‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ – Bright colours, dull story

I’ve never read Harold and the Purple Crayon. To be honest, I never knew of the character’s existence until this film adaptation came about. I know little of the history, nor could I tell you what to expect from the stories Harold is a part of. Yet after just 10 minutes of the new film, I could tell you all that would happen before the climax. It’s harmless entertainment, but Harold and the Purple Crayon is as derivative a children’s film as you can get.

The initial concept is like a half-baked version of the plot from 2023’s Barbie. A fictional character, aware of their status as an entertainment product, enters the real world. Harold takes the trip after his narrator/father suddenly disappears, and with his magic purple crayon, Harold creates a portal to the world as we know it.

Like Barbie, Zachary Levi’s Harold is at times aware of the nuances of the world, but more often than not a fish out of water. His companions are a talking porcupine and a moose who have for some reason emerged as Tanya Reynolds and Lil Rel Howery. The resulting jokes from their predicament are awkwardly delivered and mostly consist of their characters yelling, inducing headaches rather than hilarity.

What should be the saving grace of the film is its visual flair. Harold’s magic crayon brings anything the artist draws to life out of thin air. The effect works best when the creations are real, such as a tyre or a bicycle. When the creations are purely digital, they’re floating and textureless with no sense of realism. One scene has the characters eating ice cream that somehow remains entirely still despite being continuously licked.

It all looks fake and it doesn’t particularly feel good to watch it. As bright as Harold is, he’s mostly obnoxious, and though the story aims to be sweet, it’s too predictable to create any kind of dramatic tension. Everything happens as you expect, and in the dullest way imaginable. I’ve never read Harold and the Purple Crayon, but something tells me I’d prefer it over watching this.

Rating: Read A Book

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.