Harold And The Purple Crayon (U)

Harold and pals Moose and Porcupine grow concerned when the old man who narrates their cartoon existence suddenly falls silent. Using his magical purple crayon, Harold draws a door to the real world and tumbles into the present day where he collides head-on with widow Terry and her young son Mel, whose best friend is an imaginary dragon named Carl. Mel promises to help Harold find the old man in exchange for making Terry happy.

LondonNet Film Review

Harold And The Purple Crayon (U) Film Review from LondonNet

In 1955, when illustrator Crockett Johnson published his children’s book Harold And The Purple Crayon, the idea of a writing implement that conjures solid objects into existence by doodling in the air must have seemed like the height of fantastical whimsy. Almost 70 years later, Johnson’s wild imaginings are becoming a reality with 3D printing pens, which extrude strings of colourful, non-toxic plastic to painstakingly realise anything a febrile young mind desires. Technological invention still pales next to the magical coloured wax in director Carlos Saldanha’s cheerful and briskly paced adventure, which transplants immortal cartoon characters into a cynical live-action world where every second is precious and fate can be cruel…

“When you’re young, you have all kinds of dreams, then the world kicks it out of you,” laments Zooey Deschanel’s single mother, who is raising a young son alone after losing her husband. Screenwriters David Guion and Michael Handelman lean heavily into the undimmable power of the imagination, peppering a haphazard central odyssey with otherworldly flourishes including a villainous librarian, who dreams of ruling over the Lord Of The Rings-lite realm described in his unpublished novel. Shazam! leading man Zachary Levi radiates unwavering optimism and childlike wonder in the title role and he catalyses delightful on-screen rapport with young co-star Benjamin Bottani, whose best friend is an imaginary dragon named Carl, gifted to him by his late father.

Harold (Levi) and pals Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds) live in a hand-drawn world of limitless possibilities. The trio become concerned when the Old Man (voiced by Alfred Molina), who narrates their illustrated existence, suddenly falls silent. Using his magical purple crayon, Harold draws a door to the real world and tumbles into the present day as a flesh-and-blood man, who collides head-on with widow Terry (Deschanel) and her young son Mel (Bottani).

Mel promises to help Harold track down the Old Man in exchange for making Terry smile again. Consequently, Harold wields his purple crayon with panache to perform simple yet heroic feats. Jealous rival Gary the librarian (Jemaine Clement) covets the crayon to kickstart his literary ambitions and enslave Terry as his otherworldly muse.

Harold And The Purple Crayon is a charming, family-friendly escapade that treads lightly when dealing with themes of grief and loss. Clement chews scenery with fervour as the misguided antagonist, who craves the magical wax for personal gain. “You’re supposed to use it to make people happy,” scolds Harold. “Revenge will make me happy!” snarls Gary. Smiles abound throughout Saldanha’s undemanding and heartfelt picture, which abides by simple storytelling conventions to punish cruelty and selfishness and reward kindness and generosity. Please ask Harold to draw a box of tissues.

– Sarah Lee