Harold and the Purple Crayon
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: August 2, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
34
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
13
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
ColliderJeff EwingJul 31, 2024
It is a somewhat decent movie hampered by so many preventable oversights and missteps. Read full review
40
EmpireHelen O'HaraJul 31, 2024
It’s well-intentioned and manages some nicely judged messaging by the end, but Harold’s mugging and his animal companions’ antics aren’t nearly as cute as the film thinks they are. Read full review
42
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJul 31, 2024
It’s dull and low-energy stuff to begin with, but that a story premised on the infinite potential of a child’s imagination should end by cribbing from the most creatively bankrupt stuff of modern cinema is a perfect microcosm of how far Harold and the Purple Crayon misses the mark. Saldanha and his writers had the entire world at their disposal, and they ended up drawing a total blank. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshAug 5, 2024
The premise still feels too thin and juvenile to grab audiences of any age. So what algorithm decided this movie would be a lucrative endeavor? Read full review
46
Paste MagazineRory DohertyJul 31, 2024
The true fatal flaw of Harold and the Purple Crayon is that everything—from the story to the visual design—feels like it came pre-packaged in a microwave dinner. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliAug 5, 2024
Perhaps in the hands of a visionary genius in touch with their inner child, it might have been possible to achieve something better than an overlong throwaway distraction for a preschooler. In the hands of these filmmakers, however, it feels like a soulless cash-grab – an attempt to tap into the family-friendly frenzy that has emerged this summer. Read full review
50
The Associated PressKaitlyn HuamaniJul 31, 2024
Even if the book’s story has been told and the movie’s format has been done before, a movie that reminds us to be imaginative — and that delivers some imaginative visuals to boot — can’t really get old. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckJul 31, 2024
It’s hard not to wish that in the future, Harold will stick to the cartoon world where he belongs. Read full review
40
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeJul 31, 2024
With little of Crockett’s original charm remaining, the audience is left with a generic entertainment struggling to find a reason to exist beyond the need for more “content”. As soon seen as forgotten. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Ellen E JonesAug 4, 2024
Since Levi is the single-use plastic of screen performers – flat, shiny, desperately unfashionable – it’s left to Jemaine Clement to provide the story’s charismatic core as Gary, the villainous failed fantasy novelist with a thing for Mel’s mum. Read full review
48
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJul 31, 2024
It’s a mostly harmless time-waster of a motion picture; functionally a movie but without too much of that pesky depth or entertainment getting in the way. Read full review
60
Total FilmMatt MaytumJul 31, 2024
It’s not the sort of family film you’ll wax lyrical about, but there’s enough colorful, chaotic, kid-friendly fun to amply entertain. Read full review
40
VarietyOwen GleibermanJul 31, 2024
The film ends with an overly spelled-out plea for the value of “imagination,” but about the only thing the filmmakers are drawing with their purple crayon is algorithms. Read full review
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