Harold and the Purple Crayon

25%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

92%

Audience Score

500+ Verified Ratings

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. Read More Read Less

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Critics Consensus

A high-concept treatment that misses out on the blissful simplicity of its source material, Harold and the Purple Crayon is a tribute to imagination that's content to only color inside the lines.

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Critics Reviews

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Harold and the Purple Crayon | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Jen Chaney

New York Magazine/Vulture

Harold and the Purple Crayon makes the classic Hollywood mistake of taking a story that was lovely because of its concision and simplicity and turns it into a movie that is overly long and complicated for no good reason.

Aug 5, 2024

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Harold and the Purple Crayon | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Katie Walsh

Tribune News Service

There’s something deeply strange about [Levi's] performance here, grinning and mugging with childlike wonder in a way that can only be read as disingenuous.

Rated: 1/4

Aug 3, 2024

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Harold and the Purple Crayon | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Leigh Monson

AV Club

'Harold And The Purple Crayon' doesn’t quite provoke the blues that one might expect from such a crass-sounding adaptation, but neither does it paint the town red with its modest ambitions. We’re left mixed, as purple as the crayon.

Rated: C

Aug 2, 2024

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Harold and the Purple Crayon | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Jackie K. Cooper

jackiekcooper.com

Isn't funny or quirky enough to entertain kids (or adults).

Rated: 4/10

Aug 16, 2024

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Harold and the Purple Crayon | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

tt stern-enzi

WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH)

Unfortunately, it doesn't really do a great job of balancing that animated style that it starts off with... when it moves into the live action, there's no magic to it.

Rated: D

Aug 15, 2024

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Harold and the Purple Crayon | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Stacey Yvonne

Wealth of Geeks

in Carlos Saldanha’s Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024) we learn what happens after “God” goes away. It’s pretty heavy stuff. Too bad it’s told in an insipid, mostly inconsistent tale that’s more full of child endangerment than real substantive plot.

Rated: 4.5/10

Aug 10, 2024

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Audience Reviews

View All (431) audience reviews

Sheena G It was a cute movie. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/19/24 Full Review Great for kids! Great for kids, suggesting to kids to take use their imagination. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/18/24 Full Review Janice The expressions, little humor! Just a fabulous movie! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/18/24 Full Review Cueball Dad here with three kiddos, and our theater had several kids in it. The theater was laughing and enjoying the show. Gary (Jermaine Clement) could have been retooled some, but okay for the bad guy. Adults will find some cute humor added for our benefit, and the ending is great (wont spoil it). Here are some great lines, I wanted to show folks that with a little imagination, you can make your life whatever you want it to be. We only have so much time in this world, but we leave our mark in the lives we change. We really enjoyed it. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/18/24 Full Review K Eli Perfect movie for kids and even more perfect for adults! My one year old sat the whole movie and that says a lot. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/18/24 Full Review Jean Very good, my grandson and my daughter and I all loved it. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/18/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Harold and the Purple Crayon

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Cast & Crew

Carlos Saldanha Director Zachary Levi Harold Zooey Deschanel Terry Alfred Molina Narrator Lil Rel Howery Moose Benjamin Bottani Mel

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Synopsis 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.

Director: Carlos Saldanha
Producer: John Davis
Screenwriter: David Guion, Michael Handelman
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures, Davis Entertainment
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Mild Action)
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 2, 2024, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.9M
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)