The 5,000 fingers of Dr. T is a Dr.Seuss book come to life. It is in fact the only film to be written by the beloved children’s book writer. In a time before CGI monsters and intricate puppets it’s nice to see the huge and elaborate sets that were built for this film. It’s organic, and there’s almost a crafty, childlike DIY vibe to some of the props and costumes. The songs, also written by Seuss aren’t great; but Hey! not everyone can be as lyrical as R Kelly.
The story is all about Bart, a precocious child reluctant to take his piano lessons seriously. He believes his piano teacher Dr.Terwilliker (Dr.T) is an evil man trying to steal his mother away and set up an institute to enslave young boys into playing a five hundred seat seat piano (This is where the 5,000 fingers comes into play). It’s full of lots of Dr.Seuss speak, interesting characters, a Technicolor color palette (which I love) and the child that plays Bart is perfect. More creative and darker than most modern children’s films.
