The 2026 Oscars began on a touching, career-capping note as Amy Madigan took her first Oscar nearly 45 years since she began acting while casting directors were honored for the first time at the show after an omission lasting even criminally longer.

Madigan won the supporting actress statuette for her role as the creepily supernatural Aunt Gladys in breakout horror hit Weapons, winning an Oscar in her second try. Her first nomination came 40 years ago for the romantic drama Twice In a Lifetime.

Whats different is I got this little gold guy, Madigan said in her acceptance speech, comparing this Oscar campaign to the last one. Beginning with a cackle befitting her Weapons character, she said she had tried to think of a speech while shaving her legs in the shower Saturday night, and then proceeded to give emotional thank yous to various people who worked on her film and on her career. As you can tell Im a little flummoxed, she said, while alluding to all the other Warner Bros. contenders that had welcome her on the awards trail. She also thanked longtime husband Ed Harris and of course all the dogs.

In an equally uplifting moment of the show, the inaugural best casting Oscar saw the actors who had been cast in the nominated films all stand on stage and go down one by one thanking the casting directors who put them in their movies. Im very grateful for you personally that you made room for one whos been doing this a little while, Sinners star Delroy Lindo said as he thanked casting director Francine Maisler.

But the decorated veteran and category favorite was then upset by longtime Paul Thomas Anderson collaboratorand One Battle After Another casting director Cassandra Kulukundis, who then took the stage and gave a freewheelingly happy speech that only reinforced the value of the prize. I have to thank the academy for even adding this categoryand casting directorsforfighting to make this happen despite everything in their way, she said, saying it wasfreaking insane that she was up there and also insane that she had one before PTA, though it very likely wont be for long. Their movie also continued its early strong run as Sean Penn won supporting actor his turn as a white-nationalist law-and-order man Steven J. Lockjaw in the political dramedy.

A sense of hope also permeated the live action short category, which saw a rare tie and prizes for two sets of filmmakers. One of the movies, the New Yorker-produced Two People Exchanging Saliva, is a brilliant and unsettling dystopic work shot like a Calvin Klein ad and isnt giving anyone any hugs; however the other, The Singers, shows barflies coming together showcasing surprising musical talent and fit with the evenings theme.

And shortly after Madigans win, KPop Demon Hunters took the animated feature Oscar, no doubt giving heart to the millions of fans of the Netflix phenom who may not otherwise be avidly following best-picture odds.

An emotional director co-director Maggie Kang took the stage and said, For those of you who look like me, Im so sorry that it took this long to see us in a movie like this, the Korean-Canadian filmmaker then vowing it would not be long until the next one.

A defiant note happened when animated presenter Will Arnett said Tonight were celebrating people, not AI. Animation, he added, is more than a prompt; its an art form and it needs to be protected.

Frankensteins win in costume and hair-and-makeup categories also amounted to an AI rebuttal given director Guillermo del Toros outspoken words about AI this campaign season. Winner Jordan Samuel thanked the prosthetic and makeup people for all the hard work they did, a comment that is hard to hear without thinking about the way LLMs can generate looks without anyone working on a shoot at all.

The show began with host Conan OBrien trying to push a more hopeful message despite war-torn and dislocating times.

After noting said toughness, OBrien said that Its at moments like these that the Oscars are particularly resonant, citing the dozens of countries watching and represented and the pursuit of the rarest of qualities today: optimism. So please let us celebrate not because we think all is well but because we know and hope for better.