July 21, 2024 (Culver City)
August 2, 2024 (United States)
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a 2024 American fantasy comedy film directed by Carlos Saldanha (in his live-action feature-length directorial debut) from a screenplay by David Guion and Michael Handelman, based on the 1955 children's book by Crockett Johnson. Combining live-action and animation, the film stars Zachary Levi, Lil Rel Howery, Jemaine Clement, Tanya Reynolds, Alfred Molina, and Zooey Deschanel. It serves as a sequel to the original book, with Harold growing up with his magical purple crayon. After he draws himself off the book's pages and into the physical world, Harold finds that he has a lot to learn about real life.
Produced by John Davis in association with TSG Entertainment, the film premiered at Culver City in Los Angeles on July 21, 2024, and was released in the United States by Columbia Pictures through Sony Pictures Releasing on August 2. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed over $19 million at the box office against a $40 million budget, making it a box-office bomb. It received a Golden Raspberry Award nomination, Worst Actor for Levi.
Storyline
A young boy named Harold lives inside a book. His magic purple crayon can make anything come to life, including his friends Moose and Porcupine, whom he spends time with.
Now an adult, Harold continues to have adventures. One day, the narrator, whom Harold refers to as "old man", mysteriously disappears. Determined to find him, Harold draws a door to the real world, and passes through it with Moose. In the city of Providence, Rhode Island, Harold and a now human Moose look for the old man, whom Harold believes is his father. Terry, the struggling single mother of an imaginative boy named Mel, accidentally hits Harold and Moose with her car. Mel convinces Terry to let Harold and Moose stay for the night. Mel secretly invites Harold downstairs and the two bond. Harold breaks off part of his crayon and gives it to Mel.
The next day, Terry tells Harold and Moose to leave. Upon leaving, Mel secretly joins them to look for Harold's father. In a library, they meet Gary Natwick, a librarian who struggles to pitch his idea for a fantasy novel. The three ask Gary if he can locate Harold's father via a computer, but this yields no results and the three leave. Harold draws a plane and uses contrails to display Terry's phone number in the sky, asking "old man" to call the number. Gary sees Harold draw the plane and recognizes the book he came from.
Gary meets up with Harold and Moose and shows them the book they came from. Harold sees the author's name on the cover and realizes that the "old man" he was searching for is named Crockett Johnson. Harold and Moose later reunite with Porcupine, who is tackled by cops due to having previously broken into a house. The three are arrested, but quickly break out. They arrive at Johnson's house, only to find that he has died. Harold is distraught, causing all of his drawings to fade away, including Moose and Porcupine.
Alone, Harold meets up with Gary, who convinces Harold to give him the crayon, which Gary uses to imprison Harold and cosplay himself as a warrior from his fantasy novel. Mel arrives, but he is imprisoned too. Mel frees himself and Harold using the crayon piece Harold gave him, restoring everything Harold drew. In the town square they encounter Gary, who uses the crayon to create his fantasy world. Harold and Gary fight for the whole crayon, but Gary desperately swallows Harold's piece and absorbs its power, transforming the grass into molten lava. Mel uses his imaginary creature and a spider-fly hybrid to make Gary spit out the crayon. Everything returns to normal, and Harold draws Gary a door to the fantasy world from his novel. Gary enters. The door is then burnt down by the creature, causing Gary to lose his ability to leave.
Harold, Moose, Porcupine, Terry and Mel visit a museum of Johnson's work. After Harold discovers why he was created in a note left by Johnson, he, Moose and Porcupine return to their world, with Mel handing Harold a pack of Crayola crayons when saying goodbye. Harold is overjoyed to have more colors and immediately begins experimenting.
Also See
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, Belch 7 Long Disgusti PE138601
- Hollywoodedge, Cats Fighting Loud Sc PE917007/Cats Two Angry YowlsD PE022601 (6th yowl; heard in an off-screen crash after Porcupine falls off a fence.)
- Hollywoodedge, Doppler Horn By LeftT PE079801
- Hollywoodedge, Large Ceramic Pot Bre TE023001/Pottery Drop Break PE112401
- Hollywoodedge, Rapid Midrange Beeps PE190101
- Hollywoodedge, Several Rapid Swish CRT054101
- Pro Sound Effects, Mosquito, Single CU, High Pitch Whistling, Flying/Sound Ideas, MOSQUITO - BUZZING, ANIMAL, INSECT
- Sound Ideas, BELL, BICYCLE - BICYCLE BELL: SINGLE RING
- Sound Ideas, ELECTRONIC - MAGICAL ZAP 02
- Sound Ideas, HIT, CARTOON - ZIP AND HEAVY THUMP/THUMP, CARTOON - HEAVY THUMP
- Sound Ideas, PLINK, CARTOON - SOUR PLINK