The PointBlind conformity is the enemy of individuality and freedom. The Point is an animated children's film about a young boy named Oblio who has the grave misfortune of being born without a "point". That is, he does not have a pointed head, unlike everyone else in The Pointed Village. His parents, the other children, even his trusty dog, Arrow--everyone has a "point". But does that make Oblio "pointless"? Well...that depends largely on two things. One, do you mean "purpose" when you say "point"? And two, do you mean what makes him physically different, something over which he has no control? Either way, the message of The Point is that, well, trying to debate either point is...pointless.
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The Point is a framed narrative, starting off with a father--voiced by Ringo Starr in the home releases--reading a bedtime story to his begrudging son. You'd be forgiven to think that this already sounds a lot like The Princess Bride. There are even semi-frequent interruptions about the boy becoming increasingly excited over the story, and his father observing this and how he's using his imagination to fill in the details. The Point--despite being a children's film, or maybe because of it--is an obvious, counter-culture social satire. The story begins with a world where everything "has a point"...pointed heads, pointed houses, pointed money, and so on. In short, everyone accepts that this is just the way of the world and always will be. So Oblio's very birth shakes people up from the start. People treat him differently, think something is wrong with him because he doesn't share their ubiquitous physical peculiarity. He tries to fit in by wearing a pointed hat, yet he constantly faces discrimination by degrees, most especially from the spoiled son of the count, who is also an equally horrible person. He is told that he cannot participate in a schoolyard game by the count's kid, but challenges him to a round of the game and wins, despite the other's dirty tricks. Of course, the kid cries to daddy, who makes it a personal crusade to see Oblio exiled from The Pointed Village, and cast off into "The Pointless Forest". The village's milquetoast king gets bossed around by the count, even though he--and everyone else in The Pointed Village--likes Oblio, even if they don't understand him. So, Oblio--and Arrow too, for being a conspirator...yes, the count condemned even the dog--make the lonely trek into the forest...which turns out to not be "pointless" at all.
The Point was written in part by--and based on a story from--Harry Nilsson, who also provides the music. For those unaware, Nilsson was an outstanding musician and songwriter. Because he was a contemporary of The Beatles, he is even sometimes described as the unofficial "Fifth Beatle". His music is imaginative, enthusiastic, and always creative, and was popularly featured in films including Goodfellas and Midnight Cowboy. But his contributions to The Point cannot be overstated, to the (ahem) point that this film is fundamentally an animated musical. The most popular song from the movie, featured frequently during Oblio and Arrow's journeys into The Pointless Forest, is "Me and My Arrow", which if that doesn't have you tapping your foot, check your pulse. It's charming, sweet, but also poignant--and it isn't alone. Other tracks that you may find yourself thinking back to after viewing include "Think About Your Troubles" and "Are You Sleeping?" But what really distinguishes The Point from a glorified "Peanuts" primetime special--and no offense to "Peanuts", mind you--is its nigh-psychedelic imagery. Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that Nilsson has shared that he first came up with the idea for The Point while under the influence of LSD, and less so after watching scenes like the overly rotund dancing ladies--who look like giant cherries to me--bouncing around, or a dreamlike interlude with morphing dancers that look like an amalgam of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Donald and Daisy Duck. Really. But watching The Point for the sake of the trippy visuals is only a fraction of what makes the film special. It is a rare children's movie which manages to deliver a (here we go again) "pointed" message about prejudice and acceptance with cleverness and empathy instead of ham-fisted platitudes and shallow characters. Sure, the count and his kid are awful, but what makes The Point more interesting are all of the seemingly innocuous side conversations other townsfolk have about Oblio. Their dialogue is all too familiar when discussing social issues or politics. Just replace "Oblio" with some other current event, and you can see how people don't really want to alienate or discriminate against others, but they can be all too apt to accept authority without serious objection. Most people just want to get on with their lives, but don't wish that others are deprived of the same. So for a silly cartoon about monochromatic people with pointed heads, it is surprisingly deft at inviting its audience--children and adults both--to broaden their horizons and consider the world from a (last one, I promise) different "point" of view.
Recommended for: Fans of a clever yet approachable animated children's film which deals with serious themes of inclusiveness without being sanctimonious--the latter of which feels all too rare these days. The fun and peppy score by Harry Nilsson makes this a joyous and whimsical tale, one that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
The Point was written in part by--and based on a story from--Harry Nilsson, who also provides the music. For those unaware, Nilsson was an outstanding musician and songwriter. Because he was a contemporary of The Beatles, he is even sometimes described as the unofficial "Fifth Beatle". His music is imaginative, enthusiastic, and always creative, and was popularly featured in films including Goodfellas and Midnight Cowboy. But his contributions to The Point cannot be overstated, to the (ahem) point that this film is fundamentally an animated musical. The most popular song from the movie, featured frequently during Oblio and Arrow's journeys into The Pointless Forest, is "Me and My Arrow", which if that doesn't have you tapping your foot, check your pulse. It's charming, sweet, but also poignant--and it isn't alone. Other tracks that you may find yourself thinking back to after viewing include "Think About Your Troubles" and "Are You Sleeping?" But what really distinguishes The Point from a glorified "Peanuts" primetime special--and no offense to "Peanuts", mind you--is its nigh-psychedelic imagery. Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that Nilsson has shared that he first came up with the idea for The Point while under the influence of LSD, and less so after watching scenes like the overly rotund dancing ladies--who look like giant cherries to me--bouncing around, or a dreamlike interlude with morphing dancers that look like an amalgam of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Donald and Daisy Duck. Really. But watching The Point for the sake of the trippy visuals is only a fraction of what makes the film special. It is a rare children's movie which manages to deliver a (here we go again) "pointed" message about prejudice and acceptance with cleverness and empathy instead of ham-fisted platitudes and shallow characters. Sure, the count and his kid are awful, but what makes The Point more interesting are all of the seemingly innocuous side conversations other townsfolk have about Oblio. Their dialogue is all too familiar when discussing social issues or politics. Just replace "Oblio" with some other current event, and you can see how people don't really want to alienate or discriminate against others, but they can be all too apt to accept authority without serious objection. Most people just want to get on with their lives, but don't wish that others are deprived of the same. So for a silly cartoon about monochromatic people with pointed heads, it is surprisingly deft at inviting its audience--children and adults both--to broaden their horizons and consider the world from a (last one, I promise) different "point" of view.
Recommended for: Fans of a clever yet approachable animated children's film which deals with serious themes of inclusiveness without being sanctimonious--the latter of which feels all too rare these days. The fun and peppy score by Harry Nilsson makes this a joyous and whimsical tale, one that can be enjoyed by the whole family.