Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

The Muppets' twist on the classic tale.

Director:

Brian Henson

Writers:

Robert Louis Stevenson (novel), Jerry Juhl (screenplay),

Stars:

Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop, Billy Connolly

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Curry	...	Long John Silver
Kevin Bishop	...	Jim Hawkins
Billy Connolly	...	Billy Bones
Jennifer Saunders	...	Mrs. Bluberidge
Dave Goelz	...	The Great Gonzo / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Waldorf / Zoot (voice)
Steve Whitmire	...	Kermit the Frog / Rizzo the Rat / Beaker / Bean Bunny / Rat (voice)
Jerry Nelson	...	Blind Pew / Mad Monty / Statler / Corn / Floyd Pepper / Lew Zealand / Pirate / Robin the Frog / Skulls / Butler / Screaming Cat (voice)
Kevin Clash	...	Bad Polly / Spa'Am / Black Dog / Chicken / Fozzie Bear (assistant) (uncredited) / Lolleyed Pike (uncredited) / Miss Piggy (assistant) (uncredited) / Monkey (uncredited) / Pirate (uncredited) / Real Old Tom (uncredited) / Sam Eagle (assistant) (uncredited) (voice)
Bill Barretta	...	Clueless Morgan / Blind Pew (hands) / Dr. Teeth (uncredited) / Pirate (uncredited) / Pig (uncredited) / Rowlf (uncredited) / Skulls (uncredited) / Swedish Chef (uncredited) / Black Eyed Pea (voice)
John Henson	...	Sweetums (voice)
Frank Oz	...	Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Sam the Eagle / Animal / George (voice)
Danny Blackner	...	Short Stack Stevens
Peter Geeves	...	Black Eyed Pea
Harry Jones	...	Easy Pete
David Nicholls	...	Captain Flint

Storyline

The Muppets are back into action in another movie based on a novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Kermit the Frog and his colleagues go on a warfare against ruthless pirates. They also share their problem-solving journey on sea to rescue a treasure.

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Plot Keywords:

treasure | pirate | sea | breaking the fourth wall | disarming someone | 

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Taglines:

Set sail for Muppet mayhem!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [us] Henson.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

I muppet nell'isola del tesoro

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£1,903,433 (UK) (14 June 1996)

Gross:

£2,730,304 (UK) (19 July 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jim Henson Company, The, Jim Henson Productions, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After Jim Henson's death, Rowlf the Dog was not recast for several years, as he was considered the character closest to Henson's actual personality (even more so than Kermit the Frog). In this film, Rowlf appears, but does not speak, in the first scene set in the Tavern.

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Goofs

Angel Marie's puppeteer's head and arms are visible in the scene toward the end where he is fighting Fozzie and Mr. Bimble.

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Quotes

Billy Bones: [after opening sequence] Now isn't that a story worth a hearin'?
Pig Bar Patron: It was the first dozen times we heard it.
Sailor Mug: I'll drink to that.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the movie a stone head is telling Long John Silver a joke.

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Connections

Version of Ostrov sokrovishch (1938)

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Soundtracks

"Shiver My Timbers"
Written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Performed by Jerry Nelson (uncredited), Dave Goelz (uncredited), Steve Whitmire (uncredited),
Brian Henson (uncredited), Frank Oz (uncredited), Kevin Clash (uncredited), Bill Barretta (uncredited), and John Henson (uncredited)

User Reviews

The best Muppet movie yet.

Muppet Treasure Island relies heavily on incongruity, and the contrast between the Muppet world and reality. The directing and music are pure swashbuckler -- the opening sequence is brilliant, with a dark pirate song with sprinklings of straight-faced jest, setting the mood for the film.

Many of the gags are cheap shots -- roll is called for Old Tom, Real Old Tom, and Dead Tom, along with Headless Bill (yes, he's headless) and Big Fat Ugly Bug-Faced Baby-Eating O'Brien (a Geena Davis look-alike who barks "Aye" in a rough bass). Others are character humor, such as the exchange in which Rizzo laments that they are "captured by crazed wild pigs and about to be sacrificed hideously on a pagan altar," to which Gonzo breathlessly adds, "Are we lucky or what?!" Anachronisms abound, such as when Miss Piggy reflects on her dalliances with the murderous Captain Flint and her most recent beau, Long John Silver, who has tied her by the feet and left her dangling at the edge of a cliff. "You know," she muses, "I'm beginning to see a pattern in the men I date." A Greek chorus of tourist rats adds a surrealistic touch of The Love Boat.

For all the silliness, characters are still able to develop. Jim's love for Long John Silver is real, and the betrayal cuts to the quick. Their parting scene is heart rending but not overdone. Jim simply chokes out, "Now take your oars and row away. I don't want to see you again, ever."

Brian Henson has done his father proud.