Sunday night, the night of the 95th Academy Awards, was full of glamor, surprises, and emotion. Though it didn’t quite have the excitement of last year’s show (Will Smith, cough cough), there were plenty of memorable moments.

The major categories went as many expected, with Best Picture going to Everything Everywhere All At Once, Best Actor going to Brendan Fraser, Best Actress going to Michelle Yeoh, and Best Director(s) going to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert of Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Some of the most fun bits were totally unexpected. For example, host Jimmy Kimmel brought out an actual donkey on stage for a joke. “This is Jenny. She’s one of the stars of The Banshees of Inisherin,” he said. Though a source confirmed the donkey wasn’t actually Jenny, the donkey in the movie, it still brought amusement to the audience and viewers at home. 

Another animal that took the stage was the “bear” from Cocaine Bear, accompanying the movie’s director, Elizabeth Banks. They presented the award for Best Visual Effects. Later, the “bear” could be seen roaming the audience. 

  The Oscar for Best Short Film went to An Irish Goodbye. “This award is actually the second most important thing about today,” said director Ross White, “because it’s this man’s birthday,” referring to one of the movie’s stars, James Martin. They said their thank yous and then led the crowd in singing to Martin in one of the show’s most heartwarming moments. 

Arguably the best performance of the night was that of Naatu Naatu, which won Best Original Song. It was put on by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, and more then twenty dancers. The energy was absolutely electric. Everything from the choreography, to the costuming, to the set, was colorful and bright. 

Everything Everywhere All At Once swept the awards, winning seven of them: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. 

The speeches were notably sweet, especially that of Ke Huy Quan, who won Best Supporting Actor. It was a comeback story for the ages: Quan became a forgotten child star after The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom due to a lack of opportunity for Asian actors on screen, and ended up doing behind-the-scenes work for decades. After the success of 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, he was inspired to audition again, landing his EEAAO role shortly after. Quan was tearful during his acceptance speech, stating, “They say stories like this only happen in movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me.”

Quan is only the second ever Asian actor to win Best Supporting Actor, and the third overall to win an acting Oscar. A similar achievement was reached by Best Actress winner, Michelle Yeoh. 

Yeoh became the first Asian actress to win in her category, a small step for the diversity the Oscars has aimed for in recent years. “For all of the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” she said.

Additionally, Ruth E. Carter made history as the first Black woman to win two Oscars, for her work costuming Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.