Despite the mixed reception received from the preceding year 's ceremony , the Academy rehired Neil Meron and Craig Zadan as producers for the second consecutive year . However , actor Seth MacFarlane announced that he would not host the Oscars for a second time . In a statement released through Twitter , he wrote " Traumatized critics exhale : I 'm unable to do the Oscars again . Tried to make it work schedule-wise , but I need sleep . " Furthermore , actress and comedian Tina Fey , who co-hosted the 70th Golden Globe Awards more than a month earlier with fellow '' Saturday Night Live '' alumnus Amy Poehler , told '' Huffington Post '' columnist Mike Ryan that she would reject any offer to host an Oscar telecast commenting , " I just feel like that gig is so hard . Especially for , like , a woman – the amount of months that would be spent trying on dresses alone – no way . " Shortly after the election of AMPAS president Cheryl Boone Isaacs in August 2013 , Meron and Zadan announced that comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres would host the 2014 ceremony . They explained their decision to bring back DeGeneres as host saying , " As a longtime friend , we had always hoped to find a project for us to do together and nothing could be more exciting than teaming up to do the Oscars . There are few stars today who have Ellen 's gift for comedy , with her great warmth and humanity . She is beloved everywhere and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theatre and in homes around the globe will be as excited by this news as we are . " DeGeneres expressed that she was thrilled to be selected to emcee the gala again , commenting , " I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time . You know what they say – the third time 's the charm . " As with last year 's theme of music and the movies , Meron and Zadan centered the show around a theme . This year , they christened the show with a theme of saluting movie heroes commenting , " By celebrating the gamut of heroes who have enriched our movie-going 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 theme , AMPAS presented an exhibition in the lobby of its Beverly Hills headquarters titled " The Oscars Celebrate Movie Heroes " . The exhibit featured posters , photographs , and artifacts from 70 different films featuring literary , comic book , and real life heroes . Furthermore , actor Andrew Garfield , who portrayed the titular character in '' The Amazing Spider-Man '' , was scheduled to appear onstage with five-year-old cancer survivor Miles Scott with Garfield christening Scott as an " official superhero " . The segment was scrapped , however , due to time constraints
preceding year 's ceremony
85th Academy Awards
86th Academy Awards