50 Years Of 'The Point,' Harry Nilsson's Wonderful, Weird Musical Fable

Harry Nilsson's concept album The Point turns fifty this year; to celebrate, the 1971 animated film adapted from the music will be released digitally and on BluRay for the first time. Nilsson, a beloved if occasionally overlooked writer of late 1960s pop hits, died in 1994, but his strange and endearing fairy tale album still resonates with those that remember it.

Featuring narration by Ringo Starr, The Point tells the tale of a boy named Oblio, the lone round-headed person in a kingdom where everything is pointy, including the citizens. Oblio, and his dog Arrow, are banished to the Pointless Forest and must find their way back to the kingdom.

NPR's Scott Simon spoke to Mike Lookinland, who voiced Oblio and went on to play Bobby on The Brady Bunch, and Kiefo Nilsson, Harry's son, about their memories of the film and the simple power of Harry Nilsson's songwriting.