history.

To mark the announcement, Turner Classic Movies will air a special program on March 19 featuring select Registry titles. Jacqueline Stewart, chair of the National Film Preservation Board, will introduce the broadcast, continuing the Registry’s mission of connecting historical preservation with contemporary audiences.