When I was a kid, there was a TV movie released called “The Point”. It was a cartoon movie with an album to accompany its release by Harry Nilsson, called, yep… The Point.

I had no idea about the album back then, but I loved the movie.

It was something a kid could enjoy and something that a parent could enjoy a kid watching. If you don’t know anything about it here is the IMDB link:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067595/

I don’t think I absorbed the point of the movie, but I loved the music and animation. To be fair, it has probably been 35 years at least since I last saw it, but I remember the story and how much I liked it. When I discovered the library had it (!) I checked it out.

I discovered that I STILL loved it.

This time around I had a whole new perspective and gained an whole new appreciation and respect for this little TV movie. I remembered and had heard in the past few years the “Me and My Arrow” song, but seeing and hearing it in the movie was awesome.

Cartoon movies were of course a favorite of mine as a kid. I can list a whole host of movies and TV shows that influenced me and my life as a kid and STILL have a place in my heart. Movies like “Yellow Submarine”, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”, “Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin” and “Frosty The Snowman”.

Revisiting “The Point” after so many years was a real treat.

Ringo Starr narrates the DVD version, but to my surprise, he was not the original narrator!

It turn out that the first time it was aired on TV Dustin Hoffman did the narration. He was contracted for only 1 time though, and so the next time it aired, it was narrated by someone else, with Ringo not getting involved until the DVD/Laser Disc (lol) version.

The animation seems like a combination of elements from Yellow Submarine and Peter Max and psychedelia. It works.

There were parts of the movie I didn’t remember. The Rock Man bit was awesome.

“You see what you want to see, you hear what you want to hear.”

Oblio and his dog Arrow encounter lots of points in the Pointless Forest and that there is an actual point to the movie was lost on the young me, I just dug the adventure, but now I see the point of The Point.

It’s just a simple story, but has stuck with me all these years.

PLUS

Now I really paid attention to the music in the movie. I knew that there was an entire album by Harry Nilsson, but had never heard it. Listening to the music in the movie I couldn’t help but think that an album version would be great. I decided that I needed to get it for my collection.

I ordered it from Discogs and was surprised how cheap it was. Wah wah… I accidentally ordered the CD. However, it is cool, in its own little slipcase and complete with a replica of the original vinyl edition booklet.

The part under the CD features some info about the cover.

and the booklet includes a photo of what was to be the original cover of the album… a photo of Harry Nilsson on the point of an old German army helmet, which was soundly rejected by his record company.

The music, even without the animation to accompany it, is great. At times sing-songy, at other times bouncy and upbeat, and all over fun and whimsical without being sappy. My CD has 3 bonus tracks. Harry Nilsson himself does the narration on the original album. He does a great job.

Of the songs, of course my favorite is still “Me and My Arrow”. I also like “Think About Your Troubles” and “Are You Sleeping?”. The narration is very close to what ended up being in the movie, but slightly different in places.

After listening to the CD I have to confess I went BACK to Discogs and ordered the vinyl that I thought I had ordered the first time.

It’s a nice complete copy.

Cool to see it full size.

with booklet full size as well.

Glad to have re-watched it after all these years and to have added this to my vinyl collection. It’s a wonderful album and experience. Somewhere between “Peter and The Wolf” and “School House Rock”.