Deep Dive Disney One Year Anniversary Special: Wes Looks at Muppet Treasure Island

Ladies, Gentlemen, Alternatively Gendered Individuals, Loyal Readers and Dear Friends each and every one of you. One year ago on this very day, I was just an unemployed loser looking for something to pass the time before I was able to find his next job. To that end, I decided to revisit an old favorite from my childhood, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, and see how well it holds up. One year and one hundred something articles later, now I guess I’m the Disney expert. This year has had its ups and downs, but this project has been a lot of fun and has helped me through a lot of the bad times, and I have you all to thank for it. So to commemorate the occasion, I put up a poll on my Twitter for people to pick what the subject of my one year anniversary special would be. And, because you people love me so much, you chose Muppets! We’ve covered two Muppet movies for this blog so far, both of which are currently available on Patreon, but this one holds a special place in my heart. It’s not necessarily the best Muppet movie but it is definitely one of the most fun. Everyone, get ready to buckle some swash as we take a very special look at the 1996 classic, Muppet Treasure Island! We’ve actually already covered a different adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1881 adventure novel when we looked at Treasure Planet, but for those of you who are new here and missed that one, I’ll lay out the plot anyways. Jim Hawkins is a poor orphan working at an inn with his two best friends Gonzo and Rizzo and generally going nowhere in life. All the while, Jim wishes to live a life like his late father, a sea fairing explorer. Jim’s fortunes change when a drunken ex pirate named Billy Bones bequeaths him a treasure map moments before his death. As pirates ransack the inn, Jim and friends escape to London and, with the help of a bear with a man living in his finger, finance a voyage to search for the treasure. While on the journey, Jim befriends Long John Silver, the ship’s one-legged cook. However, all is not well as Silver and the rest of the crew are actually vicious pirates planning to take the treasure for themselves. It’s a fun swashbuckling adventure as only the Muppets provide. So why don’t we celebrate one year of Deep Dive Disney as we take a look at Muppet Treasure Island.

Main Character:

Remember when I said that the Jim Hawkins from Treasure Planet was something of a stock character. Well that guy is Charles Foster Kane compared to this kid. He’s every wide eyed orphan who wants a life of adventure you’ve seen in a million other things. Jim Hawkins may be the main character here, but he’s arguably the least interesting of the bunch, which is to be expected when you’re surrounded by Muppets and legendary over actors on all sides. Still, as a rule I don’t go too hard against child actors. Acting isn’t easy, and when you’re young it’s difficult to develop the skills necessary. For every Ryan Gosling, there’s a million of that one kid from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. This actor isn’t perfect, but he does just fine, even if his singing voice is a touch pitchy. He goes through the necessary beats of the story and is carried well by the more interesting characters in the story. Also, fun fact, in the original draft of the script, Robin the Frog was supposed to fill the role of Jim, but I think picking a human was ultimately the right call.

Villain:

And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Friends, there has been many a great actor that has tried and failed to upstage The Muppets. Some have come close, but only one man has ever succeeded. And that man, is TIM CURRY, playing the villainous Long John Silver. Let me explain what we’re dealing with here. This is not Tim Curry at his best. For that, I’d recommend something like Legend, since, frankly the fact that anyone can act that well covered in all those heavy prosthetics is a miracle in and of itself. No, this is not Tim Curry at this best, what it is is Tim Curry at his most Tim Curry. This is Tim Curry in his most raw and over-the-top hammy actor form. If you were to somehow take the concept of over acting, distill it to liquid form, put this new substance within a small container and then violently throw that container at the floor, Tim Curry in a pirate suit will appear before you in a puff of smoke. And let me tell you, this is a movie that knows it has a Tim Curry on its hands and damn sure knows how to use him. I can watch this movie on loop for an entire week and I will never get tired of this performance. It is just so bombastic and wonderful that I can never get enough. Tim Curry is so clearly having the time of his life that it almost looks like he’s orgasming in certain scenes. The man is devouring the scenery every second he’s on screen and I love it. It’s a lot like Christopher Walken in The Country Bears, you just never know what weird thing Silver is going to do next. Though, to Curry’s credit, it’s not all madness all the time. When he has to have a relatively serious moment alongside Jim, he handles it just fine. You actually do buy that even though he has even intentions, he is developing a soft spot for Jim. It can be easy to forget that underneath all that ham, there’s an incredible actor. Either way, this performance is something else and makes the movie for me.

Side Characters:

However, Tim Curry or no Tim Curry, we’ve spent way too much time talking about the human characters in a Muppet movie. So what say we talk about some Muppets! We may as well start with everyone’s favorite Amphibian, Kermit, who in this film, takes on the role of Captain Abraham Smollett. He’s pretty much what you’d expect from Kermit as a ship’s captain. Honest, loyal, brave, compassionate, but firm when he needs to be. A natural leader, just like Kermit always has been, something he likely inherited from his creator.

Miss Piggy doesn’t actually show up until the last half hour, but she makes the most of her time. In this version, she’s a jilted lover of Kermit/Captain Smollett named Benjamina Gunn who was marooned on the island after she fell in with Captain Flint and his pirates. It’s also heavily implied that she had a fling with Silver. I’m honestly kind of shocked that the way she suggestively emphasized the Long in Long John Silver didn’t merit this film at least a PG rating.

Moving right along, Fozzie Bear takes on the role of Squire Trelawney. Also in this version, Squire Trelawney is a moron who takes advice from Mr. Bimbo, the tiny man who lives in his finger. He’s been to the moon… twice.

Gonzo and Rizzo are Jim’s loyal friends, and true to their characters, Rizzo is a cowardly con artist and Gonzo is an adventurous daredevil. I actually really love a lot of the moments with these two, such as Rizzo making a few bucks selling tickets to board the ship like it’s some kind of pleasure cruise or Gonzo shoving Starfish down his trousers. By the way, the star fish thing is actually a Chekhov’s Gun that comes back in the final battle, in a scene where Gonzo speaks Spanish with a Japanese accent. Yeah, I think Gonzo might be my favorite Muppet.

Speaking of favorite Muppets, Sam Eagle plays Samuel Arrow, first officer aboard the Hispaniola. Those of you who read my Muppet Christmas Carol article (seriously, sign up for my patreon), you’ll know that, in my opinion, Sam Eagle might be one of the funniest Muppets in the bunch. Seriously, this guy is hilarious. Fiercely loyal to Captain Smollett and overzealous to the point where he threatens to whip anyone who forgets to dust the railing. Also: “Boogie, Boogie, Boogie! I am the Ghost of Samuel Arrow… BOOGIE!!” If you know, you know.

On the non-Muppet end of the spectrum, we have Billy Bones, played by the always awesome Billy Connolly. I think a lot of people get so fixated on how awesome Tim Curry is in this movie, that they forget how awesome Billy Connolly is in this movie. He probably saw that he had to Tim Curry to compete with and even though he doesn’t get nearly as many scenes, he’s going to chew as much scenery as he can before Tim Curry eats it all. Wonderful stuff.

Songs:

This might be a controversial take, but I honestly think the soundtrack for Muppet Treasure Island is my favorite out of any Muppet production. Don’t get me wrong, there is some stiff competition in that crowd, but even films like The Muppet Movie or Muppet Christmas Carol have at least one song that’s just kind of so-so. Not this one, each one of these songs is a jam so let’s go through them one by one. The film opens with a bang with a song called Shiver My Timbers. This song might be the best in the entire movie and really gets you in the pirate mood. Take away the singing muppets and this song wouldn’t feel out of place in a Pirates of the Caribbean film. I never thought I’d describe something in a Muppet Movie of all things as Badass, but here we are.

Something Better is something of an I Want song from Jim, and while Kevin Bishop isn’t a great singer, the melody is nice and it gets stronger once Dave Goelz and Steve Whitmire join in.

Sailing for Adventure is another fun one, a really catchy tune that puts one in the mood for a nautical voyage.

Cabin Fever is pure madness in every sense of the word. The crew goes insane after being out at sea for too long and they all dress up like Carmen Miranda and sing this delightfully demented song.

Professional Pirate is Silver’s villain song, and I love it. The song is unbelievably catchy, and the pirates harmonize very well. It actually does make being a pirate sound surprisingly wholesome.

Finally there’s Love Led Us Here. Over the years, there’s been many a love duet between Kermit and Piggy, but as strange as it may sound, this one is probably my favorite. It just feels the most sincere. They’re dangling over a cliff, and all they can think of is how happy they are to be together. It actually brings a tear to the eye.

The only real weakness in the soundtrack is a song called Love Power, a weird reggae number played over the end credits. It’s not a bad song, but tone wise it feels incredibly out of place. Oh well, the rest of the Soundtrack is still great.

Memorable Scenes:

We have a lot of memorable scenes to get through with this one so buckle the hell up! First and foremost, I need to talk about the roll call scene. Sam and Kermit read off the roster of their conscripted crew and slowly learn that it’s a literal freak show, comprised of all manner of creeps, lowlifes, weirdos and Clueless Morgan. And of course, the joke everyone remembers, Big Fat Ugly Bug Faced Baby Eating O’Brian. Kermit and Sam are expecting a horrific monster, but instead it’s an attractive woman, with a deep masculine voice. I wonder if this is the inspiration for Dr. Girlfriend from Venture Brothers. Either way, Kermit and Sam’s slack jawed expression always cracks me up.

Of course, we need to talk about the Black Spot scene. For those not well versed in Pirate lore, the Black Spot is a pirate’s death sentence and when his crew decides to mutiny, they tie up Silver and hand him The Black Spot on a page of the Bible. Silver gets out of this predicament the only way he knows how, by ACTING!! I’m serious, this is the part where Tim Curry goes full Tim Curry and lets loose the full uncaged fury of his hammy acting and it is glorious. Frank N. Furter looks subdued by comparison. And this is so effective, that the Pirates free him and once again swear their loyalty. Wow.

Finally we need to talk about the sword fight between Kermit and Silver at the end. First, Kermit has a tattoo of Piggy on his chest. That’s amazing. Second, this sword fight heavily features a diminuitive green Muppet bouncing around while fighting a significantly larger opponent, and this was a full six years before Attack of the Clones. I’m not saying that this is where Star Wars got it for Yoda… but I’m totally saying this is where Star Wars got it for Yoda. Finally, there’s the look on Tim Curry’s face during the fight. It’s as if he only now, in this exact moment realized how ridiculous this movie is. God I love it.

Story:

I’ll admit, unlike A Christmas Carol, I’m not really familiar with the source material here. So if the original Treasure Island had any deeper meanings, I’m unaware of them. Personally I don’t think this movie is really trying to have a deeper meaning besides the obvious message of the importance of friendship. Even then, that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here for to buckle some swash with the Muppets, and that’s what we get!

The Dark Disney Factor:

Well, this movie certainly has a bit more of an edge than your average Muppet production. I mean, the movie opens with singing skulls and a pirate crew getting executed. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s plenty of casual gunplay, murder, bestiality and all kinds of out there madness that’s a little more intense than the standard Muppet variety. At one point, Gonzo is tortured, but ends liking it. Oh, and there’s one character who just spends the entire movie puppeteering an actual corpse named Dead Tom. It’s not quite on the level as say, a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but it’s far from a light hearted affair.

Final Thoughts:

I love this movie. It's a blast from start to finish, with all the trademark Muppet Madness I love so much, but also so much more. Friends, I can't believe that I have been doing this for an entire year. This project has enriched my life in ways you cannot begin to imagine. I thank each and everyone of you for reading weather you've been with me since Snow White or just joined because you really like Muppet based Pirate Movies. I love you all. Stay tuned though, because we're nowhere near done yet. Deep Dive Disney will keep on rolling for as long as I'm able. So, in true Pirate fashion, let's Drink to many more years of fun and adventure. Deep Dive Disney Forever!