Published 03 August 2024, 01:51 IST

The sheer existence of this live-action adaptation of the classic children’s book “Harold and the Purple Crayon” inspires a number of questions on a basic level. Who is this for? The book by Crockett Jensen, published in 1955, is aimed at ages 3 and up, but the film, adapted by David Guion and Michael Handelman and starring an almost entirely adult cast, skews older. Yet the premise still feels too thin and juvenile to grab audiences of any age. So what algorithm decided this movie would be a lucrative endeavor?

I’ll take out my own purple crayon and attempt to magic a coherent film review into existence out of this profoundly odd and offputting film. The approach to adapting the beloved book is a somewhat curious one. We know the story and the iconography: a toddler in a onesie who uses his imagination and a purple crayon to make his world more exciting. In the film, our protagonist is now an adult, Harold (Zachary Levi), who still lives in his 2D world with his friends that he drew, Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds). Despite being in his mid-40s, he’s still quite childlike and overly attached to his only parental figure, the narrator (voiced by Alfred Molina), whom he calls the “Old Man.” When one day the Old Man’s voice goes away, Harold draws himself a door to the real world in order to find him.

While the decision to feature a middle-aged Harold is above my pay grade, it likely has to do with Levi’s willingness — or desire — to star as a childlike man, as he has done previously in two “Shazam” films. His version of Harold is a cross between Tom Hanks in “Big” and another children’s book icon, Amelia Bedelia. Harold knows nothing of the real world, including irony, idioms or brands, and like Amelia, he takes everything literally, which is a problem when he’s wielding a crayon that can draw anything into being.

Perhaps it was cute for a 32-year old Tom Hanks to play a 12-year old boy, or even for Levi to slip into teenage-boy mode in “Shazam” (the first one, at least). But there’s something deeply strange about his performance here, grinning and mugging with childlike wonder in a way that can only be read as disingenuous.

For some reason, when they step into the real world, Moose and Porcupine become human, but I wouldn’t want to start asking questions to which there can’t be any good answers, so we’ll leave it at that. The trio cause light havoc, glomming onto a single mom, Terry (Zooey Deschanel), and her son, Mel (Benjamin Bottani). Harold, Moose and Porcupine need help finding the Old Man and then they get involved with Terry’s issues too (dead husband, dead-end job, wildly imaginative kid, lecherous librarian).

Things are looking dire in the world of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” (for me, specifically), and then a savior arises out of nowhere. It is the east and Jemaine Clement is the sun. He is here to save (or salvage what he can of) this film. Clement plays Library Gary, a writer of romantasy fiction, who has a crush on Terry.

Even though his pompous author character is a bit close to his role in the 2009 comedy “Gentleman Broncos,” Clement proves to be a breath of fresh air and a decent adversary. If Harold uses his crayon to pull planes and pies out of thin air, Gary has far more nefarious (and horny) intentions, using the crayon to summon up his fantasy world, complete with powerful magical staffs, a floor made of lava and scantily clad maidens.

It’s only when Clement brings his flair that this film has anything worth paying attention to, because he’s the dash of acid that offsets this otherwise totally saccharine and sappy story about embracing imagination. Gary adds a much-needed dose of friction to the whole endeavor, and Clement seems to be having fun, which is more than can be said for Deschanel, who brings a sort of dead-eyed “running lines” energy to her barely-there performance. The less we focus on what Levi, Howery and Reynolds are doing, the better.

The only actor committed to the heart of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” is young Bottani as Mel, because children more sincerely buy into the transformative power of imagination. As for why they decided to make this movie about — and for? — adults, you’ll need to tap into your own imaginative powers, if they’re not too busy elsewhere.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

By Dolores Quintana

I will admit that my expectations weren’t high for Harold and the Purple Crayon, but I was pleasantly surprised by the film. It was charming and sincere, not just a kid’s movie but a film that explores disappointed dreams of adults and the role of art and imagination in life. It has a storyline that can appeal to kids and adults. It’s playful and emotional. I really loved the cast, especially Lil Rel Howery, Tanya Reynolds, Benjamin Bottani, Ravi Patel, and, especially, Jemaine Clement and Alfred Molina as the narrator. Watching Tanya Reynolds behave as a real life porcupine was adorable. The comedy in the film really came to life with the work of the supporting cast. 

The film’s synopsis says, “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. Harold and the Purple Crayon is the first film adaptation of the beloved children’s classic that has captivated young readers for decades.”

Zooey Deschanel and Zachary Levi pulled their weight, and Deschanel, in particular, was given more to do than she normally gets, and it showed in her work. However, Zachary Levi was not the MVP of the cast and he should have been since he has the titular role as Harold. His work can be described as workmanlike and adequate except when he starts to show more as the film progresses. Sadly, it’s not enough to save his performance fully, but it’s more than I have seen him show ever. 

It is a problem that I have had with the three leads of three recent family family films. The lead character, who by all rights should be the star of the show, isn’t and gives what can only be called a passable performance. In many of these cases, the slack was pulled up by the supporting cast, but that makes me wonder why one of them wasn’t the lead and what might have been.  

Harold and the Purple Crayon had lots of undercurrents that posed questions in my mind, like the disappointment of artists who don’t get to fulfill themselves in their chosen crafts, the torture of working a retail job, and how people cause chaos in the world by doing whatever they want without considering the consequences of their actions, especially in movies where wonderous things happen. 

That one came to the forefront with the actions of Harold juxtaposed with the actions of Gary Natwick. Even though Harold didn’t intend to cause chaos, he frequently does. In most family films, the consequences are rarely shown. In this film, they are, and that is refreshing. 

Gary, as a villain, is awful, but you still see the sadness and disappointment that leads him to make bad choices. No one is painted as totally bad; there are levels to the characters’ motivations and actions. There’s a lot more about the characters and what makes them tick than there is in most family films. Gary’s storyline and Jemaine Clement’s performance have pathos and are really funny in a way that will keep adults entertained during the film.

I find that makes the film much more interesting and relatable. The director, Carlos Saldanha, who is a Brazilian animator who co-directed Ice Age, did an excellent job and has a light touch with the heavier concepts in the story. The writers David Guion and Michael Handelman built a strong story and characterizations. Props for setting the film in Providence, Rhode Island. It’s also nice to see a film set somewhere outside of the main population centers and the live action with the inclusion of animation works quite well. 

Harold and the Purple Crayon is a joyous celebration of art and love that is kept from being sublime only by the performance of its lead actor. The supporting cast does wonderful and amusing work that would have been better served by a stronger lead. But still, it is a thoughtful, emotional, and entertaining film with a light touch on some serious subjects that still retains childhood magic. Director Carlos Saldanha deserves praise for his good work in adapting a beloved childhood book.