The Point

source: The Point

I remember myself and friends gathering in the living room to watch this "special" on TV. In 1971 I was not yet 20. I recall thinking whoever created that movie must of been "smokin" a bit of the good stuff. Nevertheless, the whole point of THE POINT was pointless and I never forgot that. The song "Me and My Arrow" has been in the back of my head forever and ever. Especially when I find myself cruising unknown territory. Tonight I had the occasion to re-watch "You've Got Mail" in which a lot of Harry Nillson's songs are played. Which prompted me to sign up for the Netflix free trial offer just so I can watch this priceless movie one more time...I think I'll invite all my friends to come watch it with me. This movie is timeless.

Growing up, my parents used to rent this movie for my sister and I all the time. Along with "Free To Be You & Me", these movies made me really open-minded and I learned a lot. It's the story of a young boy who lives in a town with all of these people whose heads are pointy. His head is not. So he treks around on a "psychedelic journey" with his dog. I don't remember much else, but I remember Ringo narrating it :-) and the ending which I'm not going to write about here. I can't seem to find this film anywhere now. I think I'd enjoy seeing it, especially since in retrospect I realize that it was probably made by hippies and had a lot of the 60s/70s drug culture in it.

I first saw this quirky gem on TV as a child and fell in love with everything about it. The message of tolerance definitely spoke to me and the music was great. Found myself singing "Me and My Arrow" many times over the years and still love that song. I later saw it on the Disney channel with Alan Thicke as the narrator and prefer that version over the Ringo Starr one that got released on video. Sorry Ringo. Wish that version was the one that got released though I'd like to hear the one with Dustin Hoffman. Oblio, the only round headed boy in a world of pointed head people and his dog, Arrow, are banished to the "pointless forest" by the local court. They meet all sorts of unusual characters along the way and keep getting visited by one in particular, the Pointed Man, who keeps popping in and out and trying to make his "point". Everyone should see this starting at a young age as the message is one to remember throughout ones life.

My father would always talk about this movie growing up. He owns the record, which in time, found myself listening to his music. But I'd never seen the film. When I heard the DVD was available I quickly logged on, bought it and flew back home all the way from California to NY to surprise my dad. We made a night out of watching it, only for him to say that it was not the film he'd seen. But this wasn't because of the narration, as I've read from others reviews. He says it was animated differently. IS THIS TRUE?? Has anyone ever seen a different LOOKING version? I'm curious to see the "original" if that is the case.

I am a babysit often and recently I babysat for a family who had this movie. I watched it with the 5 and 3 year old kids and I was thoroughly creeped out.It was actually quite disturbing. The art art was odd and shaky, the plot was confusing and it was all made worse by strange music. The entire time i was watching it I kept thinking that the writers must have been high, and then I became sure they were high when the three headed man and the three bouncing, fat plum ladies came on screen; and lets not forget the dream that kid had, the air must be made of meth there. Yes, the movie does have good message about the point of life and self worth, but you can give your kid the same message by reading the Starbelly Sneeches by Doctor Seuss, or putting on My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, or Sesame Street. Something that won't give them nightmares. So maybe forty years ago this movie was cream of the crop, but nowadays if you want to put on a movie for your kids, you can do better than "The Point."

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.

The Point is one of the most ill-conceived animations I have ever seen. My head was throbbing as the monotony and poorly done animation stretched on and on for what seemed like years. The voices (except for the grooving Rock Man) were all uninspired and monotone. The narration by Alan Thicke was frightening as he broke in and out of English and mid-western accents. I did not understand why this film needed to be more than 10 minutes long. Also remember that your children WILL NOT UNDERSTAND what is going on. The evil Count frequently used word upon word that most high school students would be lucky to know. Go rent Aladdin, go rent any other animation. Stay away, STAY FAR FAR AWAY.

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.

This is a great feature. I have seen all three versions (narrated by Ringo Starr, Dustin Hoffman and Allen Thicke). Allen Thicke sounds the most like a father and therefore, the movie plays best with him narrating. Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady of the Brady Bunch)is great as Oblio but the Harry Nilson songs steal the show. This is a great movie that shows that everyone, no matter how different, has a point and matter. I had this movie recorded on Betamax but have since lost it. I am fervently looking for an Allen Thick copy of the movie to this day. If anyone can shed light on this situation, it would be much appreciated (Cal-01@Juno.com).