Hugo, based on the book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick is a delightful, fanciful movie with heart. Hugo, the title character, is a little boy who lives in a clock-more specifically, the clocks in a train station. His father, who tinkered with mechanisms for a living, was killed in an accident. Now, Hugo keeps the clocks in the station running while living in fear of the station guard, who delights in cornering unattended children and sending them to the orphanage.

However, his father left him one last mystery: a writing automata that he found in the museum’s attic. When it’s fixed, what will it write? Hugo’s quest to find out leads him to connect with the station’s lonely toy seller who has a mysterious past.

Hugo has an otherworldly feel to it. The time is supposed to be the 1930s, but honestly, it could be just labeled “yesteryear”.  I did watch the “Making of Hugo” special included on the DVD. They kept talking about how this was a huge, complicated movie, but never have I seen a movie so big that feels so small and personal. Recommended for kids & adults alike!