Well, everyone, today, we review a film that was adapted from a children’s book, apparently from 1955, and was written by children’s author Crockett Johnson. This film version was also directed by former founder of the former Blue Sky Studios, Carlos Saldanha. Starring Zachary Levi as the main title character, let’s discuss the movie version of Harold & The Purple Crayon.
Plot: When a man with a magic purple crayon named Harold (Zachary Levi) begins hearing the voice of the person that created him, and his friends, Moose (Lil Rel Howery), and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds), they decide, with the help of Harold’s purple crayon, to head from their fantasy world, and into the real world (aka our world). With the help of new friends such as Terri (Zooey Deschanel), and her son, Mel (Benjamin Bottani), will they be able to find the mysterious voice that Harold’s been looking for all along?
Well, I will go ahead, and confess that part of me was on the fence on seeing this newer family film after hearing a lot of not so great things about it. However, after hearing positive things about it from one, or two other people that I know, I decided to give it a go. That being said, is Harold & The Purple Crayon as bad as many people make it out to be? Well, no. It was at least okay, I’ll give it that. So, what good things were there in this movie? Well, there was some nice comic book like animation throughout some of the film, especially in the beginning. Plus, having Harold’s two animal friends, Moose, and Porcupine, each turn human once they entered the human world is a nice touch. Honestly, if the filmmakers had tried to make those two remain animals, and talk even in the real world, it might have somehow looked corny, and downright stupid. So it was probably for the best that those two characters were handled the way that they were in the end. Additionally, there was also some good action in this film as well. Also, the setup, though it probably could have been executed better, ended up being very creative as well. There were also some very emotional, and heartwarming moments as well, one moment especially that occurred right near the end of this film. The acting from Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, and the rest of the cast was also very good. And another thing! For those of us that have seen this film, how could we not admire Harold’s determination to find the voice that keeps speaking to him, and narrating the events of his life? One final positive element for this film is that what this films lacks in a good story, if makes up for with plenty of really funny lines, and funny scenes.
Still, this adaptation of Harold & The Purple Crayon does have its fair share of issues as well. First of all, Harold, the main character, almost feels like a carbon copy of someone like Shazam from the newer Shazam movies. I’m not sure if maybe that’s because of the fact that both characters were played by the same person, Zachary Levi, or some other reason. Either way, Harold had the potential to likely be a better character, and the filmmakers didn’t seem to take as much advantage of that as they probably could have. Same goes for the villain in this film, some of the characters in general, and the story overall. Again, the story isn’t bad. Still, it had the potential to be better. Even the climax felt rather lackluster, and a little too fast-paced. Also, what was with some of the tragic moments dragging on a little long at times? Finally, though some of the ending was good, and heartfelt, there were other times when it felt just okay.
And that’s my review for Harold & The Purple Crayon. Is it as bad as a lot of people are making it out to be? No! In fact, there is enjoyment to be had in this movie. Still, there is a balance between the good moments, and the rather tougher ones. I would say that if you want to see Harold & The Purple crayon, see it for the many comedic moments in this film, and some rather heartwarming moments, then it should be worth your time. Just be prepared to see a film with a story that could have been stronger, despite being directed by a well-known director like Carlos Saldanha, the founder of the former Blue Sky Studios.
Final Grade: C+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 