Michael Jackson: Album "Thriller" to be preserved in U.S. film registry

Michael Jackson: Album "Thriller" to be preserved in U.S. film registry

King of Pop's iconic "Thriller" graveyard dance will be preserved in world's largest archive of film, TV and sound as one of the nation's treasures.

MJ to be honored by Grammys with Lifetime Achievement Award

Michael Jackson's 1983 "Thriller" music video, directed by John Landis, was one of the 25 films selected for preservation in the 2009 National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, according to The Associated Press.

Although the video was considered in past years, the decision to include it comes following Jackson's death. It is the first music video named in the registry.

Joining the King of Pop's video are films including The Muppet Movie of 1979 and the 1957's The Incredible Shrinking Man.

Congress established the registry in 1989, which now totals 525 films. They are selected not as the "best" American films but instead for their enduring importance to U.S. culture.