Toy Story was added to the National Film Registry in 2005.
The Library of Congress selected the 1995 film for preservation in the registry’s 2005 group of 25 titles. Selection recognizes films considered culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant; it is not the same as winning a competitive movie award or entering a commercial “hall of fame.”
Toy Story was an especially fitting choice because it changed the history of animation. It was the first feature-length film created entirely with computer-generated imagery, turning technology that had mostly been used for experiments and short sequences into the basis of a successful mainstream feature.
The registry date is sometimes confused with the film’s release year, 1995, or with later milestones such as the 2009 3-D theatrical re-release. The film was released in 1995 but inducted ten years later, in 2005. Its preservation also reflects the broader importance of Pixar’s production methods and the film’s influence on later animated cinema.