Harry Nilsson’s animated film ‘The Point!’ will get its first HD release in February 2020. — Picture courtesy of the Harry Nilsson Estate via AFP-Relaxnews
LOS ANGELES, Oct 3 — The Point! will get its first HD digital release next February, to mark the 50th anniversary of the album of the same name.
The animated film premiered in February 1971 during a television special on ABC, with a voiceover narration by American actor Dustin Hoffman.
In a subsequent reissue of the film, British drummer Ringo Starr took over the voiceover reins, with Nilsson handling narration on the accompanying album.
The Point!, which was directed by Academy Award winner Fred Wolf, also included The Brady Bunch actor Mike Lookinland, who portrayed the round-headed Oblio.
The animated film follows the story of Oblio and his trusty dog Arrow as they are banished from the Land of the Point and take refuge in the Pointless Forest.
As Rolling Stone pointed out, the re-release of The Point! was a challenging project for the Nilsson Estate and MVD Rewind Collection as they could not locate the original negatives.
A collector named Kier-La Janisse loaned them a rare 16mn print, enabling the team to run a 2K HD scan that improved coloring and reduced fading.
“Considering the condition of the elements we had while a complete restoration proved to be unfeasible, the end result is the best the film has ever looked and we are proud to give fans and collectors the best edition on disc and digital that has ever been created for this classic animated film,” MVD Rewind Collection’s Eric D. Wilkinson said in a statement.
The Point! will be released in the US on February 11, 2020, with a Blu-Ray edition also available. It will feature additional bonus material, including exclusive interviews with Lookinland, Nilsson’s son Kiefo and a mini-poster.
Ahead of the animated film reissue, Omnivore Recordings will release Nilsson’s posthumous album, Losst and Founnd, on November 22.
The full-length, which marks the late musician’s first collection of new material in almost 40 years, includes nine original songs by Nilsson, as well as covers by Jimmy Webb and Yoko Ono. — AFP-Relaxnews