The Point is an animated television film directed by Fred Wolf and produced by Murakami-Wolf Films in association with Nilsson House Music. The film is based on the 1970 studio album of the same name by American songwriter and musician Harry Nilsson. The film was the first animated feature ever to air in prime time on US television.
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Background[]
In its initial airing, the voice of the father was provided by a friend of Nilsson's, Dustin Hoffman, who agreed to take $20,000 for his narration to be used on one broadcast, so for later airings of the film, the narration had to be re-recorded. The initial re-recording was done by actor Alan Barzman. The VHS and DVD releases feature another of Nilsson's friends, Ringo Starr, as the father. Another version, seen on cable television in the '80s and '90s, featured narration by Alan Thicke.
The Ringo Starr version is currently the only version available on home video, the previous versions have become extremely scarce.
Cast[]
| Image | Character | 1st Telecast (Original) |
2nd Telecast | 3rd Telecast | Home Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Father / Narrator | Dustin Hoffman | Alan Barzman | Alan Thicke | Ringo Starr |
Transmission[]
| Date(s) | Channel | Version | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | ABC | Dustin Hoffman | United States | 
|
| 1970's | Alan Barzman | |||
| 1980's-90's | Disney Channel | Alan Thicke | ||
Video Releases[]
| Distributor | Year | Format | Region | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Home Entertainment | 1993 | 
|
NTSC | United States |
|
| MVD Visual | 2012 | 
|
1 NTSC | ||
| 2020 | 
|
A DVB-T | |||
External Links[]
- The Point at the Internet Movie Database