The award-winning bestseller, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” hits the big screen with a magical story about a young orphan and an early film maker. The film was released in theaters in the United States on November 23.

    After his father died in a fire, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) was taken in by his alcoholic* uncle who lives and works inside the walls of the Paris train station. But when his uncle disappears, Hugo is forced to take over his job, winding* the clocks and oiling their gears*. He has to stay hidden from the station guard, who makes a point of tracking down* parentless kids and sending them to the orphanage*.

    Hugo has only one thing to remind him of his father — an automaton* (a mechanical imitation of a human being) that his father found while working at the museum. Before he died, he and Hugo began rebuilding the broken device*. Determined to finish what his father started, Hugo steals parts from the local toy shop, which is run by a miserable* old man.

    Hugo befriends the old man’s goddaughter Chloe, (Grace Moretz), and with her help, they finally restore the automaton. Through the automaton’s message, they discover that their lives were meant to intertwine*. And there is much more to the miserable toy shop owner than meets the eye.

    It’s rare when a movie lives up to the book it is based on, especially with a book as brilliant as “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” But director Martin Scorsese pulled out all the stops. “Hugo” 3D is a magnificent film for all ages. The only criticism* is that for a book with so few words, the film is a little too long. Twenty minutes shorter would have been perfect! (SD-Agencies)