Until I saw the trailer I had no idea that Harold and the Purple Crayon was based on a classic children’s book and that the movie is kind of a sequel to that book. Yet, you do not need to be familiar with the original children’s book to watch the movie. Look, this is a fun movie for kids and if you have kids, I would say 10 and under, they will have a lot of fun with this, but I do actually feel this is more of a streaming movie than a theatrical one.
How to Download Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024)
Harold and the Purple Crayon was released on August 2, 2024. You can expect to be able to download or stream the film from a digital platform 45 days from this date. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the availability.
The Movie Review
To start with, I went to see this on a Saturday morning as there was nothing I had not already seen and the theatre was dead! However, Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out 2 which I cannot believe is still being shown at my theatre were not and still were pretty busy. I feel that they released this at a very bad time and if they had just put this out on streaming it would have been a hit. Once Harold and the Purple Crayon does hit streaming, I can honestly see this becoming a hit with kids.
The movie has a very charming cast with Zachery Levi in the lead role as Harold. Harold is a character from a book and when the narrator goes missing, Harold uses his magic crayon to make a door into the real world so that he can go and find him. This leads to Harold getting into all kinds of mishaps as he tries to navigate the real world. Two of his friends from the book, Porcupine and Moose join him, but they become human in the real world.
We also have Zooey Deschanel playing a concerned mom of a kid who befriends Harold and Alfred Molina as the narrator. A “bad guy” ends up wanting to use the magic crayon for his own needs and it is up to Harold and his friends to save the day. This is a decent and quite fun kid’s movie that has some neat ideas.
A Fun Kid’s Movie, but Not a Standout
There is nothing particularly wrong with this movie at all, it is just not going to blow you away. I think the fact this came out in the same summer while Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 were in the theatre was a massive mistake as never in a million years was this going to compete with them.
Yet as I said before, this could be a big hit when it comes to streaming. It reminds me of the kind of movie that when I was a kid I would rent from the video store and love it and watch it over and over again. Not all movies need a theatrical release and I think that this movie is a prime example of that.
Why Kids Will Enjoy Harold and the Purple Crayon
I would bet that most kids under 10 who have gone and seen this had a great time. It plays into the whole imagination and wonder of a child’s imagination very well and that is pretty charming. Yet, there is nothing that I would say the movie does amazingly well to make it stand out with some of the best kids movies of all time. Still, if you are looking for something fun to watch with your kids, you can do way, way worse than this.
Download Harold and the Purple Crayon Now
Ready to watch Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024) with your kids? You’ll be able to download or stream it soon from platforms like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Google Play. Check the availability of the movie using the Download button below and enjoy it at home in HD or 4K!
