It's all there in the story of Hugo's journey - a journey that the script steers the viewer through with careful control and near perfect synergy of its respective parts. There is something for everyone to grasp onto and be moved by in this film - be it the idea of adventure and destiny (kids) the exploration of that in life which "breaks" us, and in turn, "fixes" us again (adults) or simply the meditation on what makes movies truly wondrous and transcendent (cinephilles). Screenwriter John Logan ( Gladiator, The Last Samurai) skillfully adapts Selznick's novel into a film that works on a multitude of levels, offering one of the richest, most rewarding cinematic experiences I've had in a while. The boy's unfaltering quest brings him into contact with many colorful characters around the station, including the orphan-hunting inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen), a curmudgeonly old toy maker (Ben Kingsley), and eventually the toy maker's bookworm goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloe Moretz). However, the quest to fix the automaton is only the first piece in a much larger mystery - one that involves a long-lost filmmaker, and a convergence of lives and destinies that will bring together all those who encounter young Hugo Cabret. Hugo's father perished in a fire, leaving behind the mystery of a strange automaton that Hugo obsessively tries to fix, as was his father's wish. The story opens on 1930s Paris, where we meet young Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), the orphaned son of a clock maker, living in the walls of a train station where he fixes and maintains the many clocks that need attendance. Brian Selznick is both author and illustrator of this wonderful story for kids that was adapted into the 2011 film Hugo. Kids aged 10 and up will love this beautiful example of prose and art working together.The film has been sold as a "family-friendly adventure" full of whimsy and spectacle, and for the first act of Hugo's two-hour runtime, this is absolutely true. Some pages contain only short paragraphs or single sentences, adding a sense of mystery and urgency to Hugo’s story as the illustrations bring to life Paris, the train station and the rest of his world. Part-traditional-novel, part-graphic novel, this 500+ page chapter book has 284 pages of gorgeous black and white sketches that often take the place of words to drive the story forward. The experience of reading this older children’s book is as important to the magic of Hugo’s story as its characters. Through them, the book subtly shows that secrets not only have a way of getting out, but also can enrich your life in unimaginable ways when they are shared. All the main players in this story have secrets, which makes for a rich and many-layered supporting cast. Hugo’s desire to connect with his father through the automaton tugs at the heartstrings and lets the reader sympathise with this lonely, little boy who must steal to make ends meet. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a wonderful story for kids about family, magic and second chances. He only needs to fix the automaton – without the aid of the notebook – first. Hugo Cabret’s life is about to change forever. He forms an unlikely ally in the toymaker’s goddaughter and discovers the world of cinema that is nothing short of magic. Hugo’s father had diligently worked on sketches and diagrams to fix it before he died, and the machine and notes are all that 12-year-old Hugo has left of him.ĭisaster strikes when Hugo loses the notebook to an ill-tempered toymaker and gets drawn into a world he never knew existed. When he’s not working, he’s trying to figure out how to fix the automaton. Hugo lives in a station and winds all the clocks twice a day to keep them running on time. Hugo Cabret is an orphan with no one in the world for company except a broken automaton, a robot-like machine his father found in a museum before dying in a fire.
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