Fairy tales only happen in movies." -George Melies from The Inven... by Brian Selznick

Fairy tales only happen in movies." -George Melies from The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Brian Selznick

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Categorized in : Invention Fairy Tale Tales

Maybe we are all cabinets of wonders. by Brian Selznick

Maybe we are all cabinets of wonders.

cabinets wonder

I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.

machines numbers mean

If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from when you go to sleep at night, just look around. This is where they are made.

dream sleep night

Ben wished the world was organized by the Dewey decimal system. That way you'd be able to find whatever you were looking for.

able book world

You can make up your own story when you look at a photo. by Brian Selznick

You can make up your own story when you look at a photo.

stories looks

Ben remembered reading about curators in "Wonderstruck", and thought about what id meant to curate your own life, as his dad had done here. What would it be like to pick and choose the objects and stories that would go in your own cabinet? How would Ben curate his own life? And then, thinking about his museum box, and his house, and his books, and the secret room, he realized he'd already begun doing it. Maybe, thought Ben, we are all cabinets of wonders.

dad reading book

I think when I'm drawing, I'm seeing what's happening on the page almost as if it were unfolding like a movie in my head.

drawing pages thinking

If you lose your purpose ... it's like you're broken. by Brian Selznick

If you lose your purpose ... it's like you're broken.

like-you broken purpose

Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do...Maybe it's the same with people," Hugo continued. "If you lose your purpose...it's like you're broken.

broken purpose people

Like a mermaid rising from an ocean of paper, the girl emerged ac... by Brian Selznick

Like a mermaid rising from an ocean of paper, the girl emerged across the room.

mermaid girl ocean

I love being an illustrator because I get to read really great stories, work with amazing people, travel and see places I never would've seen. And I get to draw all the time.

stories love-is people

He wished he was with his mom in her library, where everything was safe and numbered and organized by the Dewey decimal system. Ben wished the world was organized by the Dewey decimal system. That way you'd be able to find whatever you were looking for, like the meaning of your dream, or your dad.

dad mom dream

A friend suggested that I get a job at a children's book store so I could meet kids and read books, and that turned out to be the single best bit of advice I've ever gotten.

jobs book children

She walked to the rear door and took out a bobby pin from her pocket. Hugo watched as she fiddled with the pin inside the lock until it clicked and the door opened. "How did you learn to do that?" asked Hugo. "Books," answered Isabelle.

pockets doors book

I love illustrating for other writers because I am given stories I never would have thought of, and my work as an illustrator is always in support of the story.

support given stories

But I'm a fairly mechanical worker - I tend not to think about themes so much as plot. I want to get the feeling right. If it's moving through tunnels, I ask myself, what is it like to move through tunnels?

tunnels moving thinking

I can draw pencil lines to show something is moving, but if I'm writing, I struggle with how to write it. The boy ran down the hallway? The boy ran quickly down the hallway? The boy ran down the marble hallway? I agonize over the words. So my editor works very hard. I'm lucky to have her.

struggle writing moving

Since I spend such a long time making each book, I only choose books that I'm really interested in and that I really love.

long-time long book

It's fun to see how other artists adapt my work. by Brian Selznick

It's fun to see how other artists adapt my work.

artist fun

Once I'm given an idea for a story I have a million ideas on how it should be illustrated, but I don't have a big shoebox full of unfinished ideas.

should stories ideas