dragonfire88's Full Review: Muppet Treasure Island
I have loved the Muppets ever since I was a child. I watched The Muppet Show all the time and went to see the different movies featuring the Muppets that were made. When Jim Henson died, I had thought that would be the end of new Muppet projects. I was very happy that wasn’t the case. Muppet Treasure Island was the second movie made after the death of Jim Henson.
Jim Hawkins, a young orphan, worked at an inn cleaning up with his two friends Gonzo and Rizzo before he was given a treasure map by a dying former pirate. Jim, Gonzo, and Rizzo decided to go looking for the treasure. They convinced Squire Trelawney to provide them with a ship that Captain Abraham Smollett would be in charge of. Jim quickly became friends with Long John Silver, the cook who was missing a leg. They set off on the voyage even though Captain Smollett wasn’t sure he could trust the crew. Several of them ended up in dangerous situations and Captain Smollett had to deal with Benjamina Gunn, the woman he’d left at the altar, when they were unexpectedly reunited.
Muppet Treasure Island was based on the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know what would have been changed for this movie version. I’m sure things were changed to make the story work with Muppet characters. I did read that Gonzo and Rizzo were added in as two friends of Jim. This movie was actually the first time I had seen any movie version of the story. This would be a good way to introduce children to a classic story even though there were changes. The only other movie version of the story I’ve seen was the animated Disney movie Treasure Planet which I also really enjoyed.
This wasn’t the first time that a Muppet movie tackled a famous story. In 1992, The Muppet Christmas Carol was released. It was one of the better adaptations of A Christmas Carol and is one of my favorite Christmas movies. Like was done in that movie, the characters were portrayed mostly by Muppet characters with a few main characters being portrayed by humans. I think that worked very well and it made the movie very entertaining. Several songs were included throughout the movie. Most of the Muppet movies have included songs, so it wasn’t surprising that some were added for this one as well. The songs were upbeat and fun and did help to move the story along.
I thought that Muppet Treasure Island was very funny. Many of the characters said and did things that added humor. Some of what was done to add humor was a bit silly which might bother some viewers. I thought the silliness worked well for the movie, especially when a Muppet character was involved in it. One of the songs turned into a wild musical number featuring basically the entire crew singing about having cabin fever. It was one of the funniest scenes in the movie. I thought that Billy Bones was very funny in the few scenes he had in the movie.
Kermit the Frog was Abraham Smollett, the captain of the ship. Kermit worked well for that part. Fozzy turned up in a few scenes as Squire Trelawney. He paid for the voyage and wasn’t the smartest character in the movie. He thought a tiny man named Mr. Bimbo lived in his finger. Sam the Eagle was Mr. Arrow, the first mate on the ship. It seemed like he had worked with Captain Smollett before. Miss Piggy was Benjamina Gunn, the woman who had been engaged to Abraham and left at the altar by him. There were some very entertaining scenes between those two once they were reunited. Most of the crew members were played by puppet characters. Some other Muppet characters, like Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, were only around in a few scenes. Rowlf was briefly seen in an early scene without saying anything.
Jim Hawkins was the young boy who was given the treasure map and decided to try to find it. He was protective of the map, but he was a little too trusting when it came to making new friends. Kevin Bishop was good and believable in the part. Billy Bones was the pirate that told the story about treasure. Billy Connelly was wonderful in the part and I would have liked it if he’d been around for more of the movie. Long John Silver was the cook on the ship who befriended Jim. Tim Curry was wonderful in the part. Jennifer Saunders turned up in a few short scenes early in the movie as the woman who owned the inn where Jim worked.
Main Cast/Muppet Performers
Kevin Bishop - Jim Hawkins Billy Connolly - Billy Bones Tim Curry - Long John Silver Dave Goelz - Gonzo/Dr. Bunsen Honeydew/Waldorf/Zoot Jerry Nelson - Blind Pew/Statler/Floyd/Lew Zealand Frank Oz - Miss Piggy/Fozzy/Sam the Eagle/Animal/George Jennifer Saunders - Mrs. Bluberidge Steve Whitmire - Kermit the Frog/Rizzo/Beaker/Bean Bunny
Brian Henson - Director
DVD Information
I own Muppet Treasure Island on DVD. My copy only has the full screen version of the movie. That was all I could find when I bought the DVD. Sometime after that, new DVD versions of all of the Muppet movies were released. I think there is a widescreen version available in the newer DVD. There was a commentary with Brian Henson and something called The Tale of the Story Beyond the Tail. That included some footage from the shooting of the movie and featured some of the cast, Henson, and screenwriters talking about making the movie. I really enjoyed that.
Muppet Treasure Island was a very entertaining movie that fans of the Muppets may enjoy. It wasn’t as good as the first Muppet movies, but I still thought it was good and worth watching.
Robert Louis Stevenson s classic pirate tale takes on a life of its own in the hands of the hilarious Muppets! Muppet Treasure Island--the Muppets ver...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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