Terminator 2 & Home Alone Just Received The Same Honor (On The Same Day)
Delving just beneath their respective surfaces, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Home Alone" are both stories about fighting off intruders, even if suburban burglary isn't quite as serious as traveling through time to ensure a robot apocalypse. Now, these two films share something else in common — the Library of Congress announced that they will be added to its National Film Registry.
The Library of Congress awarded this honor to 25 films this year. Other new inductees include Disney's "Lady and the Tramp," Madonna's breakout feature "Desperately Seeking Susan," Hot Topic aesthetic bible "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and the 2013 Best Picture winner "12 Years a Slave."
While there are plenty of reasons a film might be selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, "Terminator 2" and "Home Alone" again have more in common than might be apparent. Notably, both projects, after premiering in theaters less than a year apart, impacted blockbuster filmmaking significantly in their wake. Of course, the genres they influenced are relatively different from one another, but there are still plenty of family movies and sci-fi action spectacles produced to this day that can cite either title as inspiration.
The National Film Registry is dedicated to preserving history's most significant films
The announcement on the Library of Congress website of the 2023 inductees into the National Film Registry explains that its selections are "selected each year for their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation's film heritage."
This year's list reflects the work of a wide range of filmmakers. Some of its entries tell stories recounting experiences of immigration, social justice, political reform, and other topical subjects, the announcement goes on to read. The 2023 inductees are as follows:
- A Movie Trip Through Filmland (1921)
- Dinner at Eight (1933)
- Bohulano Family Film Collection (1950s-1970s)
- Helen Keller: In Her Story (1954)
- Lady and the Tramp (1955)
- Edge of the City (1957)
- We're Alive (1974)
- Cruisin' J-Town (1975)
- ¡Alambrista! (1977)
- Passing Through (1977)
- Fame (1980)
- Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
- The Lighted Field (1987)
- Matewan (1987)
- Home Alone (1990)
- Queen of Diamonds (1991)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- The Wedding Banquet (1993)
- Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994)
- Apollo 13 (1995)
- Bamboozled (2000)
- Love & Basketball (2000)
- 12 Years a Slave (2013)
- 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
The general public first nominates possible new additions to the National Film Registry. In 2023, 6,875 titles were up for consideration. From that pool, the Librarian of Congress selects each year's picks. "Home Alone" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day received considerable public support, according to the announcement. Now, each of these nominees will be preserved by the Library of Congress, raising the National Film Registry's total to 875 films.