“Muppet Treasure Island” (1996) utilizes non-Muppets (also known as human actors) in the leading roles while the Muppets serve as supporting cast members. That might disappoint true-blue Muppets fans, but it’s an intelligent choice by the filmmakers, especially given the excellent casting decisions.
I don’t care what character you cast Tim Curry to play, he’ll nail it – and he nails it here. But to have him play Long John Silver!? It’s a dream come true. Billy Connolly is also typically great (though, spoiler: short-lived) and young Kevin Bishop plays an excellent Jim Hawkins, who interacts believably with his Muppet co-stars.
The grip of “Treasure Island” lies in introducing Long John Silver and the gradual slow-burn reveal that he is, in fact, a charismatic villain. It’s a beloved coming-of-age story and perhaps the most frequently adapted novel of all time.
“Muppet Treasure Island” (1996)
Director: Brian Henson
Writers: Jerry Juhl, Kirk R. Thatcher, James V. Hart (screenplay); Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)
Stars: Billy Connolly, Jennifer Saunders, Tim Curry
Recently orphaned Jim joins the crew of the Hispaniola under the command of Captain Smollett (Kermit). Jim warms to the friendly ship’s cook, the one-legged Silver. In the novel, a drunken first mate, Mr. Arrow, is washed over during a storm. In the film, Mr. Arrow (played with perfection by Sam Eagle) is lured into a lifeboat to check for leaks, then pushed out to sea. Soon, Jim learns of Silver’s mutinous aims.
The comedic duo of Gonzo and Rizzo
The humor exhibited by Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat is matched only by Martin and Lewis. As they munch on fruit inside of an apple barrel below deck, the following exchange takes place:
Gonzo: It just feels so weird.
Rizzo: That Mr. Arrow’s dead?
Gonzo: That. And my pants are filled with starfish.
Rizzo: You and your hobbies.
The Spam problem
Hormel Foods sued Jim Henson Productions for the unauthorized use of Hormel’s Spam in the film. The film includes a tribal pig character named Spa’am, which is close enough to amount to trademark infringement. As outlined in a New York Times report posing the immortal question “When is a warthog a canned pork product?,” the federal court of appeals confirmed the dismissal of the lawsuit in a published decision.
The problem with Hormel’s suit was that it couldn’t prove its trademark had been damaged by the Muppet pig. Although Hormel argued “comic association with an unclean ‘grotesque’ boar will call into question the purity and high quality of its meat product,” it presented “no evidence that Spa’am was unhygienic.” “At worst,” the court allowed, the pig Muppet “might be described as ‘untidy.’” And that’s not enough, legally speaking, to win the case.
Even though Hormel is a big outfit, I expect that with all the attorneys’ fees it spent on the hogwash of a case – against Jim Henson’s company for ham’s sake! – that they may have gone into hock. At the very least, Hormel probably depleted its piggy bank. It would have been sow much better if they elected not to sue. Next time, maybe they’ll pig on someone their own size.
