If you know me than you know that I love the Muppets, so Muppet Treasure Island is a guilty pleasure for me. It came out in 1996, and it was directed by Brian Henson. It may not be the best Muppet movie, but it is certainly not the worst.
The movie for the most part fallows Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of a boy Jim Hawkins (Kevin Bishop) and his friends, Gonzo and Rizzo, who are given a map by the ex-pirate Billy Bones (Billy Connelly). They are soon off on an adventure on the high seas, or the big blue wet thing as Squire Trelawney (Fozzie Bear) calls it. The cook/pirate captain Long John Silver is played by the always wonderful Tim Curry.
Billy Connelly and Tim Curry are perfect for Muppet movies with their exaggerated acting ability and over the top perfomances. Kevin Bishop on the other hand tries his best, but he is not as talented as the Connelly and Curry. It is a shame too since he has so much screen time.
The musical numbers are mostly good in this movie with Cabin Fever and Professional Pirate as the stand outs. Curry directing the staging as the pirates sing always cracks me up.
The puppet work by Jim Henson Studios is fantastic as always. If I could act or use my hands well, puppeteering would be a dream job! It is always amazing how quickly I forget that all the Muppets are puppets.
This is not the greatest movie in the world, but for me it is always fun to watch because I love the characters so much, and there is something about felt puppets preforming classic literature that just does it for me. I watched this movie on HBO Go, but I am sure that you can get it any number of places.