Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and notebook left to him by his late father. Accompanied by the goddaughter of an embittered toy merchant, Hugo embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home.

德国著名漫画家埃·奥·卜劳恩的连环漫画《父与子》已风靡世界半个多世纪，画中的“父”与“子”的形象实际上是画家自己与儿子的真实写照。1934年12月当《父与子》最初与读者见面时，画家天真无邪的儿子才只有3岁。联邦德国《斯卡拉》杂志曾发表过一幅卜劳恩伏在地上给儿子当马骑的照片，并解释道：卜劳恩和儿子克里斯蒂安在一起这样无忧无虑的日子尽管很短暂，而连环漫画《父与子》的素材多来源于此。”这一幅幅小巧精湛的画面闪烁着智慧之光，无言地流泻出纯真的赤子之情与融融的天伦之乐，其艺术魅力征服过无数读者的心。