Harold and the Purple Crayonsees the iconic storybook character come to the real world to find his "Old Man" and discover why he was ever created. The 2024 movie puts a fresh twist on the 1955 picture book of the same name by Crockett Johnson, first detailing how the familiar little boy in a onesie grew up in his world of imagination. However, when the narrator of Harold's world, whom he had dubbed his Old Man, seemed to have vanished, Harold (Zachary Levi) went on an adventure with his friends Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds) to the real world to discover what had become of him.
While maneuvering the real world and its characters in Harold and the Purple Crayon, Harold ran into the mother-son duo Terri (Zooey Deschanel) and Mel (Benjamin Bottani). With the help of a local librarian, Gary (Jemaine Clement), Harold discovers the children's book through which he was established and the name of his Old Man—Crockett Johnson. However, things fall apart when Harold learns Johnson has passed away. His sadness and confusion lead Harold to give his purple crayon to Gary, who uses it to make his own dark fantasy world come to life. Thankfully, imagination wins out at the end of Harold and the Purple Crayon.
Crockett Johnson's Letter & Why He Made Harold Explained
Harold Got The Answer To The Question He Asked At The Movie's Beginning
Custom image by Cece Montemayor
After saving the day and reclaiming his purple crayon, Harold, Moose, Porcupine, Terri, and Mel all head back to the Crockett Johnson house to learn more about why Harold was made to begin with. This is when Harold discovers a letter left for him by his Old Man, which hints that Johnson knew that his creation would eventually find his way off the page and into the real world. Through this letter, Johnson explained why he created Harold and what he hoped his story about a boy with nothing but a purple crayon would teach its readers:
I wanted to show folks that with a little imagination you can make life whatever you want it to be. I wanted you to inspire people to live their lives that way too. We only have so much time in this world but we leave our mark on the lives we change. And I know you, Harold, will keep inspiring our world one person at a time because life isn't something that just happens to you, it's something you create. The trick is in the imagining.
Harold was afraid in Harold and the Purple Crayon that he had no purpose and that the things he created only caused trouble. However, Johnson's letter and Harold's ultimate ability to help Terri and Mel and stop Gary proved that he had a very important reason to exist. Harold was meant to show people they have control over their perspectives on their lives. The mark they leave isn't with a magical purple crayon, but through the good deeds and acts of kindness they show to others. Ultimately, Harold's role in the world turned out to be pretty meaningful.
Why Harold's Old Man Stopped Narrating
Harold Found Crockett Johnson
Image via Sony Pictures
Harold had grown used to his Old Man's narrations, but just as he began questioning why he had been drawn to begin with, the voice stopped answering. This inspired Harold to go to the real world to meet the Old Man in person and ask his questions. However, after discovering that this voice was writer Crockett Johnson and hunting down the man's home, Harold learned that he had passed away. Later, in the house, Harold found a sketchbook that contained drawings of himself as an adult, but the pages of the book were unfinished. Johnson had abruptly stopped drawing, which must have been when his narrations had stopped as well.
Harold and the Purple Crayon is currently performing very well on streaming, months after the streaming giant refused to buy the movie.
Of course, Harold didn't stop existing after Crockett Johnson passed away. In the real world, this legendary author died in 1975, implying that Harold searched his imaginary world for his Old Man for a long time before finally coming to the real world in Harold and the Purple Crayon. Johnson's drawing is his legacy, and this piece of his imagination kept going and inspiring others to create it long after the children's author was gone. When Harold went back home to his imaginary world, it was with a box of colorful crayons through which he could continue to create in his Old Man's name.
What Happened To Gary At The End Of Harold & The Purple Crayon
Gary Finally Got To Become G'Garaur
Clement's Gary serves as the primary villain in Harold and the Purple Crayon. As an unpublished author, Gary had a complex fantasy world created in his mind that he was desperate to share with the world, but publishers didn't seem to "get" his idea. So, when he realized that Harold's crayon had the ability to bring just about anything to life, Gary manipulated him into handing it over. With it, the librarian became his fictional hero, G'Garaur, and attempted to turn the surrounding city into a fantasy world in which he would finally be recognized for his worth.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
is available to stream on Netflix.
Ultimately, Harold's imagination (and that of his friends) allowed them to overcome G'Garaur, and Gary was forced to back down. However, after expressing his desire for his imagination to become a reality, Harold used the purple crayon to create a portal to G'Garaur's fantasy world. Gary willingly went through it, and the door was burned by Mel's imaginary friend, Carl—ensuring that Gary couldn't return. During Harold and the Purple Crayon's mid-credits scene, Gary is seen living happily in his fantasy world, though his love interest, based on Deschanel's Terri, still doesn't choose him.
How Harold Helped Terri & Mel (& How They Helped Him)
Terri & Mel Needed A Lesson On Creativity
Terri and Mel were an important part of Harold's journey in Harold and the Purple Crayon. Terri's husband had recently died, and neither she nor Mel had been able to establish a new normal since. They had been a family full of imagination and creativity, but this had all fallen away when Mel's father was gone. Terri stopped acknowledging Mel's imaginary pet, Carl, and discouraged him from applying his imagination to everyday life. However, just as Crockett Johnson intended, Harold inspired Terri and Mel to embrace their creativity and change their perspectives on life.
Just as Crockett Johnson intended, Harold inspired Terri and Mel to embrace their creativity and change their perspectives on life.
In turn, Terri and Mel helped Harold. The realization that his Old Man was dead made Harold forget about his own creativity and imagination, too, and all his drawings—including Moose and Porcupine—began to disappear. Mel had to show Harold that he believed in him, inspiring Harold to believe in himself. Once Terri got on board and finally believed in both Mel and Harold, everything came together. The family, plus Harold, were able to overcome Gary (G'Garaur) with their overactive imaginations.
The Real Meaning Of Harold & The Purple Crayon's Ending
Crockett Johnson's Legacy Has Lived On
Image via Sony Pictures
Harold and the Purple Crayon may be a simple, lighthearted story based on a classic children's book, but its ending is made up of several important lessons to take away. Harold's desire to understand where he came from and why he was created, followed by his difficulty in understanding Johnson's death, reflects Terri and Mel's struggle to reshift their life after a painful loss. The story demonstrates how difficult it is to maintain a child-like imagination in the face of the real world's messiness, but Harold and the Purple Crayon proves that it's not impossible. It just takes a little creativity.
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a fantasy film based on the book of the same name by Crockett Johnson. Zachary Levi stars as Harold, alongside Lil Rel Howery, Zooey Deschanel, and Jemaine Clement. The film revolves around Levi's character, who can make his drawings come to life with his purple crayon.
Custom image by Cece Montemayor 
Image via Sony Pictures 
Image via Sony Pictures 
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