Muppet Treasure Island Information

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, and that no one knows the whereabouts of the map ("Shiver My Timbers"). One night, as Jim, Gonzo, and Rizzo continue to dream of sea voyages ("Something Better"), Blind Pew, a fellow pirate, arrives and gives Bones the black spot. Bones dies of a heart attack but reveals to Jim, Gonzo and Rizzo he had the map all along 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 ("Sailing for Adventure"), 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, after all members of the crew battle against starvation ("Cabin Fever"), 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 ("Professional Pirate"). 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. Smollett is then suspended from a cliff until Benjamina tells Silver the treasure is hidden in her home, but when Benjamina spits out a kiss from Silver, he leaves the two to dangle, allowing the pair to fall in love again ("Love Led us Here").

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.
• 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!"
• 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 also 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.
• Harry Jones as Easy Pete, another one of the human pirates and members of Long John Silver's Crew. 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 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, if gruff-voiced, 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. She how ever unlike the other Pirates only appears in that one scene and is never seen again in the film neither on the ship or the island. She was played by Brian Henson's then wife.

There were also five 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 several unnamed human pirates who were members of Captain Flint's Crew that are seen during the opening number Shiver My Timbers. There were also unnamed Human Pirates who were members of Blind Pew's gang that appeared as background characters at the Admiral Benbow Inn. There were also other unnamed none pirate human characters who appeared both at the Admiral Benbow inn and in the town of Bristol.

Muppet performers

See List of Muppets for more information

• 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. He is teamed up with Gonzo for much of the film. The duo are good friends of Jim Hawkins.
  • Beaker as Himself. Beaker is Dr. Livesay's assistant.

• Frank Oz as:
  • Miss Piggy as Benjamina Gunn: Captain Smollett's ex-fiancee, who lives on the 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. Frank Oz was not available for much of the film's shooting. As a result, Kevin Clash puppeteered Miss Piggy for a number of scene, while Oz dubbed the voice in post production.
  • 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. As with Miss Piggy, Kevin Clash performed Fozzie in a number of scenes while Oz dubbed his voice.
  • Sam the Eagle as Mr. Samuel Arrow: The overly formal and rather melodramatic First Mate on the Hispanola. Like Miss Piggy and Fozzie, Kevin Clash performed Sam for several scenes, and Oz dubbed his voice.
  • Animal as Himself. Is in a few scenes performing alongside the Electric Mayhem.

• Dave Goelz as:
  • The Great Gonzo as Himself. Gonzo has a major and supporting role in this muppet movie he along with Rizzo is a companion and friend of Jim Hawkins.
  • Dr. Bunsen Honeydew as Dr. David Livesey: An eccentric doctor who is fond of experimental treatments that he often tests on Beaker.
  • Waldorf as Figurehead. Statler and Waldorf appear the Figurehead at the front of Hispaniola. When Captain Smollet and Benjamin Gunn fall off the cliff tops, Waldorf and Statler save them from falling into the ocean.
  • Zoot as Himself. Performs alongside the Electric Mayhem in a few scenes.

• Jerry Nelson as:
  • Statler as Figurehead. Statler and Waldorf appear the Figurehead at the front of Hispaniola. When Captain Smollet and Benjamina Gunn fall off the cliff tops, Waldorf and Statler save them from falling into the ocean.
  • Lew Zealand as Himself: He appears as one of the pirates on Long John Silver's side. In one scene, he can be seen knitting a jolly roger flag. In the "Cabin Fever" song, he can be seen flipping his pirate head scarf, and dancing and singing alongside 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. He and the other Pirates on board the Hispaniola jump over board when Mr Arrow scares them off by pretending to be his ghost.
  • Blind Pew: A blind pirate that comes looking for Billy Bones to give him the black spot (a Pirate's Death Sentence). He later takes part in the attack on the Admiral Benbow Inn along with his fellow crew members. He is rather stupidly mistakes Jim Hawkins for a girl. He is clever enough, however, 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 by then had caught on fire), leaving his fate uncertain.
  • Floyd Pepper as Himself. Performs alongside the Electric Mayhem in a few scenes.
  • Island Heads: A bunch of Moai-like sculptures that are seen on the island.
  • Mad Monty: A pirate that is one of Long John Silver's henchmen, alongside Polly Lobster and Clueless Morgan. Mad Monty has a penchant for violence. In the song "Sailing For Adventure" he sings about how much he loves to hang his victims. Also, he is 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 The Muppet Christmas Carol. He appears as a member of Blind Pew's Crew, and aids them when they head over to Admiral Benbow Inn to kill Billy Bones and steal the treasure map from him. He, along with several of his fellow Pirates, are beaten by Mrs. Bluveridge.
  • 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", as well as one during "Cabin Fever." In the song "Professional Pirates," one of the Pirates pulls a knife on him, but he is still alive. During the climatic sword fight, he is defeated (along with Old Tom and an unnamed Muppet pirate) when Sweetums throws a log on them, knocking them down to the ground.
  • Monkey: A monkey seen in the opening number. He would eventually 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 long, uncut beard and broken glasses . He is mostly seen in the background, and can be seen hugging Angel Marie when the Pirates discover the buried treasure He is later defeated when Sweetums throws log on him.
  • Spotted Dick: A purple crocodile-like monster with orange spots and green eyes. He is a member of Long John Silver's crew. He sings a solo in the "Cabin Fever" song alongside Mr. Bitte. During the fight scene, he tries to attack Captain Smollet with a spear. The spear then gets stuck in a tree, and Captain Smollet cuts the it in half. Spotted Dick is then beat up by Benjamin Gunn.
  • Mr. Plagueman: A rat that is one of the tourists on Abraham Smollett's ship.
  • Tomato: Appears briefly to explain how The Swedish Chef managed to get into the movie.
  • Octopuses - Appear in the opening scene.
  • Skulls - Appear in the opening scene.

• 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). He, Monty, and Clueless torture Gonzo and Rizzo in an attempt to get the tresure map from them. He and his cohorts are eventually thrown in jail, but escape in order to steal the map. Polly Lobster later appears with Clueless Morgan in several episodes of Muppets Tonight.
  • Spa'am: The chief of the native pigs on the 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 be related to him. During the "Cabin Fever" song, he can be seen popping out of a coffin just before he sings his solo line. He also appears briefly 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's death, 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 extremely angry and aggressive. He aids Blind Pew's crew when they head over to the Admiral Benbow Inn to kill Billy Bones and get ahold of the treasure map. During the explosion caused by Gonzo and Rizzo, Black Dog is blasted through the roof of the Inn. He later appears again in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz as a Flying Monkey. Fittingly, in this adaptation of Treasure Island, Black Dog is actually a dog.
  • Performer of Miss Piggy as Benjamina Gunn (several scenes)
  • Performer of Fozzie Bear as Squire Trelawney (several scenes)
  • Performer of Sam the Eagle as Mr. Samuel Arrow (several scenes)
  • Performer of Animal (several scenes)

• Bill Barretta as:
  • Clueless Morgan: A goat who is one of Long John Silver's henchmen (alongside Polly Lobster and Mad Monty). He is usually unaware of what is going on. He is also a poor swordsman, as he hits his own allies during the climatic battle. He later appears again alongside Polly Lobster in several episodes of Muppets Tonight.
  • Flaubert: Benjamina Gunn's pet anteater. Flaubert's puppet also made a cameo in Jim Henson's Animal Show.
  • Blind Pew (hands)
  • Mudwell the Mudbunny: A character from Fraggle Rock who makes a cameo as one of the pirates on Long John Silver's side. In one scene, he mourns the death of Dead Tom (a Skeleton Pirate), but is then told that Dead Tom has always been dead. Mudwell sang a brief solo in both "Sailing for Adventure" and "Cabin Fever" He also informs Captain Smollet of Mr. Arrow's supposed death.
  • Jacques Roach: A French Cockroach who first appeared on The Jim Henson Hour. He appears as a member of Long John Silver's Crew. He, like several other Muppet pirates, sings a solo in "Cabin Fever". He also has a brief encounter with Gonzo during the film's climax. Steve Whitmire returned to performing the character for that scene. However, Jerry Nelson's voice was used for Jaques' scene in the "Cabin Fever" musical number.
  • 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 whose name does not match that of his appearance. During the number "Cabin Fever," he dresses up like a Hawaiian Dancer and sings his a solo in a high-pitched voice. Angel Marie often seems to appear alongside Old Tom.
  • Mr. Bitte: A red-bearded Pirate who previously appeared in The Muppet Christmas Carol. He sings a solo in "Cabin Fever", and breaks the fourth wall by singing the line 'Like to get my hands on who ever wrote the script'. He has a brief speaking role in the video game adaptation, appearing on one of the ships in Bristol.

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

• Don Austen as:
  • Background Pirates
  • Native Pigs

Additional Muppets performed by Robbie Barnett, James Barton, Michael Bayliss, Charles Broughton, Simon Buckley, David Bulbeck, Dave Chapman, Marcus Clarke, Sue Dacre, Taylor David, John Eccleston, Geoff Felix, Mike Gallant, Pat Garrett, Louise Gold, Barnaby Harrison, Mark Jefferis, William Todd Jones, Robin Kingsland, Steve Kynman, Christopher Leith, Anthony Lymboura, Mark Mansfield, Joan Morris, Rebecca Nagan, Margaret O'Flaherty, Angie Passmore, Peter Passmore, Marie Phillips, Nigel Plaskitt, Colin Purves, Mike Quinn, Peter Robbins, Gillie Robic, Helena Smee, Katherine Smee, Andrew Spooner, John Thirtle, Ian Thom, Heather Tobias, Jurgen Tombers, Ian Tregonning, Robert Tygner, James Vaughan, John Wheatley, Victoria Willing, Phil Woodfine, Sarah Wright, and Paul Zerdin

Note: As Frank Oz was unavailable for most of the film's shooting, he had fellow Muppet Performer Kevin Clash puppeteer his characters for a number of scenes. Frank Oz had already participated in a recorded read-through of the script; Clash used these recordings to help promt his performances. According to Kevin Clash, Frank Oz gave him a brief description of each of his characters prior to shooting. Oz described Miss Piggy as "a truck driver wanting to be a woman", and Fozzie Bear as a somebody similar to Jerry Lewis.

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 in the U.S. on June 4, 2002 was in a fullscreen-only format. Other releases of these were in widescreen only format. The DVD release has 3 bonus features added like "Hidden Treasure Commentary", "The Tale of the Story Behind the Tail" and "Treasure Island Sing-Along" (but the menus were in widescreen format). The film was re-released on DVD November 29, 2005 in conjunction with Kermit the Frog's 50th anniversary celebration; this time the DVD contained both fullscreen and widescreen presentations and the 3 extra features were replaced with "Pepe Profiles Present: Fozzie Bear - A Long Day's Journey Into Night Clubs".

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release Muppet Treasure Island on Blu-ray, alongside The Great Muppet Caper, called Of Pirates & Pigs Collection on December 10, 2013.

Music

Soundtrack

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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" (Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop, Nelson, Goelz, Whitmire, Brian Henson, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, and John Henson)
5. "Cabin Fever" (Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Brian Henson, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, and John Henson)
6. "Professional Pirate" (Tim Curry, Jerry Nelson, Goelz, Whitmire, Brian Henson, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, and John Henson)
7. "Boom Shakalaka" (Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Brian Henson, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, and John Henson)
8. "Love Led Us Here" (Frank Oz, Steve 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 Jim Henson Productions for using the name "Spa'am" for one of the film's tribal pig 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." When Spa'am later appeared as a racing boss in Muppet RaceMania, he was credited as "Pig Chief."