Muppet Treasure Island -

Uneven retelling of the classic Treasure Island, this time done with a mixture of humans and muppets. Muppet Treasure Island tells the story of Jim, a young boy who gains possession of a treasure map. With his dear friends, Gonzo and Rizzo Rat, he arranges to take the ship Hispanola to find the buried treasure. Kermit the Frog portrays Captain Smollett, one of Jim’s only true friends on the ship. Tim Curry is Long John Silver, a diabolical pirate who has taken the role of cook, while secretly arranging mutiny among the fiendish crew. Muppet Treasure Island finds an excuse to plant everyone’s favorite muppet somewhere within, whether it be Miss Piggy’s escapade as a marooned lost love turned jungle goddess, Fozzie Bear’s dimwitted financier, or Statler and Waldorf as the wisecracking ship mastheads. However, many of the muppet bits seem to rely purely on their muppet-dom for humor, and those that don’t (such as Fozzie’s miniature friend inside his finger) simply don’t work. Only Gonzo and Rizzo’s running commentary provide consistent laughs, though many of their cultural references will sail right over younger viewers heads. Some of the musical numbers are entertaining, some seem downright tedious. Tim Curry is given the thankless job of playing second fiddle to the muppets, and manages to at least tread water.