Overview
An orphan boy's quest for a key unlocks a world of wonder and memories in 1930s Paris.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- whimsical
- wistful
- comforting
- family movie night
- holiday viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed Hugo as an elegant, visually extravagant family fantasy animated by an unusually sincere love of cinema.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hugo repairs clocks, inhabits the station walls, and pursues the broken automaton and its special key.
Hugo’s investigation connects the automaton and his father to Georges Méliès and buried memories of early filmmaking.
Hugo lives alone in the station after losing his father and uncle, seeking both family connection and a place in the world.
The 1930s Paris train station is transformed into an elaborate labyrinth of clock towers, gadgets, and cinematic secrets.
Films like Hugo, and why
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
shared family adventure, period setting, mechanical wonder, and warm sense of discovery
The Secret of Moonacre
shared child-centered fantasy, hidden-world exploration, wistful atmosphere, and cinematic imagination
The Golden Compass
shared orphan protagonist, whimsical mystery, historical atmosphere, and emotional search for belonging
The Artist
shared love of early cinema, handcrafted spectacle, and reverence for filmmaking history
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 2011-11-22
- Runtime
- 126 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (7836)
Cast
- Asa Butterfield
- Ben Kingsley
- Chloë Grace Moretz
- Sacha Baron Cohen
- Ray Winstone
- Emily Mortimer
- Christopher Lee
- Helen McCrory
- Michael Stuhlbarg
- Frances de la Tour
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Hugo about?
- An orphan hiding inside a 1930s Paris train station follows a clockwork mystery into the forgotten magic of early cinema.
- What is Hugo like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hugo as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Hugo violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Hugo.
- What did critics think of Hugo?
- Critics broadly acclaimed Hugo as an elegant, visually extravagant family fantasy animated by an unusually sincere love of cinema.
- Which films are like Hugo?
- Films with a similar feel include The Invention of Hugo Cabret, The Secret of Moonacre, The Golden Compass, and The Artist.
- How long is Hugo?
- Hugo runs 126 minutes.
- Where can I watch Hugo?
- In United States, Hugo streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
