Two iconic Disney films were added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry as part of the 2019 class, according to Variety.
Sleeping Beauty and Old Yeller, two beloved Disney films from the 1950’s, received the honor on Wednesday. According to the National Film Preservation Board, the National Film Registry “is a list of films deemed ‘culturally, historically or aesthetically significant’ that are recommended for preservation by those holding the best elements for that film, be it motion picture studios, the Library of Congress and other archives, or filmmakers.”
Sleeping Beauty tells the story of Princess Aurora, who is cursed by Maleficent to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday. But when fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather manage to change the curse into a deep sleep, it’s up to Prince Phillip to stop Maleficent and break the spell.
Old Yeller, based on the book by Fred Gipson, tells the story of the Coates family, living in Texas in the late 1860’s. When father Jim (Fess Parker) encounters a stray dog, he names him Old Yeller and brings him home. The family falls in love with Old Yeller, but when tragedy strikes, son Travis (Tommy Kirk) will have to make a devastating decision.
Two other films added to the registry in 2019 also have Disney connections: Clerks, the 1994 comedy directed by Kevin Smith, was released by Miramax Films while they were owned by Disney (upon Disney’s sale of Miramax in 2010, they no longer own any rights to the film), and Boys Don’t Cry, a 1999 drama released by Fox Searchlight Films, which Disney acquired with 20th Century Fox earlier this year.
Other Disney films in the National Film Registry include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Cinderella, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Toy Story.
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Sleeping Beauty really is a masterpiece. The animation is so fantastically beautiful.