LOS ANGELES – Only in Hollywood could a tiny, low-budget tale of a little girl named Hushpuppy who lives in the bayou take on a historical epic by master filmmaker Steven Spielberg about the 16th president’s struggle to end slavery and the Civil War.

But both “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and “Lincoln” will be vying for best picture and best director at the 85th Academy Awards ceremony, after Thursday’s Oscar nominations saw some shocking omissions, surprising delights — and Oscar history being made.

Additional Photos

Daniel Day-Lewis portrays Abraham Lincoln in the film "Lincoln." Lewis was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor for his role in the film. The Associated Press

Photo from DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox shows actor Daniel Day-Lewis, left, and director Steven Spielberg. The Associated Press

Rounding out the nine best picture nominees are: “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Argo,” “Les Miserables,” “Life of Pi,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Amour” and “Django Unchained.” The other nominees for best director are Ang Lee for “Life of Pi,” David O. Russell for “Silver Linings Playbook,” Michael Haneke for “Amour” and Benh Zeitlin for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

The nods put Spielberg on track to win his third Academy Award for best director and solidify his position as one of the industry’s most enduring filmmakers. Thursday’s nomination is his seventh nod for best director, an honor he has won twice before — for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.”

Noticeably missing from the best director nominees were Kathryn Bigelow for “Zero Dark Thirty,” Tom Hooper for “Les Miserables” and Ben Affleck for “Argo.” Just this week, all three were nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award — considered a leading Oscar indicator.

“Lincoln” earned the most nominations of the day — 12 — including nods for performers Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field.

Lee’s “Life of Pi,” a story about a shipwrecked young man who shares a lifeboat with a tiger, followed with 11 nominations. That was followed by the epic musical “Les Miserables” and the quirky romantic comedy “Silver Linings Playbook,” which earned eight nominations apiece. “Argo” earned seven nods.

In addition to Day-Lewis, the best actor nominees are Bradley Cooper for “Silver Linings Playbook,” Hugh Jackman for “Les Miserables,” Joaquin Phoenix for “The Master” and Denzel Washington for “Flight.” Best actress nominees include Jessica Chastain for “Zero Dark Thirty,” Jennifer Lawrence for “Silver Linings Playbook,” Emmanuelle Riva for “Amour,” Naomi Watts for “The Impossible” and Quevenzhane Wallis for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

TOP NOMINEES

Top nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards:

Best Picture: “Amour,” “Argo,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Django Unchained,” “Les Miserables,” “Life of Pi,” “Lincoln,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Actor: Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”; Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”; Hugh Jackman, “Les Miserables”; Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”; Denzel Washington, “Flight.”

Actress: Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”; Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”; Quvenzhane Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”; Naomi Watts, “The Impossible.”

Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, “Argo”; Robert De Niro, “Silver Linings Playbook”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”; Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”; Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained.”

Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, “The Master”; Sally Field, “Lincoln”; Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”; Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”; Jacki Weaver, “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Directing: Michael Haneke, “Amour”; Benh Zeitlin, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”; Ang Lee, “Life of Pi”; Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”; David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Foreign Language Film: “Amour,” Austria; “Kon-Tiki,” Norway; “No,” Chile; “A Royal Affair,” Denmark; “War Witch,” Canada.

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