Let me start out by saying that my four-year-old daughter liked the film considerably more than I did, which probably says all that needs to be said about Harold and the Purple Crayon. Like the book from which it gets its name and inspiration, the movie is designed for young kids far more than for their older siblings or parents. The screenplay credited to David Guion & Michael Handelman pays lip service to the twin powers of animation and friendship by relaying them in a clunky and obvious fashion. The charm of the book is mostly lost in translation although, as I noted, that might not bother younger, less discriminating viewers. One of the film’s biggest problems relates to the titles it either consciously or subconsciously references, starting with the likes of Big and moving on to Jumanji, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, A Bridge to Terabithia, and so on. All those earlier films are better (some considerably more so) and bringing them to mind does Harold and the Purple Crayon a disservice. A Bridge to Terabithia is especially noteworthy for two reasons: it’s arguably the best of the bunch and it features Zooey Deschanel, who is also in Harold. The movie begins with a delightful animated sequences that recaps the events of the book, introducing Harold and his two friends, Moose and Porcupine. Narration is provided by Alfred Molina as the omniscient entity Harold calls “Old Man” (presumably writer Crockett Johnson). When Old Man’s voice falls silent, Harold decides that he must visit the “real world” to discover what has happened. He does this via his magical purple crayon and, faster than you can say “Shazam!”, Harold (Zachary Levi) is stumbling around in a park terrorizing an old man. He is eventually joined by a humanized version of Moose (Lil Rey Howery) and, later, Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds). A literal run-in with a woman, Terry (Deschanel), and her son, Mel (Benjamin Bottani), provides the homeless, clueless Harold with a place to stay for the night. He repays Terry’s kindness by painting her house purple. Mel sees the crayon at work and becomes a believer. Terry, despite the evidence of her eyes (which includes an enormous number of pies in her kitchen), refuses to accept that magic is involved.