And the Pawscar Goes to...

The Oscars were last night, but Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock weren't the only actors to win awards for their film performances. The American Humane Association -- which monitors all on-set use of animals in movie making and is the organization that certifies that "No Animals Were Harmed" during filming -- has named eight of 2009's top films as winners of their coveted "Pawscar!" This award is given to the best animal actors in several categories.

Three of this year's Pawscar winners are Oscar-nominated as well. "Avatar," nominee for Best Picture, is the Pawscar pick for "Best Alien Animals;" the six-legged "direhorses" that play a major role in the flick were created by outfitting real horses with miniature motion sensors to capture their movements and expressions.

The Pawscar for Best Newcomer goes to Uno, the Neapolitan mastiff who made a big splash in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and, in real life, was a rescue dog who'd never acted before. The Pawscar for Best Cameo went to a Bull mastiff owned by film director Michael Bay, who was given his award for an appearance as Megan Fox's pup in Bay's flick, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." (This was not the first time Bay put his own pooch in one of his pictures; perhaps the director deserves a Pawscar for Best Nepotism as well? Not that we blame him.)

The five other Pawscar winners include the tiger who starred in "The Hangover"; the 1,100-pound Kodiak bear, Little Bart, who faced off against Hugh Grant in "Did You Hear About the Morgans?"; and a cross-species win for the eagle-flying-off-with-the-dog trick in "The Proposal." There were also shared wins for the animals who performed in "Drag Me to Hell," as well as the canines who participated in the chase at the end of "Hotel for Dogs" -- a cinematic moment which, according to the AHA, involved the most dogs ever filmed in a single scene!

Now that the AHA has had its say, let's hear what the fans of these furry, feathery thespians have to say. Which flick gets your pick for Best Animal Acting? Vote in our poll!

Tags: academy awards, AcademyAwards, acting animals, animal movie stars, oscars, Pawscars