March 17, 2025
Harold and the Purple Crayon
“So, he left the path for a shortcut across a field and the moon went with him.” With words so magically written, I had no other choice but to sit down and read the book and watch the movie from which they came.
The combination live-action and animated film Harold and the Purple Crayon is an adaptation of the 1955 children’s book, written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson. In the film, Harold, played by Zachary Levi, is a character from a children’s book who is given a magic purple crayon by his “old man.” Harold uses the crayon to draw a door to the real world; when Harold and his storybook friends go through it, they stop being illustrations and become real people, or their storybook equivalent. With the help of the purple crayon, which retains its powers in the real world, Harold and his friends set out on an adventure to find Harold’s old man in the real world.
Early on, Harold meets Mel (Benjamin Bottani) and Mel’s mom, Terry (Zooey Deschanel). Mel and Harold agree to help each other, and together with Harold’s friends, they continue in the search for Harold’s old man. Throughout their journey, they come across many obstacles and must use the crayon to draw their way out of many troubling situations. Harold draws different types of transportation, animals, keys, weapons, and even items of defense when he finds himself in a fight scene with a librarian named Gary (Jemaine Clement).
The concept of this book-turned-movie is so creative and magical, spilling over with potential, but the reality fell short. As a lover of nonsense and a fan of Zooey Deschanel, I really wanted to love this movie, but truth be told, there were many parts that I didn’t like. Much of the acting seemed forced, unconvincing, and left a lot to be desired. It wasn’t the writing that left me disappointed; it was the execution. As is the story most of the time, the book is better than the movie.
Watch it for free on Netflix. Also available for a fee on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Apple TV.