It’s hard to imagine a better holiday family film this season than HUGO, director MARTIN SCORSESE’S big-screen rendition of BRIAN SELZNICK’S award-winning children’s book, THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET. At its center is the titular 11-year-old orphan who keeps the clocks running in the hectic 1930s Paris train station where he secretly lives within its walls. But, at its heart, is SCORSESE’S passionate embrace of cinematic history. Beautifully adapted for the screen by JOHN LOGAN, the film stars ASA BUTTERFIELD, CHLOE GRACE MORETZ, BEN KINGSLEY, SACHA BARON COHEN, JUDE LAW and CHRISTOPHER LEE.

As a bitter toy-shop keeper, KINGSLEY brings the right amount of cranky to the mix and, during a press conference to promote the film, he explained his decision to stay in character off-screen as well as on. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

HUGO opens in theaters today