The trailer for Harold and the Purple Crayon, a live-action adaptation of the popular children’s classic, is out. The film is directed by Carlos Saldanha and stars Zachary Levi in the title role.
In Crockett Johnson’s beloved book, Harold, a four-year-old boy, embarks on imaginative adventures with the help of his magical purple crayon. In the film adaptation, we meet Harold as a grown-up, who unexpectedly enters the real world from Johnson’s book. Along with his trusty crayon, with which he can bring drawn objects to life, Harold is joined on this adventure by two new friends, Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Mel (Benjamin Bottani).
A synopsis for the film reads, “Inside of his book, adventurous Harold can make anything come to life simply by drawing it. After he grows up and draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life—and that his trusty purple crayon may set off more hilarious hijinks than he thought possible. When the power of unlimited imagination falls into the wrong hands, it will take all of Harold and his friends’ creativity to save both the real world and his own.”
Saldanha is known for directing successful animation films Ice Age, Rio and their sequels. This is his first live-action outing. The film’s screenplay is written by David Guion and Michael Handelman.
Harold and the Purple Crayon is scheduled to release in US cinemas on August 2.