Film Review – Harold and the Purple Crayon

“Harold and the Purple Crayon” began life as a children’s book in 1955, with author Crockett Johnson looking to shape a magical adventure of imagination and curiosity for young readers. The work turned into a major success, with generations discovering Harold’s way with creativity. It’s 64 pages of literary goodness, and cinematic and television adaptations have been produced over the years, but “Harold and the Purple Crayon” is now handed a big Hollywood interpretation from director Carlos Saldanha (“Ferdinand,” “Rio,” “Ice Age: The Meltdown”), who merges animation and live action for his take on childlike wonder. Saldanha has some accomplished visual effects to help bring the material to life, but the rest of the film is a formulaic, unfunny bore, with all the spark of Johnson’s original creation turned into a lifeless, charmless viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com