Oscars 2023: 10 Ups & 5 Downs

1. Disney's Sneaky Promotional Tactics

As the Academy struggles to keep the Oscars relevant amid dwindling ratings, one popular suggestion has been to include new trailers for some of the year's most anticipated movies, to create a Super Bowl-esque level of hype surrounding the show and what it might reveal.

And while this year's Oscars didn't do that, it did nevertheless stop the show dead in its tracks mid-way to air the first full trailer for Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

When you remember that Disney owns ABC, the network which airs the Oscars in the U.S., it's easy to see what's going on here - they used this platform to shamelessly promote one of their biggest upcoming blockbusters.

Had the night featured a number of new trailers for impending releases it wouldn't have seemed quite so craven, but literally pausing the actual awards to shill for a single massive movie was an odd move we're probably destined to see repeated again next year.

These gripes accepted, though, there was a lot to like about the 2023 Oscars. Here's what the Academy got right...