Oscars Were Joyous & Chill Behind the Scenes Before Will Smith Moment

The 94th Academy Awards are coming to a close, and while Will Smith definitely stole the show -- for all the wrong reasons -- the show was actually going swimmingly beforehand.

The Dolby Theater was chock-full of stars who were dressed to the nines Sunday night -- and as Oscar statuettes started to get dolled out ... the hugs and selfies started to roll in as well.

One example of such love was between Best Supporting Actress winner Ariana DeBose and her fellow nominee, Jessie Buckley ... the latter of whom seemed to be giving the 'West Side Story' star her props for walking away with the W, which everyone thinks is well-deserved.

Ditto for when Troy Kotsur won for Best Supporting Actor for his work on 'CODA' ... his table was elated for him -- as was the rest of the audience as he delivered a rousing speech in ASL.

Some other highlights that were happening behind the scenes ... Venus and Serena Williams were posing with each other, and just about everyone else who wanted a pic. It was a big night for them -- especially seeing how Will Smith was up for the top prize, which he ended up winning.

Of course, things took a dark turn when Will smacked Chris Rock across the face after he made a crack about Jada Pinkett's shaved head ... which led to an awkward moment therafter.

Still, it was a pretty feel-good vibe before all that ... as evidenced in all the hobnobbing that was going on down in the seats and backstage.