Released to streaming services on Oct. 31, “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” is the perfect movie for families seeking out a lighthearted film. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, this film has a good balance of comedy and action, making it appealing to people of all ages and perfect for a movie night.
The movie’s opening is animated and starts with a narration of Harold (Zachary Levi) and some of the things he drew with his crayon when he was younger. Among these things include two friends he drew, Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds). The movie progresses with Harold growing older and beginning to ask the narrator (Alfred Molina) many questions. This part is important because it serves as a brief prologue for the rest of the movie and helps you understand the characters better. I found that the older animated Harold looked like the yellow hat man from “Curious George,” which brought me a sense of nostalgia.
Curiosity gets the best of them and leaves them with many unanswered questions, so Harold and his friends venture into the real world, which is when the movie switches from animated to live action. This is also when the first live-action looks of Harold, Moose and Porcupine are shown. When they enter into the real world it is apparent that their costumes (outfits) represent the characters in some way. Moose has more of a calm and cautious demeanor to him meanwhile Porcupine gives off this feisty “ready to go” feel. For example, Moose had on clothes that were brown or khaki, similar to the color palette of a moose, paired with a sweater with moose on it. Meanwhile, Porcupine had a more “edgy” look that resonated with her animal and a haircut that abstractly represented her quills. Overall, the costumes in this film weren’t anything crazy or never seen before, but more of a regular, everyday kind of look.
The acting was appealing and made it obvious how talented the actors were. The actors were able to portray their characters amazingly, with Lil Rel Howery catching my eye. He quickly became my favorite character because of how he reminded me of the character Grover (Bjorn Yearwood) from “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” The similarity of their personalities and the way that they both talked were very similar to one another. All of the actors were able to embrace their characters fully which made the film all the more captivating. Not to mention that the friendships and relationships of the characters all seemed natural and made everything in the movie flow nicely.
The cinematography of the film was well done and of good quality. There weren’t any key details about it that stood out to me specifically, but there also weren’t any obvious negative aspects to it that made the movie unenjoyable. While the cinematography was mediocre, the script I found to be more enjoyable. I watched this movie with my family and the script was good because it kept all members of my family (including myself) engaged and interested in the movie. On top of that, the script was funny and able to keep you on your toes with the way certain lines were set up to be delivered, the setup allowed for unexpected jokes to come through and catch you off guard which I found to be enjoyable.
Overall, “Harold and the Purple Crayon” is a well-made movie that was able to capture the attention of a variety of different audiences. Oftentimes when movies are too long, I find myself falling asleep, however, this movie was the perfect length and made for a good watch. I would recommend this film to people who have a wide variety of ages in their families and are looking for a fun movie night.
“Harold and the Purple Crayon:” ★★★★☆
