Muppet Treasure Island

Muppet Treasure Island
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Brian Henson
Screenplay by	Jerry Juhl James V. Hart Kirk R. Thatcher
Produced by	Brian Henson Martin G. Baker
Starring	Kevin Bishop Tim Curry Jennifer Saunders Billy Connolly Muppet Performers: Steve Whitmire Frank Oz Dave Goelz Jerry Nelson Kevin Clash Bill Barretta John Henson
Cinematography	John Fenner
Edited by	Michael Jablow
Music by	Hans Zimmer
Production company	Jim Henson Productions
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures
Release date	February 16, 1996 (1996-02-16)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$34,327,391

Muppet Treasure Island is a 1996 American musical film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It is the fifth feature film to star The Muppets and was directed by Jim Henson's son Brian Henson.

Similarly to the earlier Muppet Christmas Carol, the key roles were played by live-action actors, with the Muppets in supporting roles. The live-action actors consisted of Tim Curry as Long John Silver, Billy Connolly as Billy Bones, Jennifer Saunders, and introducing Kevin Bishop as Jim Hawkins. Kermit the Frog appeared as Captain Abraham Smollett, Fozzie Bear as Squire Trelawney, Sam the Eagle as Mr. Samuel Arrow, and Miss Piggy as the gender-flipped castaway "Benjamina" Gunn. Following their success as the narrators of The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Great Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat appeared in specially created roles as Jim's best friends. The film was released on February 16, 1996 before Muppets Tonight aired on ABC in March.

Plot

Jim Hawkins (Kevin Bishop) is a young orphan living with his friends Gonzo and Rizzo at the Admiral Benbow inn in England. Dreaming of sea voyages, Jim only has the tales of Billy Bones (Billy Connolly) to help, Bones telling Jim and the inn patrons of Captain Flint (David Nicholls), his old captain, burying his treasure on a remote island and killing all of his crew. However, it turns out that Bones' tales are indeed true when Blind Pew, a fellow pirate, arrives and gives Bones the black spot. Bones dies of a heart attack but gives Jim, Gonzo and Rizzo his treasure map beforehand. Blind Pew returns with an army of pirates, but the boys escape with the map.

Going to a harbour town, the boys meet the half-wit son of Squire Trelawney (Fozzie Bear) who decides to fund a voyage to find Treasure Island and Flint's fortune. Accompanied by Dr. Livesey (Dr. Bunsen Honeydew) and his assistant Beaker, the boys and Trelawney hire the Hispaniola, commanded by Captain Abraham Smollett (Kermit the Frog) and his overly strict first mate Mr. Arrow (Sam the Eagle). The boys meet the cook Long John Silver (Tim Curry), a one-legged man who Bones warned the boys about before dying. The ship sets sail, but Smollett is concerned by the pirate-like crew, learning they were hired on Silver's suggestion. Jim and Silver bond, but Gonzo and Rizzo are captured by the pirates Polly Lobster, Mad Monty and Clueless Morgan who demand they surrender the map but Mr. Arrow catches them in the act and imprisons them in the brig. Smollett locks the map in his safe upon ordering Jim to give him the map for safekeeping.

Eventually it becomes apparent that Silver is leader of the pirates and plots a mutiny, fooling Mr. Arrow into leaving the ship to test a lifeboat for safety precautions, and faking his death. Jim, Gonzo and Rizzo learn of Silver's plan and inform Smollett. Smollett planned to leave Long John Silver and those involved on Treasure Island. However, Silver captures Jim upon arrival at Treasure Island (where he tricks him into giving him his crutches) with the other pirates stealing the map from Smollett's safe. Smollett, Gonzo and Rizzo go to save Jim but are captured by the local tribe of native pigs ruled over by Benjamina Gunn (Miss Piggy), Smollett's ex-fiance who he left at the altar. Jim, Silver and the pirates find the hiding place of Flint's treasure only to find the treasure missing, Silver sending Jim away as a fight breaks out among the pirates. The pirates come across Smollett and Benjamina who are then suspended from a cliff until Benjamina tells Silver the treasure is hidden in her home, but the two are left to dangle, allowing the pair to fall in love again.

Jim, Gonzo and Rizzo find Mr. Arrow who aids them sneaking on board the ship and scaring off the pirates still onboard by posing as his ghost and freeing Trelawney, Dr. Livesey and Beaker, before the figureheads of the Hispaniola (Statler and Waldorf) save Smollett and Benjamina (though Waldorf notes that they "didn't save the movie"). A battle breaks out between the heroes and the pirates where Sweetums defects to Smollett's side by taking out some of the pirates. Smollett then fights Silver in a sword battle but loses. Jim and the others rally to their captain's aid, Silver surrendering honourably. All the pirates are stuffed into the brig but Silver escapes using Mr. Arrow's keys. Jim catches him in the act, but allows Silver to leave for the sake of their friendship. However, Mr. Arrow informs Jim and Smollett that the longboat Silver took was damaged, forcing Silver to abandon ship and swim to Treasure Island. The crew of the Hispaniola sail off into the sunset while some scuba-diving rats discover the treasure.

During the credits, it is shown that Silver is marooned on the island with only a wisecracking Moai head for company as the Moai tells him a joke.

Cast

• Kevin Bishop as Jim Hawkins, a good-natured orphan boy who for most of his life has worked at Mrs. Bluberidge's inn but has always dreamed of nautical adventures. He is an incredibly trusting boy, which proves to be somewhat of a downfall for him, as he forms a bond with the ship's chef Long John Silver, who is ultimately revealed to be a pirate. When he sings, he is proven to be a boy soprano.
• Tim Curry as Long John Silver, a deceptively charming pirate, posing as a chef, who befriends Jim Hawkins at first, until he is overheard by Gonzo, Rizzo, and Jim as he reveals his dastardly plans to his fellow pirates aboard the Hispanola. During Silver's siege on Treasure Island it is suggested that Long John Silver and Benjamina Gunn share a romantic history.
• Jennifer Saunders as Mrs. Bluberidge, a loud, plump woman who owns the Admiral Benbow Inn where Jim and his friends work. She has an uncanny ability to know when people are not doing what they should be doing, which leads to various characters exclaiming, "How does she do that?!" Though rough with the "boys," she does show a genuine concern for Jim, helping him escape the pirates before seeing them off herself.
• Billy Connolly as Billy Bones, an ex-pirate, previously a member of Captain Flint's crew who witnessed the burial of gold on Treasure Island and tells Jim he still has the map to the treasure before he suffers a fatal heart attack. During a live performance in Dublin in 2002, Connolly jokingly claimed to be the only man to ever die in a Muppet movie. In fact, in the movie, Rizzo points this out: "He died? And this is supposed to be a kids' movie!" Rizzo also refers to Billy as a "dead guy" due to his death.
• David Nicholls as Captain Flint, a pirate who buried the treasure at his own island years ago, and killed his crew to prevent them from telling where the treasure was buried he marooned Benjamin Gunn on Treasure Island. His first name is revealed to be Burney.
• Frederick Warder as Calico Jerry, one of the human pirates and members of Long John Silver's Crew. He can often be seen alongside Long John Silver and becomes the first pirate and the first one aboard the ship to be affected by the Cabin Fever. Later on during the fight scene, he can be seen battling with Jim Hawkins. Long John tells him to go easy on the boy as he is just a boy. Calico Jerry is defeated by Hawkins when Hawkins bends down while Jerry tries to go for him causing Jerry to trip over Jim and defeated while being toppled to backwards to the ground.
• Harry Jones as Easy Pete, another one of the human pirates and members of Long John Silver's Crew with long brown hair a black pirate hat and a Scottish Accent. He becomes the second pirate and the second person on board the Hispaniola to be affected by Cabin Fever. Later on in the film during the fight scene, he is defeated by Benjamina before he can even pull out his weapon.
• Peter Geaves as Black Eyed Pea, a pirate with bruised eyes, scabs and a bald head. Another of the human pirates and members of Long John Silver's Crew. He first speaks during the Roll Call scene, then sings a solo in Professional Pirates. Later during the fight sequence, he too is defeated by Benjamina by a swift kick between the legs.
• Danny Blackner as Short Stack Stevens, a dwarf pirate and the smallest human pirate on board the Hispaniola who first speaks when his name is mentioned on the roll call. Like Easy Pete and Black Eyed Pea, he too is defeated by Benjamina in the fight sequence with a kiss and a head butt.
• Ellis Flyte as Big-Fat-Ugly-Bug-Faced-Baby-Eating O'Brien, a beautiful woman pirate on board the Hispaniola with a Deep Man's voice. Her name does not at all match that of her appearance the horrible name of the beautiful lady was a comic parallel to the lovely name of the hideous monster Angel Marie who was next on the Roll Call List.

There were also 5 other unnamed human pirates with no speaking lines aboard the Hispaniola that stayed on board while the other four pirates went ashore to the island with Long John Silver in search for the buried treasure the beginning of the movie also features a load of unnamed human pirates of Captain Flint's Crew which can be seen during the Shiver My Timbers song there were also unnamed Human Pirates who were members of Blind Pew's Crew that appeared as background characters at the Admiral Benbow Inn there were also a load of other unnamed none pirate human characters who appeared both at the Admiral Benbow inn and in the town of Bristol.

Muppet performers

Main article: List of Muppets

• Steve Whitmire as:
  • Kermit the Frog as Captain Abraham Smollett: A responsible, professional captain who rarely loses his temper, contrary to alarming warnings Samuel Arrow gives to Jim Hawkins.
  • Rizzo the Rat as Himself
  • Beaker as Himself
  • Bean Bunny as Himself

• Frank Oz as:
  • Miss Piggy as Benjamina Gunn: Captain Smollett's ex-fiancee, who lives on Treasure Island and is worshiped as "Boom Shakalaka" by a tribe of primitive boars. She makes a notably inept entrance which does nothing to cement her reputation as a sex symbol.
  • Fozzie Bear as Squire Trelawney: A half-wit son of the real Squire Trelawney who has trouble grasping the concept of what the ocean is. He also says he has an imaginary man in his finger named Mr. Bimbo, who tells him everything. Kevin Clash performed Squire Trelawney; Oz provided his voice.
  • Sam the Eagle as Mr. Samuel Arrow: The overly formal and rather melodramatic First Mate on the Hispanola.
  • Animal as Himself
  • One-Eyed Jack: A Muppet with blonde hair a black eye-patch and a red and black stripy shirt who first and previously appeared in The Muppet Christmas Carol appearing as 2 different roles a Vegetable Seller and a Prisoner. This time, he appears as a Pirate on board the Hispaniola that is a member of Long John Silver's Crew. His name is revealed and mentioned by Mr Arrow during the Roll Call scene

• Dave Goelz as:
  • The Great Gonzo as Himself
  • Dr. Bunsen Honeydew as Dr. David Livesey: An eccentric doctor who is fond of experimental treatments and often tests these on Beaker.
  • Waldorf as Ship Head.
  • Zoot as Himself

• Jerry Nelson as:
  • Statler as Ship Head.
  • Lew Zealand as Himself: He appears as one of the pirates on Long John Silver's side Lew Zealand in one scene can be seen knitting a jolly roger flag and in Cabin Fever he can be seen flipping his pirate head scarf and dancing and singing along side Mr Bitte and Spotted Dick Lew Zealand is also one of the Pirates who stays on board the Ship when the rest of the Pirates head to the Island with Long John Silver Lew Zealand along with all the other Pirates who stay on board the Hispaniola jump over board into the water when Mr Arrow scares them off by pretending to be his ghost .
  • Mr. Bitte: A red-bearded Pirate who first and previously appeared in The Muppet Christmas Carol as a Horse Wagon Driver. He had a line during the Number Scrooge. He once again sings a solo in Cabin Fever and this time breaks the fourth wall by doing so when sings in his solo 'Like to get my hands on who ever wrote the script he makes a brief small speaking appearence in the video game of Muppet Treasure Island appearing on one of the ships in Bristol.
  • Blind Pew: A blind pirate that comes looking for Billy Bones to give him the black spot which is a Pirate's Death Scentance. He later takes part in the attack on the Admiral Benbow Inn along with all his fellow pirate members of his crew. He is rather stupid by mistaking Jim Hawkins for a girl. He is clever enough how ever to know which direction the sound of Billy Bones's Pistol Gun is aiming At. He is last seen wandering about the Admiral Benbow Inn which is now on fire leaving his fate uncertain. Though it is very possible that would have been killed in the fire considering the fact that he is blind and cannot see at all.
  • Floyd Pepper as Himself
  • Island Heads: A bunch of Moai-like sculptures that are seen on Treasure Island.
  • Mad Monty: One of the pirates that is one of Long John Silver's henchmen alongside Polly Lobster and Clueless Morgan. Mad Monty has a penchant for violence why in the song "Sailing For Adventure" he sings about how much he loves to hang his victims. Also, he can nearly almost always be seen holding onto his Cutlass Sword his eyes peek out of his grungy stove pipe hat.
  • Old Joe: A large spider who first and previously appeared in Muppet Christmas Carol. He appears as a member of Blind Pew's Crew who aids Blind Pew when they head over to Admiral Benbow Inn to kill Billy Bones and steal the Treasure Map off him during the pillaging and destruction going on the Inn. He along with several of his fellow Pirates are beaten by Mrs. Bluveridge with a great big tackle.
  • Calico: A pink-skinned pirate with blonde hair, freckles, a tall head and a monocle. He was named in the video-game adaption of the film. He sings a solo during "Sailing For Adventure" and "Cabin Fever." During the song "Professional Pirates," one of the Pirates pulls a knife on him and yet oddly he is still alive. After that, he is defeated along with Old Tom and an unnamed Muppet pirate when Sweetums throws the log at them knocking them down to the ground.
  • Robin the Frog as Himself
  • Monkey: A monkey seen in the opening number who would become Sal Minella on Muppets Tonight.
  • Old Tom: An old man who is one of the pirates on Long John Silver's side. He has a background role and can be seen hugging Angel Marie when the Pirates discover and find the buried treasure also he is defeated when Sweetums throws the log at him.
  • Spotted Dick: A purple crocodile with orange spots and green eyes. He is one of the Pirates on board the Hispaniola who is a member of Long John Silver's Crew. He sings a solo in Cabin Fever alongside Mr. Bitte and during the fight scene he tries to attack Captain Smollet with a spear the spear then get's stuck in the tree then Captain Smollet cuts the spear in half and Spotted Dick is then beat up by Benjamin Gunn.

• Kevin Clash as:
  • Polly Lobster AKA Bad Polly: A lobster who serves as Long John Silver's "parrot" and is one of Long John Silver's henchmen alongside Clueless Morgan and Mad Monty [the 3 of them also all appear in the video game as Pirates along side Walleye Pike Angel Marie Spotted Dick Calico] like Mad Monty and Clueless Morgan Polly Lobster too is also thrown back in jail again for the second time during the fight sequence he swings on a vine and tries to go for Mr Arrow he misses and then crashes into a Palm Tree and is then punched back against the tree twice in a row by Mr Arrow. Polly Lobster later appears again with Clueless Morgan in several episodes of Muppets Tonight.
  • Spa'am: The chief of the native pigs on Treasure Island
  • Real Old Tom: A mummified person who is one of the pirates on Long John Silver's side he resembles a mummified version of Old Tom and may possibly even be related to him. During the song Cabin Fever, he can be seen popping from out of a coffin just before he sings his solo line. He also appears briefly with a small cameo in the video game adaption of the film during the Pie Shooting Game.
  • Walleye Pike: A large walking pike who is one of the pirates on Long John Silver's side. When Mudwell the Mudbunny cries over Dead Tom being dead, Walleye Pike reveals to him that Dead Tom has always been dead. He also appeared in the video game adaption of the film.
  • Black Dog: A member of Blind Pew's Pirate Crew who is really angry and aggressive. He aids Blind Pew when they head over to the Admiral Benbow Inn to kill Billy Bones and get hold of the Treasure Map. During the explosion, Black Dog is blasted through the roof of the Inn. he later appears again in Muppets Wizard of Oz as a Flying Monkey in the original novel Treasure Island Black Dog is one of the Crew Members of Blind Pews Pirate Crew and in this Muppet Movie Version of Treasure Black Dog's appearance is made into that of what his name is a Black Dog

• Bill Barretta as:
  • Clueless Morgan: A goat who is one of Long John Silver's henchmen alongside Polly Lobster and Mad Monty. He is unaware of a lot of things going on and is really stupid. He is also a poor swordsman by hitting his own allies during the battle. He is beaten by the rest of the pirates in the jail scene by saying he learned a valuable lesson when being defeated. He later appears again along side Polly Lobster in several episodes of Muppets Tonight.
  • Dr. Teeth as Himself
  • Flaubert: Benjamina Gunn's pet anteater. Flaubert's puppet later made a cameo in Jim Henson's Animal Show.
  • Hands of Blind Pew
  • Mudwell the Mudbunny: A character from Fraggle Rock who makes a cameo as one of the pirates on Long John Silver's side who can be seen carrying Dead Tom a Skeleton Pirate who unknown to Mudwell has always been dead Mudwell sang a solo in Both Sailing for Adventure and Cabin Fever he was also the one who had informed Captain Smollet about Mr Arrow being thrown over board into the ocean .
  • Jacques Roach: A French Cockroach who first appeared in several episodes of The Jim Henson Hour. He appears as a Pirate on board the Hispaniola who is a member of Long John Silver's Crew. He like several other Muppet pirates sings a solo in Cabin Fever. He is defeated when Gonzo throws his starfish at him pinning him to the Hispaniola. Then when Captain Smollet's Cutlass Sword accidentally slips from his hands the sword flies all the way back landing straight above Jacques's Head
  • Rowlf the Dog as Himself: He makes a cameo at the Admiral Benbow Inn.
  • The Swedish Chef: Dressed as a pig chef for the native pigs. A talking vegetable quips, "How else were we going to get him into this movie?"
  • Angel Marie: A hideous monster who's name does not match that of his appearance at all. He appears to generally be dumb. During the number "Cabin Fever," he dresses up like a Haiwain Dancer and sings his solo. During the song "Love Led Us Here," Angel Marie and Old Tom can be seen huggin each other when the Pirates discover Captain Flint's Treasure. Also whenever Angel Marie makes another appearance, he always seems to appear alongside Old Tom. He is defeated when Dr. Livesy and Beaker fire the cannon at a palm tree causing the tree to fall right on top of the hideous monster.

• John Henson as:
  • Sweetums as Himself: One of the pirates on Long John Silver's side who defects to Abraham's side.

Muppet cameos

The film features a load of other minor background and unnamed characters. It also features:

• Lyle the Dog and the Gray Frackle from The Muppet Show appear amongst the pirates that attack the Admiral Benbow Inn.
  • The Wolf that was seen in The Muppet Show and The Jim Henson Hour appeared as one of the pirates on Long John Silver's Side. He appears as one of the Pirates on board the Hispaniola Ship and was one of the few Muppet Pirates to stay on board the ship while the rest went aboard to the Island. The Wolf made a cameo appearance alongside Lew Zealand in the video game adaption of Muppet Treasure Island in the scene in Bristol at the dock.
  • The Dodo from the Anne Murray episode of The Muppet Show appears as one of the Pirates on board the Hispaniola who is a member of Long John Silver's Crew. At the beginning of "Sailing for Adventure," he is first seen dancing and singing along side Walleye Pike. At the beginning of "Cabin Fever," he along with Lew Zealand and another unnamed character can be seen flipping their head scarves. Then he is next show sitting alongside Begoony holding onto a Pick Axe. The Dodo was one of the few Muppet Pirates to stay on board the ship while the others went aboard to the Island. He was last seen jumping over board along with the rest of the Pirates on the Hispaniola into the ocean after being frightened off by the so called "Ghost of Mr. Arrow." He also makes a cameo as one of the Pirates in Bristol at the Spy Glass Inn.
• Begoony from Fraggle Rock appeared as one of the Pirates on board Long John Silver's Crew on board the Hispaniola. Brool the Minstrel, Murray the Minstrel, and Wander McMooch make cameos amongst the pirates that attack the Admiral Benbow Inn.
• The crocodile puppet used for Sly the Crocodile and Frankie the Crocodile from Jim Henson's Animal Show makes a cameo in the opening number. Rhonda the Raccoon and Humphrey the Badger make cameos as townspeople.
• The Laundress from The Muppet Christmas Carol appears in the Admiral Benbow Inn as a patron. The Beggar in Crutches and the Undertaker also appear as Pirates of Long John Silver's Crew on board the Hispaniola. The Undertaker appears notably as the Pirate who can be seen snatching keys from Begoony and handing them to Long John Silver during the number "Cabin Fever." He is later defeated by Mr. Arrow with a Head Butt.
• A new character named Headless Bill appeared as a pirate on board the Hispaniola with out a head though. In some scenes, his puppet appears with his head.

Release

Box office

The movie debuted at No.2. The film was a commercial success, grossing $34,327,391 during its theaterical run and surpassing the grosses of The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Muppets Take Manhattan and The Great Muppet Caper.

Critical reception

Muppet Treasure Island received generally positive reviews; Rotten Tomatoes reported that 70% of critics gave the film positive reviews.

Home media

This is the second Muppet film co-produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures, following The Muppet Christmas Carol. The film has been made available on home video formats. It was released on VHS September 11, 1996, and twice on DVD in Region 1. The first DVD release on June 4, 2002, was in a fullscreen-only format. The film was re-released on DVD March 7, 2006, in conjunction with Kermit the Frog's 50th anniversary celebration; this time the DVD contained both fullscreen and widescreen presentations.

Music

Soundtrack

Untitled

The Muppet Treasure Island: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features an instrumental score by Hans Zimmer, with additional music by Harry Gregson-Williams, as well as songs written by pop songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The film's ending includes the reggae number "Love Power" performed by Ziggy Marley, which was released as a single and promoted with a music video featuring Marley and some Muppets with dreadlocks.

Track listing

1. "Treasure Island"
2. "Shiver My Timbers" (Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Brian Henson, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, and John Henson)
3. "Something Better" (Kevin Bishop, Goelz, and Whitmire)
4. "Sailing for Adventure" (Curry, Bishop, Nelson, Goelz, Whitmire, Brian Henson, Oz, Clash, Barretta, and John Henson)
5. "Cabin Fever" (Nelson, Goelz, Whitmire, Brian Henson, Oz, Clash, Barretta, and John Henson)
6. "Professional Pirate" (Curry, Nelson, Goelz, Whitmire, Brian Henson, Oz, Clash, Barretta, and John Henson)
7. "Boom Shakalaka" (Nelson, Goelz, Whitmire, Brian Henson, Oz, Clash, Barretta, and John Henson)
8. "Love Led Us Here" (Oz, Whitmire)
9. "Map"
10. "Captain Smollett"
11. "Land Ho"
12. "Compass"
13. "Long John"
14. "Rescue"
15. "Honest Brave and True"
16. "Love Power [As Used in the Film Muppet Treasure Island]" (Ziggy Marley, Melody Makers)
17. "Love Led Us Here" (John Berry, Helen Darling)

Score cues left off the soundtrack

1. Isn’t That a Story Worth the Hearin’
2. Lighting the Lamp (Segues into "Something Better")
3. Blind Pew
4. The Hispaniola
5. Many a Dark-Hearted Scoundrel/One-Legged Man
6. This Voyage Has Begun (Seuges into "Sailing For Adventure")
7. Moonlit Dance (Played by Electric Mayhem Band)
8. Waiting to Pounce
9. Give Me the Map/No Wind
10. Mutiny
11. Never Get Involved in Politics (Electric Mayhem Band)
12. "A Professional Pirate" (Full version, with instrumental interlude)
13. Benjamina Gunn
14. Treasure Hunting
15. You Dare to Give ME the Black Spot?
16. Return of Mr. Arrow
17. The Pirates Attack/Sneaking Aboard/Where’s the Bloody Treasure?!
18. Long John Escapes
19. Sailing for Adventure (Finale)

Lawsuit

The Hormel Foods Corporation, who are the creators of Spam, sued the production company for using the name "Spa'am" for one of the film's warthog characters. Their suit was defeated on September 22, 1995. The judge dismissed it after a trial for failure to prove damages, noting, "one might think Hormel would welcome the association with a genuine source of pork."

External links

Muppet Treasure Island on Muppet Wiki

• Muppet Treasure Island at IMDb
• Muppet Treasure Island at AllMovie
• Muppet Treasure Island at Box Office Mojo
• Muppet Treasure Island at Rotten Tomatoes