Muppet Treasure Island

When Billy Bones, an old seafarer, recounts Captain Flint's final voyage to young Jim Hawkins, the story ends with Bones having a fatal heart attack during a pirate attack. Jim and a band of friends scramble ashore, hire a ship and crew, and head out in search of the buried treasure Bones hinted at before he died. As the voyage unfolds, cheerful Muppet chaos mixes with real danger, and Jim comes to realize that charm and loyalty don't always go together on the high seas. The film keeps its tone light for families while letting a few characters show sharper, darker edges.

Directed by Brian Henson and released in 1996, the film adapts Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel with scripts and Muppet sensibilities from Jerry Juhl and contributions by Kirk R. Thatcher. It mixes live actors and puppet work, and leans into the Muppets franchise style.

At the box office the movie did okay for a family title of its era, drawing modest returns and keeping the Muppets visible on the big screen without becoming a blockbuster sensation. Its performance helped justify further franchise efforts but didn't redefine Hollywood economics.

Tim Curry's Long John Silver stands out and has kept drawing attention over the years, often cited when people talk about memorable Muppet performances. The movie gave the Muppets a swashbuckling identity that turned up in merchandising, TV reruns, and fan conversations, and a few set pieces are still replayed on home video and streaming.

Critics generally liked the film's humor and energy, reflected in a middle-of-the-road audience score around 6.7 out of 10. Reviewers praised the cast and creature work while noting the mix of silliness and straight adventure doesn't always balance perfectly. The main themes are loyalty and trust, and the story works as a coming-of-age tale for Jim, with family-friendly jokes layered over genuine moments of tension.