Hugo

The animation of Hugo was easily the best I have ever seen.  I am so in awe of the awesomeness of Hugo that I can not even decide what to say.  I will begin by saying that there were times Victoria and I forgot it was not a live action film because the animation looked so real and the characters were animated to look like their voice actors.  If for no other reason, watch this movie to glory in the artistic value of the images.

The story was sweet, and while the movie is geared towards children, it still had the power to engage adults.  It was not particularly exciting, but it was comfortable, for lack of a better word.  Victoria also recommends the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which is a lovely combination of storytelling and pictures.  She says the film was decently faithful to the book, and only sacrificed what would not translate to film well.

The score did not necessarily stand out, but it was a good score.  It complemented the film well.  It was there when it needed to be and backed off when it did not.

As a bonus, the film shows re-made scenes from the early film A Trip to the Moon and a look at how some of the scenes were made.  It is worth mentioning that Georges Melies, the character, is different than Georges Melies, the man.  This early film was a pioneer in the movie industry, but very few people come in contact with it.  Seeing it in this film was a real treat.

Do not let the brevity of this review fool you.  This was one of our favorites so far.  It was so good, in fact, that we are a bit lost for words.  What the film lacked in story lines, it made up for in stunning animation.  It truly deserved its Oscars.  We give this film an A+.