The stars shone brightly last night at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, where the 78th Annual Academy Awards took place. Awards went to a very varied selection of movies, though when it came to animation, most will not be surprised to hear that Wallace and Gromit won the Best Animated Feature trophy. Best Animated Short went to The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation. Check out the details, the “thank-yous”, and the other big wins here:

The evening began with a special treat, as some of cinema’s most famous past characters and their vehicles took to the streets of Hollywood, in a visual effects extravaganza. Found among the crowd were the Incredibles, Spider-Man, and the Batmobile, to name a few, while the scene ended with a musical selection from the 1997 animated picture Anastasia.

As host for the evening, Jon Stewart entertained the crowd containing some of Hollywood’s best talent. Of course, as the comedian’s humorous video introduction suggested, Stewart’s landing the distinguished deal was no small feat, with such previous Oscar hosts as Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, and David Letterman having to turn down the gig first. Conveniently, their rejecting the position happened to be filmed for viewers to enjoy. Mel Gibson was likewise asked to host this year’s Academy Awards, but had to outrun a panther instead.

Presenting the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was Reese Witherspoon, who would later win an Oscar herself for her performance as June Carter in Walk the Line. As many folks had predicted, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit nabbed the honor from fellow nominees Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and Howl’s Moving Castle. Accepting the award were the film’s co-directors, Nick Park and Steve Box, both of whom sported large, matching, striped bowties. Smaller versions of the bowties were provided by the duo, for their Oscars to wear as well. Appropriately, Park and Box paid tribute to 85-year-old British actor Peter Sallis, who has been the voice of Wallace since Park’s early work as a film-school student. This was Park’s third Oscar for Wallace and Gromit and fourth overall win.

Making cameos during the ceremony were Chicken Little and Abby Mallard (aka Ugly Duckling), both of whom took a firm stand on the issue of ducks wearing pants. In addition, the Little characters presented the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. In a surprise move, the traditionally animated The Moon and the Sun: An Imagined Conversation was awarded the Oscar, edging out the competition from Badgered, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, 9, and One Man Band. Accepting the award were director/writer John Canemaker and writer Peggy Stern. “Peggy and I thank the Academy for this great honor. And also for your faith in hand-drawn animation, which still can pack an emotional wallop,” said Canemaker, in his acceptance speech.

In the technical side of the Academy Awards, King Kong took the throne, winning Oscars for Visual Effects (Joe Letteri, Brian Van’t Hul, Christian Rivers and Richard Taylor), Sound Editing (Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn), and Sound Mixing (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek). Likewise, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe captured the Oscar for Best Achievement in Makeup. The nod for Art Direction went to the Memoirs of a Geisha team of John Myhre (Art Direction) and Gretchen Rau (Set Decoration).

The most solemn moments of night took place during the memorial tribute to those in the entertainment industry who have died in the past year. Artists and entertainers featured in the montage were: Teresa Wright (Mrs. Miniver), Pat Morita (The Karate Kid), Robert F. Newmyer (Sex, Lies, and Videotape), Dan O’herlihy (Robinson Crusoe), Vincent Schiavelli (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Moira Shearer (Peeping Tom), Fayard Nicholas (Stormy Weather), Joel Hirschhorn (Pete’s Dragon), Sandra Dee (Gidget), John Fiedler (Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day), Anthony Franciosa (A Hatful of Rain), Stu Linder (Grand Prix), Barbara Bel Geddes (I Remember Mama), Moustapha Akkad (Halloween), Chris Penn (Reservoir Dogs), John Mills (Ryan’s Daughter), Robert “Buzz” Knudson (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Simone Simon (Cat People), Debra Hill (Halloween), Onna White (Oliver!), Robert Schiffer (Splash), Guy Green (Great Expectations), Brock Peters (To Kill a Mockingbird), Ernest Lehman (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Shelley Winters (The Diary of Anne Frank), Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker), John Box (Lawrence of Arabia), Eddie Albert (Roman Holiday), Ismail Merchant (The Remains of the Day), Robert Wise (The Sound of Music), and Richard Pryor (Blazing Saddles).

A particularly sad moment for animation fans worldwide took place as a video of the loved and respected Joe Ranft appeared during the tribute. The montage credited Ranft for his writing/vocal acting in A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo.

As for surprises of the evening, the biggest one may have arrived when Crash received the Best Picture Academy Award, as many people had expected Brokeback Mountain to take the honor. Nonetheless, both films proved to be winners. Brokeback Mountain took home the Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director, while Crash redeemed the Best Original Screenplay title.

Overall, the evening was one of elegance. It was a time for celebrating the recent highlights of Hollywood, and for remembering its yesteryears. Nonetheless, as the race for this season’s Oscars comes to a close, another one has just begun. Coming soon to a Kodak Theatre near you: The 79th Annual Academy Awards!

For more coverage of the 78th Annual Academy Awards, please visit:
Oscar.com
Access Hollywood
E! Online
Entertainment Tonight
Yahoo!

“And the Oscar goes to…”

Best Picture
Crash
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich

Achievement in Directing
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Bennett Miller, Capote
Paul Haggis, Crash
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Steven Spielberg, Munich

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney, Syriana
Matt Dillon, Crash
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt, A History of Violence

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron, North Country
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Junebug
Catherine Keener, Capote
Frances McDormand, North Country
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain

Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Munich

Best Original Screenplay
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Match Point
The Squid and the Whale
Syriana

Best Foreign-Language Film
Don’t Tell (Italy)
Joyeux Noël (France)
Paradise Now (Palestinian Authority)
Sophie Scholl (Germany)
Tsotsi (South Africa)

Achievement in Art Direction
Good Night, and Good Luck
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha
Pride & Prejudice

Achievement in Cinematography
Batman Begins
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night, and Good Luck
Memoirs of a Geisha
The New World

Achievement in Costume Design
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Memoirs of a Geisha
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Pride & Prejudice
Walk the Line

Best Documentary Feature
Darwin’s Nightmare
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
March of the Penguins
Murderball
Street Fight

Documentary Short Subject
The Death of Kevin Carter
God Sleeps in Rwanda
The Mushroom Club
A Note of Triumph

Live Action Short Film
Ausreisser (The Runaway)
Cashback
The Last Farm
Our Time Is Up
Six Shooter

Animated Feature Film
Howl’s Moving Castle
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Best Film Editing
Cinderella Man
The Constant Gardener
Crash
Munich
Walk the Line

Achievement in Makeup
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
Cinderella Man
Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith

Best Original Score
Brokeback Mountain (Gustavo Santaolalla)
The Constant Gardener (Alberto Iglesias)
Memoirs of a Geisha (John Williams)
Munich (John Williams)
Pride & Prejudice (Dario Marianelli)

Original Song
“In the Deep,” Crash
“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” Hustle & Flow
“Travelin’ Thru,” Transamerica

Best Animated Short Film
Badgered
The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation
The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
9
One Man Band

Achievement in Sound
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha
Walk the Line
War of the Worlds

Achievement in Sound Editing
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha
War of the Worlds

Best Visual Effects
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
King Kong
War of the Worlds

Honorary Award
Robert Altman, (“For a career that has repeatedly reinvented the art form and inspired filmmakers and audiences alike.”)