Plot

A young boy dreams that he is in an imaginary world where, assisted by his family's plumber, he must save other piano-playing kids like himself from the dungeons of his dictatorial piano teacher who also mind-controls his mother.

The bane of young Bart Collins' existence is the piano lessons he's forced to take under the tutelage of Dr. Terwilliker, the only person he detests because of his dictatorial nature. Bart feels that Dr. Terwilliker has undue influence on his widowed mother Heloise. Bart constantly daydreams of a place--the Terwilliker Institute--at which the evil madman is its overlord. The mad doctor's built a piano so immense that it needs 500 children to play it.—Huggo

The only film Theodore Geisel--better known as Dr. Seuss--was involved in bringing to fruition. Bart has only one enemy in the world: his piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker, who has a mad plan to force 500 youngsters to practice at his magnificent piano 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Bart's the only hope to save these kids from being enslaved. Fantastic sets, screenplay, and even song lyrics were provided by Dr. Seuss. This candy-colored, live-action film is, in many ways, just as fun as his well-known books and TV specials.—Tim Kretschmann <Tim.K@VirComm.com>