Highlights from my 5 year old sons review for kidzcoolit.com:

🖍 Harold meets a magical old man and creates friends, including a moose and a porcupine.
🌍 He makes a portal to the real world in search of the old man.
💔 Harold’s dad, who passed away, is a key figure in his journey.
🐉 Carl, the dragon-lizard, is Rex’s favorite character for his ability to fly and breathe fire.
⚔ The climax involves a battle where the bad guy steals the purple crayon for its magic.
📚 The film appeals to both kids and adults, linking to the original book.
⭐ Rex rates the film 4 out of 5 stars for its imaginative fun.

Key Insights
🎨 Imagination is central to the film, showcasing how creativity can bring stories to life. The purple crayon symbolizes this imaginative journey, allowing children to explore and create.
:family_man_boy: The theme of loss is present, as Harold seeks his deceased father, allowing for emotional depth that resonates with both children and parents.
:t_rex: Carl the dragon-lizard not only adds excitement but embodies the fun of fantasy creatures, appealing to kids’ love for adventure and action.
:book: The nostalgic connection for adults who read the original book fosters intergenerational bonding, making the film a shared experience.
🌟 The film promotes the idea that creativity can solve problems, as Harold uses his crayon to navigate challenges and create allies.
💥 Action-packed scenes keep young audiences engaged, ensuring that the film balances adventure with imaginative storytelling.
👶 Rex’s enthusiasm for the film suggests it successfully captures children’s interest, making it a potential favorite among families.

There's something about Zachary Levi that I quite like. Like in "Shazam" (2019), he has a boyish charm to him that is engaging to watch. In this, admittedly the story is all pretty thin, but his characterisation has a friendliness to it that I found quite enjoyable. "Harold" is the human manifestation of a fellow who lives quite happily in the land of fiction, but who arrives in the real world to try and find his creator "the old man". Together with his more reluctant pal "Moose" (Lil Rel Howery) he starts approaching old gents in the park - and yes, well that just causes pain. Then he encounters the young "Mel" (Benjamin Bottani) and his mum "Terry" (Zooey Deschanel) after she hits him with her car. An overnight at their home sees the start of a rather daft bonding exercise that's completely devoid of jeopardy but thanks to the odd intervention from fantasy-obsessed librarian "Gary" (Jermaine Clement) and his straggling pal "Porcupine" (Tanya Reynolds) is quite fun. There's an innocence to the whole thing that is quite touchingly simple and honest. People with invisible friends - didn't we all? The animation is perfectly adequate and the purple crayon could teach a 3D printer a thing or two about creating an aeroplane or a car tyre. Sure, it's all forgettable fayre and I'm not too sure if it's in any way sophisticated enough for today's kids - but it's generally quite an entertaining vehicle for a star who looks every inch in his element. It's a summer movie that's as good as any of the more hyped animation's I've seen so far in 2024.