Harold and the Purple Crayon

I was hesitant to go see this film after looking at the low meta critic, and since I don't have a particular tie to the original book. I took my kids as an act of summer break distraction and it did just the trick. I understand why this is getting rated so low, I also love the meme reviews claiming it as the best movie ever made. This movie actually has some really great visual effects, and I think Zachary Levi's acting makes the film entertaining to watch. The problems with this movie are numerable, weird subplots between these animals turned into humans, and two different antagonists with one that they just leave behind in the Final Cut. The show lacks a clear vision, which is a shame because I think there was good bones to this. Overall I think it's a totally decent kids movie, but as a whole it is simply mediocre and lacking a clear statement.

Inside of his book, adventurous Harold (Zachary Levi) can make anything come to life simply by drawing it. After he grows up and draws himself off the book's pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life - and that his trusty purple crayon may set off more hilarious hijinks than he thought possible. When the power of unlimited imagination falls into the wrong hands, it will take all of Harold and his friends' creativity to save both the real world and his own.

What a fabulous story. It's quite unique, I can't think of another story like it. It's utterly engaging, perfect for people of all ages, and will especially resonate with those who have fervent imaginations.

Apart from the awful Zooey Deschanel all the cast is great and dare I say it...believable! I actually need a piece of purple crayon now to make my dreams come true!

Sadly it's not going to be a blockbuster, but I think this film will be extremely popular and remain a family favourite for a long time. I gave it a very solid 6, which would easily have been a 7 without Deschanel.

This movie is similar to the movie IF but slightly different, won't explain that because that will spoil the movie. This movie was a little bit entertaining because the people (who created this movie), creative skills are spot on artistically good. It is more visually appealing and contains more action, movement, tries to provoke excitement & energy emotions out of the audience. It is very dynamic and makes it look like all the actors involved in this movie are not only high on sugar , adult sugar ;) , but are very similar to dogs who are having zoomies (running extremely fast around or onto objects over & over again). It is worth looking but it is not that exciting as the ads & promotion about it, claim it is.

It was unique that they decided to use an adult version of Harold and Zachary Levi did an amazing job being that grown up child. OfCourse Levi has proved that he can play a man child as Shazam so not really the biggest range in acting, which is great cause I thought it was charming and funny.

The dude from Flight of the Concords plays Gary who was actually a perfect villain for a semi children's story and I do mean Semi. Some of the jokes in the film felt a little too grown up. I know children will get them but not sure if you should tell them.

A similar movie came out this summer called If, but i thought this movie's kind heart had a lot more value to it so i pick this over IF.

LIKES:

Cute

Charmingly Funny

Good Lessons

Loved the Imagination

Feels Like a Kids Book Coming to Life

Fun Music

Zachary Levi

DISLIKES:

A Little Too Kiddy

Odd At Times

Zooey Deschanel

Trying To Be Something Wow and Coming Off Bland

Moved Too Quickly

Summary

Harold and the Purple Crayon is a sequel to the beloved book that somehow is just as charming as the piece of literature. A fantastic and fun movie for families, it holds charming comedy, innocent jokes, and a few adult jokes that are easily G-rated to make this enjoyable for all ages. This sequel takes all of the innocence of the movie and unleashes it onto the real world and in doing so provides plenty of lessons for the world to review and hopefully learn. That heartfelt presentation adds this quaint and enjoyable tone, only amplified by the feel-good music that accompanies many of the "epic" bouts of crayon catastrophe. The imagination of the film is intense in terms of that elaborate wildness of youth and I loved how much they mirrored the inner spirit of a child in the way the drawings transitioned into the items they "semi-resembled". For me, Levi is the star of the show though. Like so many of his roles, he just has a way of unleashing his full potential into the role, giving it this odd man-child that is enjoyable rather than sad or annoying. When combined with the others, he manages to bring a dynamic portrayal of the character without seeming to try too hard.

If only the full imagination was unleashed in this film. A magical purple crayon can create a lot of magic, but it didn't quite craft the masterpiece I think they were shooting for. The innocent humor stays a little too juvenile in tone, lacking the finesse, breaks, and planning that I like in my PG-rated films. The odd humor and awkward styles are perfect for laughs, but in terms of the perfect movie are missing some of the composure that I've seen in other films. Deschanel didn't do much for me outside of a few laughs and some sparkling piano work but feels very underutilized as the source of sarcastic jokes and antagonism to Harold's optimism. And with a short run time and presenting so many things, I think the movie fell flat in terms of standing out as that awesome movie of the year. And though there are some great finishes and a narrative that holds a few heart-tugging lines... it still falls short of the gold for me.

Thus, with all the factors coming in, my recommendation is to catch this one at home with the family to optimize your time and money. As for the scores, here they are:

Adventure/Animation/Comedy/Family/Fantasy: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.