Hugo (film)/Headscratchers

• Most of the first act of the film is driven by Hugo's concern over his notebook, without which he can't complete the automaton, but we later see him rebuilding it just fine and the notebook goes unmentioned. What happened? Did Hugo just remember more of the instructions than he gave himself credit for?
  • Hugo's father drew it. It's one of the few things he has left of him, and therefore has immense sentimental value, regardless of practical value.
• Did nobody notice that Hugo's uncle wasn't picking up his paycheques?
  • In the book it says Hugo has been picking them up and they're sitting in a pile on a desk in the room where Hugo sleeps.
• Between the first and second time Hugo gets caught by the station inspector, he is walking with Chloe Moretz and takes her hat to disguise himself. How could the station inspector be soooo easily fooled by Hugo putting on a hat?
  • The second time he catches Hugo, he doesn't remember him as the same child from the initial escape, so it's not surprising he didn't recognise him in the middle. It's suggested pretty strongly that the stationmaster makes a habit of catching young children, so he probably just doesn't make particular note of their faces any more. As the head of security at a central train station, he probably sees lots and lots of people.
  • Traumatic brain injury?
• For that matter, how is what's basically a Mall Cop allowed a doberman and a freakin' bullwhip?
  • He's the chief of security at a government-run train station. That's a bit above mall cop.
  • Trains stations are like airports. Security is important.
• Melies built the automaton before moving into film, then dismantled it to make his first camera and never repaired it. How, then, does the automaton draw a scene from one of his films that was made after the automaton was dismantled?
  • Perhaps he based the scene from the film on the drawing?
  • I saw it as a bit of artistic license and magic. Because parts of the automaton were used to make the camera, the automaton "remembers" the major scenes and can sketch them.
• At the end of the movie, Hugo is adopted by Papa Georges, so who would take care of the station's clocks now, since Hugo no longer does them?
  • I think we can safely assume the station just hired someone else.

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