“In this singular, one-of-a-kind story, into the flat greyness of a small Arizona town rides an eldery Chinese man...Dr. Lao...and an Aladdin's lamp of mystery wrapped in the lost circus tent of Dr. Caligari. In Abalone, a town hanging on the brink of growth or takeover, the ragged tent of Dr. Lao holds different things for each of the townspeople who visit it, and their fates become actualized in the confrontations with the many-sided entity which is Dr. Lao.

“The film is an acting tour-de-force for Tony Randall. Described sometimes as a ‘Sardonic American comedy actor, adept at light drunks, depressives and friends of the hero,' here he is: Dr. Lao, Merlin, Medusa, Apollonius, Pan and an Abominable Snowman. His stage is the multi-dimensional interior of his circus. The special make-up created by William Tuttle and the genuine sorcery of George Pal's direction and crew of animators, miniaturists and special effects wizards combine for a Borgesian fantasy where the ancient world interacts with the drab, weathered new world. When Dr. Lao pulls up his tent-pegs and fades into the sunset, the old town will never be the same.”