MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND

"MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND"
(1996) (The Muppets, Tim Curry) (G)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Mild	None	Mild	Mild	Moderate

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Minor	None	Minor	None	Minor

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
None	Minor	Minor	Minor	Moderate

QUICK TAKE:: The muppets go searching for buried treasure.

PLOT:: Jim Hawkins (KEVIN BISHOP) is a young orphan who one day meets Billy Bones (BILLY CONNOLLY), a sailor who talks of buried treasure and a dangerous one legged man. When pirates come after Bones, the treasure map ends up in Jim's hands. Always wanting to go on a grand adventure, Jim, and his friends Gonzo and Rizzo, ask for passage to the island and get Captain Smollet (KERMIT) to head the expedition. Unbeknownst to the crew, the cook, Long John Silver (TIM CURRY), is actually a one legged pirate in disguise waiting to pounce on the treasure map. From then on, Jim must deal with the pirates after the map, while Smollet must contend with Benjamina Gunn(MS PIGGY), the woman he left at the altar who just so happens to be marooned on the island where the treasure is buried.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Yes, especially if they already like the muppets.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G: For not containing any material that would warrant a higher rating.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: KEVIN BISHOP plays the young lad in search of adventure and a taste of the real world. He has no bad traits.
KERMIT plays the wise and trustworthy captain of the expedition.
TIM CURRY plays the conniving pirate whose only goal is to get the map, find the treasure and go to any means to succeed.; KERMIT plays the wise and trustworthy captain of the expedition.
TIM CURRY plays the conniving pirate whose only goal is to get the map, find the treasure and go to any means to succeed.; TIM CURRY plays the conniving pirate whose only goal is to get the map, find the treasure and go to any means to succeed.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Billy Bones drinks rum and later is seen drunk and wanting more rum.
A bar owner asks a cow if she's drunk again.
Long John brings the captain and crew some brandy to celebrate the voyage, but Smollet says that there will be no drinking on his ship.
Some "rat tourists" are seen at a tiny bar, and beer and cocktails are seen.

BLOOD/GORE: None.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: The bar owner tells Jim and his two muppet pals, Gonzo and Rizzo, that if they forget to turn off the lights again, there'll be no table scraps for dinner.
All of the pirates, including Long John Silver, have bad attitudes.

FRIGHTENING/TENSE SCENES: Several singing skulls are seen (may be scary to little kids, but they are muppets so it shouldn't be too scary).
Billy Bones warns everyone of a one legged man and says that such a man equals death.
Billy Bones is given the "black spot," a card with a black spot on it, which for sailors equates to a death sentence.
Billy Bones keels over dead and Gonzo says, "We're standing in a room with a dead guy!", screams and runs out.
Pirates burst into the bar, get into a fight and then accidentally ignite gunpowder that blows up the powder keg and catches the bar on fire. There is a scene inside the burning bar where people are frantically running about trying to escape.
There is a cabin fever sequence shot with weird distorted angles of the crew that might be scary to little kids.
A foggy, nighttime scene has a weird moaning sound that turns out to be a crew member imitating a fog horn.
Smollet and Benjamina are strung up by their feet at the top of a cliff with a fire burning through the rope that's holding them up. GW- moderate

GUNS/WEAPONS: Pistols: Fired by a pirate into the air.
Pistol: Pulled out by Billy Bones, but knocked aside where it then discharges.
Swords: Are carried by pirates as they burst into the bar and demand the treasure map.
Gun: Gonzo and Rizzo try to load it as the pirates attack.
Gunpowder Keg: Powder is lit which burns to the keg that explodes and ignites the house.
Potato Knife: Used by Long John Silver to threaten Jim and others. Knife: There is a song with the lyrics "...we'll never stab you in the back..." which is sung just as a character enters with a knife in his back.
Knife: Held to Jim's throat by some pirates.
Pistol: Fired by Long John to shoot off the headdress of the native leader.
Swords, pistols and a cannon: Used in the big fight scene between the pirates and Jim and Smollet's crew.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Stupid," and "Wuss."

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A few of the scenes contain some minor tense music.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: 1 hell.

SEX/NUDITY: None.

SMOKING: A "rat tourist" has a pipe in his mouth.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Jim is an orphan and he talks with Long John about how he was just seven when his parents died.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: How playing with swords can be harmful.
The value of a "treasure" and how it's not right to stab people in the back to get it.

VIOLENCE: Pirates break down the door to a bar and harass the people inside. Gonzo and Rizzo attempt to load a gun, but drop the bullets and spill gunpowder everywhere. A pirate says, "We want the map and we'll skewer anyone who gets in the way." The bar owner starts beating up the pirates and spilled gunpowder is accidentally lit. It burns to the powder keg that explodes and catches the house on fire.
A separate explosion blows a muppet across a room.
Long John Silver threatens Jim, Gonzo and Rizzo with a potato knife when he first meets them stating, "We shishkebab and barbecue any stowaways.
The overzealous first officer tells the crew, "Anyone caught dawdling will be shot."
A song has lines referring to people dieing by falling overboard, and how one character likes to see people hanged, with their "little feet trying to walk in the air."
Pirates torture Gonzo on the rack (stretching his limbs) and threaten Rizzo with a hot poker. They tell both, "We'll tear you limb from limb if you don't give us the map."
Long John tells his men, "When the time is right, we'll kill them all." Simultaneously he makes a throat slitting gesture.
Long John and his men kidnap Jim and take him to the treasure island.
There is a song with the lyrics "...we'll never stab you in the back..." which is sung just as a character enters with a knife in his back.
Pirates take over the ship and tie up the crew.
At night, the lights are turned out and only Rizzo's eyes are seen. Suddenly other pairs of menacing eyes appear and this may be scary to little kids.
Several human skeletons are seen hanging from a tree.
Benjamina slugs Smollet when they first see each other (he left her at the altar some time ago).
The pirates threaten Long John when it turns out the treasure isn't there.
Long John shoots the headdress off the native leader.
There is a big fight between the pirates and Smollet's crew that includes sword play, Benjamina punching and kicking many people and a cannon fired which hits a tree that falls onto a pirate.
Prisoners beat up another prisoner who says that he thinks they've learned some valuable lessons.
Long John aims his pistol at Jim as he makes his getaway with the treasure. However, his boat sinks and that's the end of that.

Reviewed June 2, 1996

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