The Point (1971)

A father tells his son a bedtime story about young Oblio, who believes that having no point in the fantastical kingdom of pointed heads and things, still has a point.

Director:

Fred Wolf

Writers:

Harry Nilsson (story), Carole Beers (story) (as Carole A. Beers)

Stars:

Ringo Starr, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Frees

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ringo Starr	...	Narrator / Father (home video release) (voice)
Paul Frees	...	Oblio's Father / Pointed Man's Right Head / King / Leaf Man / Villagers (voice)
Lennie Weinrib	...	Count (voice) (as Lenny Weinrib)
Bill Martin	...	Rock Man (voice)
Buddy Foster	...	Count's Son (voice)
Joan Gerber	...	Oblio's Mother (voice)
Mike Lookinland	...	Oblio (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alan Barzman	...	Narrator / Father (second telecast)
Dustin Hoffman	...	Narrator / Father (First Telecast)
Alan Thicke	...	Narrator / Father (third telecast)

Storyline

An animated story of an unusual kingdom in which everything and everybody is pointed - except for a young boy named Oblio. Despite his round head, Oblio has many friends. But an evil count, jealous that Oblio is more popular than his own son, says that without a pointed head, Oblio is an outlaw. Along with his faithful dog Arrow, Oblio is exiled to the Pointless Forest. There, he has many fantastic experiences (including encounters with a 3-headed man, giant bees, a tree in the leaf-selling business, and a good-humored old rock). From his adventures, Oblio learns that it is not at all necessary to be pointed to have a point in life. Music composed and performed by Harry Nilsson ("Me and My Arrow"), who also wrote the story.

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Plot Keywords:

point | kingdom | boy | giant bee | bedtime story | 

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Fred Wolf Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Point

Company Credits

Production Co:

Murakami-Wolf Productions, Nilsson House Music Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the kids start selecting players for the triangle toss, they call for Harry, Fred, and Richard. They are in reference to singer and Writer Harry Nilsson, Director Fred Wolf, and Narrator Ringo Starr a.k.a. Richard Starkey.

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Alternate Versions

The TV version features a narration by Dustin Hoffman; the Video Tape and Laser Disc releases are narrated by Ringo Starr.

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Connections

Featured in Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?) (2010)

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Soundtracks

Me and My Arrow
Written and Sung by Harry Nilsson

User Reviews

The Best Animated Movie Of Our Time

Any animated movie that comes out can not hold a straw to 1971's "The Point".

Harry Nillson wrote an incredible story, that comes along with excellent, singable songs that will live through the ages. The story is touching and the characters are wild.

The first time I saw it was the first time it came out, with Dustin Hoffman as the narrator. Now that it is on DVD, I wish that he was still the narrator, but Ringo does an incredible job as well and it does not detract from the story.

The point of this movie (no pun intended) is that everything has a point, and if everything has a point than thats rather pointless. You'll have to watch to understand. Every kid should watch it for a wonderful cartoon and every teenager/adult should watch it to learn a valuable, touching lesson.