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The 86th Annual Academy Awards will celebrate movie heroes, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said Tuesday.
The duo said the show will honor big-screen real-life heroes, superheroes, popular heroes and animated heroes, both past and present, as well as the filmmakers who have brought them to life in theaters.
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“We wanted to unify the show with an entertaining and emotional theme,” Zadan and Meron said in a joint statement. “People around the world go to the movies to be inspired by the characters they see on the screen. By celebrating the gamut of heroes who have enriched our moviegoing experience, we hope to create an evening of fun and joy. And that includes the filmmakers and actors who take risks and stimulate us with provocative subjects and daring characters. They are all heroes in the cinematic landscape.”
To coincide with the Oscar telecast theme, the Academy will present “The Oscars Celebrates Movie Heroes,” an exhibition in the Grand Lobby Gallery of its Beverly Hills headquarters on display from Jan. 17 to March 5. The show will feature still photographs and posters from 70 titles spanning nine decades, as well as video montages comprised of excerpts from classic and contemporary films.
The exhibit will include films centered on real-life heroes (Gandhi, Silkwood), superheroes (Superman, The Dark Knight), animated heroes (Shrek, The Incredibles), action heroes (Seven Samurai, Gladiator), literary heroes (To Kill a Mockingbird, Grapes of Wrath) and more.
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Ellen DeGeneres is set to host the Oscar ceremony, airing live March 2 on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
“Of course, there will be no shortage of comedy with Ellen DeGeneres as our host,” the producers said. “There may also be a few musical surprises along the way.”
The Oscar nominations will be announced at 5:35 a.m. PT on Thursday by Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Chris Hemsworth.
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