'Forrest Gump,' 'Bambi' added to National Film Registry

Tom Hanks' "Forrest Gump" will live on as a cultural treasure in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

The 1994 film is among the 25 movies that have been selected for 2011, bringing the grand total of movies preserved there to 575. This year's list includes movies made between 1912 and 1994, and runs the gamut from documentaries and home movies to animation and avant-garde shorts, the National Film Registry says in a statement.

The Registry goes on to explain that the features selected made the cut because they've been deemed as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, who chose 2011's titles, adds in the statement that "these films are selected because of their enduring significance to American culture. Our film heritage must be protected because these cinematic treasures document our history and culture and reflect our hopes and dreams."

Joining "Gump" on the National Film Registry's list is 1942's animated classic "Bambi," 1991's horror movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, "The Silence of the Lambs," and the fan favorite 1988 film, "Stand and Deliver."

Out of the 2,228 films that were nominated to be included in this year's round-up, here are the 25 that made it:

• "The Cry of the Children" (1912)

• "A Cure for Pokeritis" (1912)

• "The Kid" (1921)

• "The Iron Horse" (1924)

• "Twentieth Century" (1934)

• "Nicholas Brothers Family Home Movies" (1930s-40s)

• "Bambi" (1942)

• "The Negro Soldier" (1944)

• "The Lost Weekend" (1945)

• "War of the Worlds" (1953)

• "The Big Heat" (1953)

• "Porgy and Bess" (1959)

• "Allures" (1961)

• "Crisis: Behind A Presidential Commitment" (1963)

• "Faces" (1968)

• "Growing Up Female" (1971)

• "A Computer Animated Hand" (1972)

• "Hester Street" (1975)

• "I, an Actress" (1977)

• "Norma Rae" (1979)

• "Fake Fruit Factory" (1986)

• "Stand and Deliver" (1988)

• "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991)

• "El Mariachi" (1992)

• "Forrest Gump" (1994)