The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

The Wonder Musical of the Future!

1953 • 89 min • Family · Fantasy · Music

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Synopsis

Young Bart Collins lives with his widowed mother Heloise. The major blight on Bart's existence is the hated piano lessons he is forced to endure under the tutelage of the autocratic Dr. Terwilliker. Bart feels that his mother has fallen under Terwilliker's sinister influence, and gripes to visiting plumber August Zabladowski, without much result. While grimly hammering away at his lessons, Bart dozes off and enters a fantastical musical dream.

Our family guide

Best from age 6

Movie Knight Score

66 reviews

62 Audience · 66 · 100%

Young Bart hates his piano lessons and drifts into a surreal dream where an evil maestro tries to force 500 boys to play a giant piano. He must find a way to escape Dr. Terwilliker’s musical tyranny. This imaginative musical fantasy is filled with unique visuals.

Violence & peril: 2/10
Language: 0/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 0/10
Romance & sensuality: 0/10
Scary moments: 4/10

Heads up

Some dream sequences might be unsettling for younger viewers
Captive children are shown being forced to perform
The main character is disbelieved by adults

What it models well

Overcoming fears
Creativity and imagination
Standing up for yourself

Talk about it after

Dreams and reality
Dealing with strict authority figures
The importance of practice

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.