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)

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

Ringo Starr was asked to re-dub the narration for the home video release because of his close friendship with Harry Nilsson.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Poli High
Written and Sung by Harry Nilsson

User Reviews

A delightful film, no matter which version you choose

The Point, a delightful animated film, is a joy for both children and their parents. The story line is a typical fable - how little Oblio was born in the Land of Point with a perfectly round head. After beating the evil Count's son in a game of triangle toss, he and his faithful dog Arrow are banished to the Pointless Forest. Here they encounter numerous strange creatures and have many adventures, where they learn that physical or not, everybody has a point. The music was written and performed by Harry Nilsson...after his hits with "Everybody's Talkin'" and the "Theme from the Courtship of Eddie's Father", but before his monumental Nilsson Schmillson album. A song from this feature, "Me and My Arrow" became a minor hit. George Tipton does wonderful but largely unrecognized arrangements of all the songs. The original movie was featured on ABC television in 1971 with Dustin Hoffman providing the narration. Harry Nilsson himself peforms the narration on the corresponding soundtrack album, which is a delight in itself. (It has recently been re-released with additional material.) When the film was shown in Great Britain, the original narration was wiped and replaced with one by Alan Barzman. Later the film was shown on the Disney Channel, with narration by Alan Thicke. The VHS home version is narrated by Ringo Starr, a drinking buddy and close friend of Harry Nilsson. Although the VHS version is no longer in print, I have seen versions with all 4 narrators lurking about on the internet. I have not heard personally heard the Alan Thicke or Alan Barzman versions. Ringo does a nice job on his narration, which I prefer over Hoffman's. However, if you're a Dustin Hoffman fan, his version is fine as well.