Taking a loose approach to adapting the much-loved picture book of the same name, Harold and the Purple Crayon opens with an inventive animated sequence featuring the baby whose scribblings come to life. It’s not long till he grows up, and when his narrator’s voice goes quiet, a journey to the real world ensues, in which Harold takes on the form of Zachary Levi, and his pals Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds) become humans.
Anything that Harold draws with his magic crayon becomes real in our world too, much to the delight of his newfound young friend Mel (Benjamin Bottani). It’s an inherently fun idea that director Carlos Saldanha (various Ice Ages) makes solid use of.
There are plenty of elements that feel familiar - Levi’s manchild-out-of-water recalls Shazam! and that film’s major touchstone, Big, while the presence of Zooey Deschanel reinforces the Elf parallels (her single mom, Terri, is even unhappily working in a department store here). But it’s all assembled in a big-hearted, slickly put-together confection that entertains without outstaying its welcome, and delivers its uncomplicated messages without too much sentimentality.
It’s squarely aimed at the younger end of the audience, and the focus on imaginative play encourages you to go a little easier on the occasionally substandard CGI than you otherwise might. A side plot with a lost Porcupine also adds little. But Jemaine Clement’s unique comic timing enlivens any scene he’s in as a frustrated librarian/would-be fantasy author, bringing to mind 2009's Gentlemen Broncos, and the stakes are refreshingly low-key. Throw in a few amusing set pieces and it’s easy-to-enjoy fun, particularly if you’re still of crayon-using age.
Harold and the Purple Crayon is in UK cinemas now and in US theaters on August 2.
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