Recap of the 2026 Oscars Ceremony
Image from The Walt Disney Company.
Emersen Cwiklinski
Another year of the Oscars is completed and in the books. The 2026 Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, ran for 3 hours and 45 minutes, and was full of highly talented figures in the film industry. This year was a unique year full of Oscars “firsts” and historical moments for film. Actors, filmmakers, and composers of different genres had sweeping takeaways from the ceremony, and although it is difficult to comprise nearly 4 hours of awards, there are some key moments from the night that can be recognized.
Best Animated Film: K-Pop Demon Hunters
K-Pop Demon Hunters aimed to target young children with the catchy soundtrack and brightly colored animations, but many different ages took a liking to the film. K-Pop Demon Hunters hasn’t even been out on Netflix for a year, but has already broken the record for most views. K-Pop Demon Hunters boasts a whopping 569.3 million views as of February 2026 (KPop Demon Hunters Weekly Views Worldwide 2026, 2026). The win is significant to South Korean music and culture, and has brought playfulness out of many fans alike. K-Pop Demon Hunters also won Best Original Song, being the first K-Pop song to win an Oscar.
Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frankenstein
Frankenstein won a few awards at the Oscars, but what stands out to me with the awards it won is that they have to do with character visuals. Frankenstein has a dark and eerie mood, and the design of each character truly embraces that. Dr. Frankenstein’s creature, played by Jacob Elordi, particularly is dressed in a way that develops with the plot. The Creature begins with wearing white undergarments and scraps of fabric, seemingly in a way to dehumanize him. As the Creature develops and begins to seek revenge on Dr. Frankenstein, he wears a long dark cape that solidifies the progression of anger and revenge. Elizabeth Lavenza, played by Mia Goth, had a luxurious wardrobe of gowns and headpieces for Frankenstein, which aligned with her sweet and maternal persona. Additionally, the makeup needed to transform Jacob Elordi into the Creature was nothing short of impressive. Elordi underwent 10 hours of makeup transformation each day, with 14 prosthetics needed to transform him. Frankenstein was a clear winner for costume design and makeup, but also won an award for Best Production Design.
Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler - Sinners
After watching Sinners and being absolutely marveled by the storytelling and historical allegories, it is for obvious reasons that the film won so many awards. Coogler brought together unique concepts into a movie that wouldn’t seem to fit together. Sinners combined supernatural concepts, music, and racial disparities, an unlikely mash up. However, I was personally blown away by the film. The different scenes that highlight race and music, the supernatural fear element, and the rhetorical meaning of holding onto culture and community are just some of the main elements that make Sinners a clear winner for an Oscar. Coogler has embraced Sinners as part of his personality, as noted by the braided guitar hairstyle he flaunted at the Oscars ceremony, symbolizing music and culture. Sinners was also awarded with Best Original Score, given to Ludwig Göransson. Göransson has won Oscars previously for Black Panther and Oppenheimer, both having intense and emotional soundtracks. Sinners had a unique blend of jazz, blues, and folk, which highlighted the cultural diversity of Sinners. To relive the feeling viewers had when watching Sinners, some of the cast of the film gave a musical performance of “I Lied To You,” one of the most notable songs from the film. Miles Caton, actor of Sammie Moore, gave a heartfelt performance alongside the rest of the cast and songwriters. The performance brought former ballerina Misty Copeland out of retirement, seemingly a subtle dig at Timothée Chalamet after his judgemental remark about ballet and opera that has been circling the internet. A huge actor win resulted from Sinners where Michael B. Jordan won his first ever Oscar for Best Actor for his role as twins Smoke and Stack Moore. Jordan seemed to completely reshape his persona, making it shockingly easy to tell apart Smoke and Stack when watching the film. The final award Sinners won was Best Cinematography, which was an apparently clear winner due to the deep spooky shadows of the film, interrupted by the gleaming eyes of the vampires and bright flashes of color to represent both culture and violence.
Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash
The Avatar franchise is known for its extensive use of computer-generated imagery to bring human acting to life in the form of the Na'vi. Real landscapes from Hawaii and China are also used to create the luscious forest setting of Pandora. The costumes, colors, and action-packed scenes of Avatar: Fire and Ash are impressive and show a fictional way of the impacts of environmental violence and destruction. This win keeps the momentum rolling for director James Cameron and his franchise as he has released that there will be two more movies coming out in the next few years.
Best Actress: Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
Jessie Buckley made Irish film history by being the first female from Ireland to win the Best Actress award. Her work in Hamnet was emotional and compelling to watch. Buckley acknowledged the experiences of being a mother and a woman in film by stating, “I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart…We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds.” Buckley played a grieving mother in Hamnet, making her speech towards mothers very heartfelt.
Most Celebrated Film: One Battle After Another
One Battle After Another left the Oscars with heaps of awards, making for the most recognized and celebrated film of the night. This action-comedy film was awarded with Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, Best Supporting Actor which was given to Sean Penn, Best Film Editing, and Best Casting—a new category addition to the Oscars. These awards were all highly deserved for the crew that was a part of One Battle After Another, making the main award of the night apparent. One Battle After Another was awarded the highly prestigious Best Picture award, arguably being the landmark moment of the night. One Battle After Another swept the Oscars with one win after another.
The Oscars were historical in 2026, and film enthusiasts are already gearing up for the 2027 film ceremony with highly anticipated movies coming to theaters this year.
