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Pontoffel Pock and His Magic Piano

Original title: Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?
  • TV Movie
  • 1980
  • TV-G
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
288
YOUR RATING
Sue Allen, Don Messick, Hal Smith, Wayne Morton, and Ken Lundie in Pontoffel Pock and His Magic Piano (1980)
AdventureAnimationComedyFamilyFantasyMusical

A young man wishes he could get away and his wish is granted in a globetrotting, song-singing way.A young man wishes he could get away and his wish is granted in a globetrotting, song-singing way.A young man wishes he could get away and his wish is granted in a globetrotting, song-singing way.

  • Director
    • Gerard Baldwin
  • Writers
    • Dr. Seuss
    • Willie Gilbert
    • David Detiege
  • Stars
    • Ken Lundie
    • Joe Raposo
    • Wayne Morton
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    288
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gerard Baldwin
    • Writers
      • Dr. Seuss
      • Willie Gilbert
      • David Detiege
    • Stars
      • Ken Lundie
      • Joe Raposo
      • Wayne Morton
    • 9User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos8

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    Top cast6

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    Ken Lundie
    • Pontoffel Pock
    • (voice)
    Joe Raposo
    Joe Raposo
    • Gil Gickler
    • (voice)
    • …
    Wayne Morton
    • McGillicuddy
    • (voice)
    • …
    Hal Smith
    Hal Smith
    • McGillicuddy
    • (voice)
    • …
    Sue Allen
    • Neepha Pheepha
    • (voice)
    Don Messick
    • Humboldt
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Gerard Baldwin
    • Writers
      • Dr. Seuss
      • Willie Gilbert
      • David Detiege
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews9

    6.7288
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    Featured reviews

    8Bartgirl05

    Great!

    It's fun to see some of Dr. Seuss' other characters, besides the Cat, the Grinch, and Sam-I-Am. Pontoffel Pock messes up his job at the Dill Pickle Works, and wishes he could get away from it all. McGillicudy, a fairy, answers his prayers with a magic piano that can take him away from it all. But Pontoffel wreaks havoc, and falls in love with an eyeball dancer named Neefa Feefa, and soon it's a trip around the world to find him and the piano!
    10TheLittleSongbird

    Yet another classic Dr Seuss special

    Like people here and everywhere I was introduced to the wonderful world of Dr Seuss at an early age. I loved his funny characters, colourful illustrations, charming stories that had a playful tone to them and witty dialogue. Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? is a classic Dr Seuss story with everything I love about him in abundance, and this special is superb. Also it was one of my first Dr Seuss specials, so understandably I would feel a lot of fondness towards it.

    Once again, the animation is terrific, it is true to the illustrations of the story and benefits from well-drawn, quirky characters, audacious colours and unique-looking backgrounds. The music is playful and energetic, and all the songs are most enjoyable. The dialogue is still witty and delightfully droll, the story is charming with an enormous sense of fun and the pace is brisk. The characters are also very likable, with the titular character especially endearing, and the voice acting is great.

    All in all, classic Dr Seuss done well. 10/10 Bethany Cox
    10Beta_Gallinger

    One of Dr. Seuss' many unforgettable stories!

    I became familiar with Dr. Seuss at a very, very young age (I'm sure that so many others can say the same), and I can't remember exactly when I first saw "Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?", it was so long ago. I used to watch it over and over again for a while, on a video tape that also included "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat". Watching this Dr. Seuss cartoon short obviously wouldn't be the same for me now, but watching it again recently, I still found that it had some charm!

    A young man named Pontoffel Pock comes to a dill pickle factory to start a new job. Sadly, as soon as he starts, he makes a mistake, causing a huge mess all over the factory! For this, he is fired, and it appears this isn't the first job he has been unsuccessful with. Down on himself, he walks back to his house, a house which is not in very good condition. Wishing he could get away from it all, a fairy named McGillicuddy soon appears in front of him with a magic piano! This fairy tells him that with this piano, he CAN get away from it all, and shows him how to use it. Pontoffel Pock soon sets out to a new place, and at first, his life seems to be improving, but he still has a lot to learn, with a big adventure ahead!

    If I had just seen this Dr. Seuss TV special for the first time, I highly doubt my rating would be 10/10. Usually, I wouldn't rate something based on what I thought of it years ago, but in this case, I loved "Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?" so much way back in the day that I feel that what I think of it now shouldn't apply! For many kids, this movie is VERY enjoyable, with its songs, characters, adventure, animation, etc. Like many other Dr. Seuss stories, this one has also has a valuable lesson to teach. For those reasons, in my opinion, this animated piece deserves more recognition!
    10herekittykitty_07

    Love this movie!!!

    I remembered only bits and pieces of this movie from watching it as a kid. As i got older the specific names and title was forgotten and i was only left with vague memories of a great Dr. Seuss childhood movie. I tried time and time again to explain it to my husband but he just didn't get the picture i was sending. so finally i searched for it on the internet. After several painstaking hours searching through several Dr. Seuss websites i found it here! The colors are great and the places are something completely out of a mind like Dr. Seuss. The storyline is a great teacher for youngsters and i cant wait to pass it on to my children. Its great to see such a classic still around. Its true that a good story will last generation after generation.
    7lee_eisenberg

    Neepha looks like Jeannie

    Dr. Seuss continued creating magical stories with "Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You". When I was little, my favorite part was of course the mishap at the beginning, with Pontoffel sending the pickle factory haywire. Of course, nowadays I realize that the special is all about wanting to get away from the rat race. And who else to depict the outcome other than the man behind the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch and the Lorax?

    And then there's Neepha Pheepha. Her look appears to be based on the titular character on "I Dream of Jeannie" (probably just a coincidence, but still, how can you not love the sight of her?). My point is that every person should get a chance to see this. Definitely worth your while.

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    Related interests

    Still frame
    Adventure
    Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)
    Animation
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy
    Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
    Musical

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The only Dr. Seuss animated special not to include any characters, passages or stories from any of his books, although there are Poogle-horns in Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
    • Goofs
      The Good Fairy-In-Chief spells Cincinnati "Cincinatti" while talking over the radio to another fairy.
    • Quotes

      Gil Gickler: Just pull on the pull 'em, and push on the push 'em, and the pickles go into the jar! What a wonderful way to spend everyday, you should think your lucky stars!

    • Connections
      Featured in Dr. Seuss Playhouse Video (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      The Pickles Go Into The Jar
      Lyrics by Dr. Seuss

      Music by Joe Raposo

      Performed by Joe Raposo and Chorus

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 2, 1980 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE)
      • Dr. Seuss Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 30m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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