On the surface, these Disney adaptations of Dickens and Stevenson are similar. Both films feature Muppets occupying familiar roles, both have musical numbers, and both are anchored by British stars. But where Caine and his holiday film take things relatively seriously, Curry\u2019s performance and the film in which it\u2019s housed are a lot loopier, gleeful, and more in line with the anarchy that the Muppets represented in earlier films as well as in The Muppet Show<\/em>. Although Muppet Treasure Island<\/em> doesn\u2019t break the fourth wall the same way that the first two Muppet movies did, it plays happily with our general awareness of this specific boys\u2019 adventure, of a young man named Jim Hawkins (Kevin Bishop) who embarks on a nautical journey with a crew mostly comprised of pirates secretly led by Silver to claim long-lost treasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA talking\u2026parrot<\/em>?\u201d Long John says in his opening scene, amazed at the idea that his closest friend would be a chatty bird instead of a walking, talking lobster named Polly. Many of the tweaks that this family-friendly adaptation make to Silver are intended to accommodate the presence of the Muppets, but a good chunk of it falls on Curry himself. Unlike the late Charles Grodin in The Great Muppet Caper<\/em><\/a>, Curry isn\u2019t just playing a famous pop-culture villain \u2013 even those who haven\u2019t read the real Treasure Island<\/em> know that the peg-legged pirate is bad news. Curry isn\u2019t playing the role lightly or in a low-key fashion; he\u2019s all in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When Silver finally outs himself to Jim as the man orchestrating a mutiny to reclaim stolen gold, Curry\u2019s mouth quivers as if he\u2019s literally chewing the scenery when the camera\u2019s not on him. And unlike both Grodin and Caine, Curry is able to utilize his own experience on stage and in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/em> in what he huffily notes is \u201cMy only<\/em> number,\u201d AKA \u201cA Professional Pirate<\/a>.\u201d The song itself is\u2026fine<\/em> (although this writer will fiercely argue that the 1996 film is the second-best Muppet movie, its songs are generally OK without being terribly memorable or hummable). But Curry\u2019s performance elevates the sequence so much, with his blazing eyes, louchely leering face, and joyous energy. The same is true of how Jim and Long John have their falling out; he\u2019s unwavering about desiring the treasure, but when he bids Jim adieu, Curry commits <\/a>to the heartache Long John feels at having failed his surrogate son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Importantly, Tim Curry is doing what Michael Caine did: not playing down to the audience, nor condescending to the fact that he\u2019s interacting primarily with Muppets. Few actors could sell Long John Silver\u2019s charm the way Curry does, especially in this warped and over-the-top take where the feared pirate had a love affair with Benjamina Gunn (Miss Piggy, natch) years ago. Though some of the other human actors playing pirates are perhaps going a bit too big in their background work (as in the show-stopping \u201cCabin Fever,\u201d a song in which Curry is notably absent), he never loses sight of his own North Star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To act against the Muppets is a career highlight for so many acting luminaries, whether it\u2019s in a cameo, hosting The Muppet Show<\/em>, or taking on a primary antagonistic role of sorts as Tim Curry did in Muppet Treasure Island<\/em>. The blend of holiday magic and Muppet charm has perhaps lifted Michael Caine\u2019s work in The Muppet Christmas Carol<\/em> highly in some Millennials\u2019 estimation. But Curry, as stealthy and sly as ever, comfortably walks away with this film, full of glee and brio in every moment, seeming to delight in each syllable he utters and stealing the show even if his character never does end up stealing the gold he was always after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Muppet Treasure Island” is streaming on Disney+<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/muppet-treasure2-1024x689.jpg\")
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