Left Image: Costume designer Ruth E. Carter wears black glasses and a yellow strapless dress with yellow sleeves. She holds an acceptance speech in her left hand and a gold Oscar statue in her right hand. She is standing in front of a microphone. Middle Image: Halle Bailey wears a strapless turquoise gown. Her hair is in a braided updo, and she is smiling for photographers on the Oscars’ champagne carpet. Right Image: Rihanna wears black leather gloves, diamond jewelry, and a black, bedazzled top. Rihanna is smiling as she performs the song “Lift Me Up” at the Oscars.

5 Magical Disney Moments from The Oscars®

By Zach Johnson

The magic of the movies was in full effect during The Oscars® on Sunday. The ABC broadcast was filled with memorable moments, including many that were distinctly Disney. From a history-making win to first looks at what’s ahead for The Walt Disney Company, it was a night movie fans will no doubt be buzzing about for some time!

Now, join us in reliving the magic as we recount five Disney moments from the show.

From left to right, Avatar: The Way of Water’s Eric Saindon, Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, and Joe Letteri stand onstage to accept their Best Visual Effects Oscars.

1. The Walt Disney Company Wins Two Academy Awards®

Ruth E. Carter won Best Costume Design for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, four years after she became the first Black costume designer to win an Oscar, for Black Panther. In doing so, Carter became the first Black woman to win two Oscars. “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman,” Carter said. “She endures, she loves, she overcomes, she is every woman in this film.”

Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett received the Best Visual Effects award for 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: The Way of Water. While giving his acceptance speech, Baneham thanked filmmaker James Cameron, “whose artistic thumbprint is on every part of this,” and producer Jon Landau, “who is the engine [that] drove us forward.” He also thanked entire VFX team who worked on the movie.

2. The Walt Disney Company Debuts Four Trailers

During the telecast, The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy debuted a fin-tastic trailer for the live-action reimagining of Disney’s animated musical classic. Opening exclusively in theaters on May 26, 2023, The Little Mermaid is directed by Oscar nominee Rob Marshall. In addition to Bailey as Ariel and McCarthy as Ursula, the cast includes Jonah Hauer-King, Tony Award® winner Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, and Art Malik, with Javier Bardem.

The sneak peeks didn’t stop there, as Hulu shared a brand-new look at Season 3 of the Emmy® Award-winning series Only Murders in the Building. Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd are joining Disney Legend Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, who play true crime-obsessed neighbors who suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one.

FX also debuted the teaser for The Bear Season 2, streaming this June, only on Hulu. As the young chef Carmy (Emmy Award-winner Jeremy Alan White) fights to transform both The Original Beef of Chicagoland and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveal themselves as his chosen family.

Last but not least, Disney Branded Television and 20th Television shared a new TV spot for American Born Chinese, an Original series streaming May 24, only on Disney+. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of Jin Wang (Ben Wang), an average teenager juggling his high school social life with his home life. When he meets a new foreign student (Jim Liu) on the first day of the school year, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. The genre-hopping action-comedy’s cast includes Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, and nominee Stephanie Hsu.

Rihanna wears black leather gloves, diamond jewelry, and a black, bedazzled ensemble. Rihanna smiles as she performs the song “Lift Me Up” at the Oscars while standing in a bed of dried grass. She is surrounded by musicians and backup singers.

3. Rihanna Lifts the Audience Up

Following a moving introduction by Danai Gurira, who plays Okoye in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, first-time nominee Rihanna performed “Lift Me Up” from the film’s soundtrack. With music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, and Ludwig Göransson, and lyrics by Tems and Coogler, “Lift Me Up” was nominated for Best Original Song.

Emily Blunt, wearing a strapless white dress, reads the winner of Best Animated Feature Film. Dwayne Johnson, wearing a blush silk blazer, stands to her left.

4. Crossovers and Reunions Abound

It was a moment we’d all been waiting for: the amazing, the colossal, the stupendous… costars of Disney’s Jungle Cruise, reunited! Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson joined forces to present the award for Best Animated Feature Film.

Theirs wasn’t the only Disney reunion of the night, however! We entered our own “multiverse of madness” when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Elizabeth Olsen presented the awards for Best Documentary Short Film and Best Animated Short Film alongside Star Wars: The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal. Later that night, Avatar: The Way of Water’s Zoe Saldaña and Sigourney Weaverpresented the award for Best Film Editing, and Harrison Ford presented the award for Best Picture, reuniting him with Quan, his costar in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Left Image: Harrison Ford (left) embraces Ke Huy Quan (right) at the Oscars. They are both wearing tuxedos and smiling as Ford hands Quan his gold Oscar statue. Middle Image: Florence Pugh (left) and Andrew Garfield (right) announce the winner for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. Pugh is wearing a strapless gray dress and black shorts. Garfield is wearing a black tuxedo, a white shirt, and a bowtie. Right Image: Elizabeth Olsen (left) and Pedro Pascal (right) present at the Oscars. She is wearing a black dress and he is wearing a black suit and a white shirt.

Stars from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe teamed up to present awards throughout the night. Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Jennifer Connelly and Samuel L. Jackson presented Best Makeup and Hairstyling; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Michael B. Jordan and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Jonathan Majors presented Best Cinematography; and Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Andrew Garfield and Black Widow’s Florence Pugh presented Best Original and Adapted Screenplays.

5. Disney Legends Remembered

Following an introduction by Oscar nominee John Travolta, Grammy® Award-winner Lenny Kravitz took the stage at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood to deliver a stirring “In Memoriam” performance of “Calling All Angels.” The segment honored the actors, artists, craftspeople, and filmmakers whom we lost in the past year. Two Disney Legends, Angela Lansbury and Burny Mattinson, were spotlighted during the telecast.