Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
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The story
Jim Hawkins, a young orphan living in an English inn, receives a treasure map from the dying pirate Billy Bones. After Bones' former crewmates attack the inn, Jim escapes with his friends, Gonzo and Rizzo. They seek out the half-wit Squire Trelawney, who organizes a voyage to the remote island to find the buried gold. The trio joins a crew aboard the Hispaniola, commanded by Captain Abraham Smollett. However, they soon discover that the ship's cook, Long John Silver, is a duplicitous pirate leading a mutiny to seize the treasure for himself.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Jim Hawkins, Gonzo, and Rizzo join a voyage on the Hispaniola to find Captain Flint's treasure. They are joined by Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and Captain Smollett. The cook, Long John Silver, secretly leads a pirate mutiny. After kidnapping Jim for leverage, Silver leads his pirates to Treasure Island. Smollett and a landing party are captured by a tribe of pigs, where Smollett reunites with his former lover, Benjamina "Mina" Gunn (Miss Piggy). The pirates find the treasure cave empty, leading to a mutiny. Silver eventually allows Jim to escape. After a series of battles, including a sword fight on the beach where Sweetums defects to Smollett's side, the group regains control of the Hispaniola. Silver is left stranded on the island after his boat proves unseaworthy. Jim becomes the honorary captain as the ship returns to England, though scuba-diving rat tourists recover the treasure from the sea.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brian Henson
- Writers
- Jerry Juhl · screenplay; Kirk R. Thatcher · screenplay; James V. Hart · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tim Curry · Long John Silver; Kevin Bishop · Jim Hawkins; Dave Goelz · Fozzie Bear; Steve Whitmire · Miss Piggy; Jerry Nelson · Sam Eagle; Kevin Clash · Animal; Frank Oz · various roles; Bill Barretta · Bill Barretta
- Genres
- musical; swashbuckler; comedy; adventure; children's
- Themes
- friendship; adventure; betrayal; bravery
- Tone and mood
- energetic; cheerful; playful; anachronistic
- Premise and plot tags
- pirate adventure; musical; comedy; fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Franchise connections
- The Muppets
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 64 out of 100 score on Metacritic. Audiences gave it an A- rating on CinemaScore.
- Production trivia
- The film was the second Muppets film produced by Walt Disney Pictures.; The character Spa'am was sued by Hormel Foods for using the name of their product.; Kevin Bishop was the first person to audition for the role of Jim Hawkins.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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