He’s not quite Dr Seuss, but American author Crockett Johnson’s picture books about a four-year-old with a magical crayon have been awakening young imaginations since 1955. In this big-screen treatment, a goofy Zachary Levi embodies the wax-pastel-wielding nipper in grown-up form, as he opens a magical portal and gets spat out in the real world for a fish-out-of-water adventure with his moose sidekick Moose (Get Out’s Lil Rel Howery, not that moosey). As colourful as a Christmas jumper and nearly as naff, the cheery adaption doesn’t justify the 70-year wait.
Harold and The Purple Crayon isn’t bereft of charm – there’s a kooky spirit and plenty of fun for younger viewers as Harold’s crayon magics up helicopters, planes and fantastical beasts to bring joy back to a grieving boy called Mel (Benjamin Bottani). But as a family adventure it cries out for the kind of maverick charisma that, say, a prime Robin Williams might have provided, and Carlos Saldanha’s (Rio) direction is stiff when zip is needed. Jemaine Clement hits the right notes as a failing fantasy author who craves the crayon’s power to turn his world into a giant crucible of fire and brimstone, but the rest is as blunt as a broken pencil.
In cinemas worldwide Aug 2.