Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?

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!

As a young child, I watched this 25 minute Dr. Seuss cartoon time and time again. I happened to stumble across it again recently and boy, what a nostalgic trip!

However, I don't think that nostalgia is the ONLY thing that this cartoon has going for it. The visuals are stunning, the music is catchy (I'll remember "Pull on the Pull 'em; Push on the Push 'em" until the day I die!), and that little piano ditty is perfect for the childhood imagination.

Obviously, I don't know whether "Pontoffel Pock" stands the test of time (I don't have children of my own to show it to), but I would be interested to see how young children today would react to it. If I had a guess, I would say that they would also be sucked in by the intriguing flying piano and all its buttons, just as I was 25 years ago!

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!

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.

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.