Common Sense Media Review
By Yvonne Condes
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gentle adventure is sweet, colorful but not very original.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Hero of Color City
What's the Story?
Ben loves to draw, but what he doesn't know is that the figures he creates come to life, along with the crayons. After he goes to sleep, the crayons jump into their box to get home to the beautiful and bustling Color City. Two of Ben's creations, King Scrawl and his sidekick, Gnat, follow the crayons and start wreaking havoc in Color City. If crayon Yellow (voiced by Christina Ricci) and her friends don't stop King Scrawl from plugging up the town waterfall, all of the color will drain from their colorful metropolis.
Is It Any Good?
THE HERO OF COLOR CITY is similar to Toy Story, but without the groundbreaking animation or iconic characters. It's a cute movie with some nice songs and good lessons for little kids. But the main character, Yellow, isn't quite engaging enough to hold older audiences' attention as she inadvertently goes on an adventure and fights all of her fears.
There are some funny lines, mostly by the pessimistic crayon Black (David Kaye), and some pop culture references (plus a strange crayon who sounds like Jerry Lewis) scattered here and there, but the story -- while sweet -- is one we've seen before.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Yellow's fears. She's isn't very confident in her abilities and is afraid of new experiences. Kids: Do you ever feel afraid? What do you do to get past it?
Why do you think it was important for Yellow to help the creatures in the Land of the Unfinished Drawings?
Kids: Do you ever pretend that the objects in your room come to life when you're sleeping? Is that idea exciting or scary? Why?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 3, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : December 2, 2014
- Cast : Christina Ricci , Rosie Perez , Craig Ferguson
- Director : Frank Gladstone
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Magnolia Pictures
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures
- Run time : 77 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : March 28, 2026
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