British directors Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman wallowed in Oscar glory outside of the main categories on Sunday night thanks to their animated short film Peter and the Wolf.
The 80th Academy Awards weren't just about the big categories as there were a host of hugely important ones that served the look, sound and feel of the films on show this past year, together with the short and documentary genres.
The night's first winner was four-time nominee Alexandra Byrne, who ended her losing streak thanks to the outstanding costume design in the Cate Blanchett royal sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
She held off an impressive field that included Best Picture contender Atonement, La Vie en Rose, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Across the Universe.
Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald got La Vie en Rose's first gong for Best Achievement in Makeup with the visual effects award heading the way of the team behind The Golden Compass.
Not surprisingly Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo picked up their second Oscars for art direction, following their win on The Aviator, for Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Le Mozart des Pickpockets took home the Best Live Action Short award, which meant British contender Daniel Barber missed out for his worldwide hit western The Tonto Woman.
The Brits hit back in the Best Animated Short Film category with Templeton and Welchman walking off with statuettes for their spectacular effort.
Comedy actors Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill brought some welcome levity in awarding the Sound Editing statuette to Karen M. Baker and Per Hallberg for The Bourne Ultimatum, with Matt Damon's second action sequel also rewarded in the Sound Mixing category for Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis.
Editor Christopher Rouse snatched another gong for Paul Greengrass' Jason Bourne adventure, 48 years after his father Russell won an Original Screenplay award for Pillow Talk.
John Travolta opened the envelope for Best Original Song with Irishman Glen Hansard and Czech actress Markéta Irglová getting big cheers for the excellent Falling Slowly from the low-budget independent movie Once.
Italian composer Dario Marianelli got some Oscar glory at the second time of asking for Atonement after he missed out in director Joe Wright's previous film Pride and Prejudice.
Alex Gibney and Eva Orner outshone Michael Moore's Sicko to win the Best Documentary Feature for Taxi to the Dark Side with Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth landing the Best Documentary Short for Freeheld.
Acclaimed art director and production designer Robert F. Boyle paid tribute eloquently to Hans Dreyer and Alfred Hitchcock on accepting his honorary award at the grand old age of 98 to a rapturous standing ovation.
