Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Brian Henson

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

16 February 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Music

Tagline:

Set sail for Muppet mayhem!

Plot:

The Muppet's twist on the classic tale.

Plot Keywords:

Sea | The Muppets | Treasure | Pirate | Exotic Locale

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

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) (as The Great Gonzo)
Steve Whitmire	...	Kermit the Frog / Rizzo the Rat / Beaker / Bean Bunny / Rat (uncredited) (voice) (as Kermit the Frog & Rizzo the Rat)
Jerry Nelson	...	Blind Pew / Mad Monty / Statler / Corn / Floyd (uncredited) / Lew Zealand (uncredited) / Pirate (uncredited) / Robin the Frog (uncredited) / Skulls (uncredited) / Butler / Screaming Cat (uncredited) (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) (as Miss Piggy)
Danny Blackner	...	Short Stack Stevens
Harry Jones	...	Easy Pete
David Nicholls	...	Captain Flint
Frederick Warder	...	Calico Jerry

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:G | Canada:G | Iceland:L | Australia:G | Germany:o.Al. | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Jim Henson Company, The

Trivia:

Hormel Foods Corporation, makers of Spam, sued the film production company for making the name of a warthog character "Spa'am". Their suit was defeated on September 22, 1995. The judge noted that "one might think Hormel would welcome the association with a genuine source of pork."

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Captain Smollett, (Kermit), arrives at the dock to board the ship at the start of the movie, he is Piped "The Side" by Sam the Eagle. The Side would not be used for a Captain's rank. It is only used for the King or Queen, members of the Royal Family (when in uniform), foreign naval officers and Royal Naval Officers of Flag Rank (Rear-Admiral, Vice Admiral, Admiral, or Admiral of the Fleet).

Quotes:

Rizzo: [greeting rat tourists into the ship] Alright folks, have your checks made out to Rat Cruises Limited. Remember: We put the "rat" in "pirate".

Movie Connections:

References "Fraggle Rock" (1983)

Soundtrack:

Shiver My Timbers

I positively adore this movie

Sometimes when you watch a movie you get the feeling that the cast and crew had a fantastic time making it, which makes the movie even better. I got that feeling during Muppet Treasure Island, and as a result it is one of my favorite movies.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kevin Bishop's (Jim Hawkins) performance: since I usually find young/child actors to be very grating, that's saying something. The Muppets were, as usual, all very funny. The jokes and asides were too, too funny (like Gonzo finding Henry Kissinger's book Diplomacy' in Captain Billy Bones' trunk), the songs were fun and catchy, and the pace was brisk and exciting. Tim Curry looked like he was having the time of his life playing Long John Silver amidst a sea of Muppets. I had great fun watching his performance.

Go watch this movie if there's even a spark of kid in you. You won't regret it.