Harold and the Purple Pencil sees the iconic storybook character come to the real world to find his “Old“and discover why he was created. The 2024 film puts a new spin on Crockett Johnson’s 1955 picture book of the same name, first detailing how the familiar little boy in overalls grew up in his world of imagination. However, when the Harold’s world narrator, whom he nicknamed Old Man, seemed to have disappeared, Harold (Zachary Levi) went on an adventure with his friends Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds) to the real world to find out what had happened with him.
By maneuvering the real world and its characters in Harold and the Purple PencilHarold found 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 settled and the name of his Old Man – Crockett Johnson. However, things fall apart when Harold discovers that Johnson has passed away. His sadness and confusion lead Harold to give his purple crayon to Gary, who uses it to bring his own dark fantasy world to life. Happily, imagination wins in the end Harold and the Purple Pencil.
Crockett Johnson’s Letter and Why He Made Harold Explained
Harold got the answer to the question he asked at the beginning of the film
After saving the day and retrieving their purple crayon, Harold, Moose, Porcupine, Terri, and Mel return to the Crockett Johnson house to learn more about why Harold was created. That’s when Harold discovers a letter left for him by his Old Man, which suggests Johnson knew his creation would eventually leave the page and enter 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 his readers:
I wanted to show people that with a little imagination you can make life whatever you want. I wish you would inspire people to live their lives this way too. We have little time in this world, but we leave our mark on the lives we change. And I know that you, Harold, will continue to inspire 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 imagination.
Harold was scared in Harold and the Purple Pencil that he had no purpose and that the things he created only caused problems. 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 for existing. Harold was made to show people that they have control over their perspectives on their lives. The mark they leave is not with a magic purple pencil, but through the good deeds and acts of kindness they show to others. Ultimately, Harold’s role in the world turned out to be quite significant.
Why did Harold’s old man stop narrating
Harold found Crockett Johnson
Harold had grown accustomed to his Old Man’s narrations, but as soon as he began to question why he had been drawn in, the voice stopped responding. This inspired Harold to go out into the real world to meet the Old Man in person and ask his questions. However, after discovering that this voice was that of writer Crockett Johnson and hunting the man’s house, Harold learned that he had passed away. Later in the house, Harold found a notebook that contained drawings of himself as an adult, but the book’s pages were unfinished. Johnson abruptly stopped drawing, which must have been when his narrations also stopped.
Of course, Harold didn’t cease to exist after Crockett Johnson passed away. In the real world, this legendary author died in 1975, implying that Harold searched for his Old Man in his imaginary world for a long time before finally arriving in the real world in Harold and the Purple Pencil. Johnson’s drawing is his legacy, and this piece of his imagination continued and inspired others to create it long after the children’s author was gone. When Harold returned to his imaginary world, it was with a box of colored 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 managed to become G’Garaur
Gary de Clemente serves as the main villain in Harold and the purple pencil. As an unpublished author, Gary had in his mind a complex fantasy world created that he was desperate to share with the world, but publishers didn’t seem to “to take” his idea. So when he realized that Harold’s crayon had the ability to bring practically anything to life, Gary manipulated him into handing it over. With that, the librarian became his fictional hero, G’Garaurand attempted to transform the surrounding city into a fantasy world in which he would finally be recognized for his worth.
Ultimately, Harold’s (and his friends’) imagination allowed them to overcome G’Garaur, and Gary was forced to retreat. However, after expressing his desire for his imagination to become reality, Harold used the purple crayon to create a portal to the fantasy world of G’Garaur. Gary passed through it willingly, and the door was burned down by Mel’s imaginary friend Carl – ensuring that Gary could not return. During Harold and the Purple PencilIn the mid-credits scene, Gary is seen living happily in his fantasy world, although his love interest, based on Deschanel’s Terri, still doesn’t choose him.
How Harold Helped Terri and Mel (And How They Helped Him)
Terri and Mel needed a lesson in creativity
Terri and Mel were an important part of Harold’s journey into Harold and the Purple Pencil. Terri’s husband had recently died, and neither she nor Mel had been able to establish a new normal since then. They were a family full of imagination and creativity, but all of that disappeared when Mel’s father passed away. Terri stopped recognizing 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 also forget his own creativity and imagination, and all his drawings – including Moose and Porcupine – began to disappear. Mel had to show Harold that she believed in himinspiring Harold to believe in himself. Once Terri got on board and finally believed in Mel and Harold, everything worked out. The family, plus Harold, managed to overcome Gary (G’Garaur) with his overactive imagination.
The True Meaning of Harold and the Purple Pencil Ending
Crockett Johnson’s legacy lives on
Harold and the Purple Pencil It may be a simple, light-hearted story based on a classic children’s book, but its ending is made up of several important lessons to learn. 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 change their lives after a painful loss. The story demonstrates how difficult it is to maintain a childish imagination in the face of the mess of the real worldbut Harold and the Purple Pencil proves that it is not impossible. All it takes is a little creativity.