Hugo (2011)

Hugo, set in 1931 Paris, follows the story of Hugo Cabret, a young orphan boy who lives within the walls of a train station, maintaining the clocks there. The movie begins with a shot of the full moon shining over the city as the camera zooms in on the city streets. Hugo, who has lost his father, begins his daily routine of winding the clocks in the train station.

One day, Hugo is caught stealing a wind-up toy mouse by the grumpy toy seller, Georges Méliès. He confiscates Hugo's notebook, which contains his late father's drawings of an automaton - a mechanical figure that comes to life. Hugo befriends Méliès' goddaughter, Isabelle, who possesses the key to unlocking the automaton. They form a bond and embark on a mysterious and adventurous journey together.

Hugo and Isabelle manage to recover the notebook and embark on discovering the secrets of the automaton. As they investigate, they come across a movie theater where Méliès used to work, discovering his forgotten past as a pioneering filmmaker. They also stumble upon a heart-shaped keyhole in the theater. However, they are caught trying to unlock it by the station inspector, whom Isabelle refers to as "the man with the leg brace."

Isabelle and Hugo decide to visit Méliès, who lives in an apartment above the toy shop. Initially, Méliès is resentful of their intrusion, but he eventually opens up to them, revealing his painful past. Long ago, Méliès was a renowned film director, but after World War I, his career declined, and he burned and destroyed most of his films in frustration. With the help of Isabelle and Hugo, Méliès rediscovers his love for films and enthusiasm for life.

Hugo also bonds with Méliès' wife, Jeanne, whom he discovers has been silently suffering due to her husband's withdrawal from the world. Meanwhile, Hugo continues to fix the automaton, hoping that it will deliver a message from his late father. After successfully repairing it, the automaton produces a drawing of a heart-shaped key.

Determined to solve the mystery of the heart-shaped key, Hugo, Isabelle, and Méliès visit a library, where they find a book that mentions the key being used to wind up a mechanical man. They then realise the significance of the key to a hidden room in the train station.

The trio enters the hidden room, which contains a collection of Méliès' films and valuable equipment. Gathering more people, including the station inspector and other friends they have made along the way, they project one of Méliès' films, mesmerizing the audience with the magic of cinema. The world realises Méliès' contribution to film and honors him with a special tribute.

In the end, Hugo finds his purpose as a filmmaker, following in Méliès' footsteps. He writes a book about Méliès' life and his own experiences, forever preserving these memories. Hugo's own journey parallels Méliès', as both find solace and redemption through their shared love of cinema. The movie concludes with Hugo, Méliès, Isabelle, and their friends watching a film together, uniting the past and the present in a celebration of storytelling.