Harold and the Purple Crayon

Giving this an 5/10 rating

Would of been better as an animated feature, perhaps, but the story and characters are so bad, it would not of made any difference, it feels like a very bad Saturday morning 1980's cartoon.

Poor old Zachary Levi and Zooey Deschanel are the only good things in this, and they act their socks off, but can't do much with this limp film. There is no magic from the rest of the poor cast, with only great VFX that are the best thing in this. And I like Purple, but not in here.

Levi is in real danger of being typecast if he keeps playing big kids, he can do much more, Deschanel must of been passing by, and they just grabbed her, waste of great actors. The idea for the plot is fine, but it's so bland and tame, even a 5 year old would be offended by this tripe.

You have intelligent stuff as 'Inside out 2' still showing, and Sony waste our time with this. Really!

This needed to be super good, if it wants to be respect the source material, which this misses by miles, better off and cheaper to buy some crayons instead, more fun too.

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.

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.

Kids, wife and myself all enjoyed Harold and The Purple Crayon.

I understand some people who have a close connection to the book aren't thrilled with the film. I don't know the book that well, so I was able to go into the movie with an open mind.

As a standalone story, it stands up as a fun and humorous feel-good kids film with great imagination.

Levi does a good job humanizing a very outrageous premise. He blends over the top behaviour you'd expect from a cartoon character with sincere heart. He really seems right in his wheelhouse here. Reynolds and Howery as Porcupine and Moose are great fun. And Clement is delightful as a funny antagonist you really enjoy rooting against.

As an adult viewer, you will certainly have to suspend your disbelief - even more than you would for other family fantasy films (the way they execute the leap from the "book world" to the "real world" was even more outrageous that I'd ever have expected) and the plot develops so fast it's hard to keep up with the leaps in logic. With that said, it settles in to a fun l, easy to consume, adventure.

My kids loved it and look forward to seeing it again. My wife, who is an educator familiar with the book, liked it very much as well. For me, it was a fun movie to enjoy with my family at the end of a school week.

What a fantastic, unassuming piece of pure entertainment, and so unexpected. HATPC is good, clean-hearted and spirited fun for children and adults alike. It almost makes me think about how people would have received The Wizard Of Oz back in the day, it's that happy and awe-inspiring with its visuals and comedy. I've heard of 'Zooey Deschanel' a few times but never actively seen her in anything, and I have to say what a fantastic, endearing portrayal she does of the mom. Also the boy is incredible. And as Harold, wielding his purple crayon of justice, Zachary Levi is incredible. The imagination in this is beyond what I thought cinema had given up. It's so small-scale cute that I assumed had long been given up to the TV channels. It's an amazing film.