How 'Beasts' 9-Year-Old Oscar Nominee Will Celebrate: Eat Pizza, Shop at Toys'R'Us

Quvenzhane Wallis wants to celebrate her Oscar nomination as any kid might -- a spending spree at Toys"R"Us.

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The precocious 9-year-old star of the critically acclaimed Beasts of the Southern Wild was in Los Angeles when the Academy Award noms were announced early Wednesday morning. The indie film from Fox Searchlight beat the odds to earn a best picture nom, as well as a directing nomination for Benh Zeitlin.

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"I was sleeping, and my mom tapped me and I woke up. I looked at the television and I saw my name on the screen. I rubbed my eyes, and then I looked again. My name was still there. They even pronounced it right," Wallis told THR.

"To celebrate, I want to get some pizza and go shopping at Toys"R"Us for cool toys," she continued.

Zeitlin said his idea of celebrating is much more juvenile: "I just want to jump on the bed. To be recognized at this level is a miracle."

Wallis was only 6 when Zeitlin started shooting Beasts, an apocalyptic fantasy-drama about a girl named Hushpuppy whose home in the Louisiana bayou is threatened by a melting ice-cap.

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"She's the best actress I've ever met," says the director.

According to Wallis, the toughest part of the production was the mud and the mosquitoes. "When [Zeitlin] yelled action, we had to stand there and couldn't smack them away," she said.

As for her favorite movies, Wallis' top choices include Finding Nemo, Happy Feet 2, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. "I've watched some of them about nine times."