ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL

Director Brian Henson and star Kevin Bishop set sail down memory lane in celebration of Muppet Treasure Island’s 25th birthday

- SIMON BLAND

THEY TOOK MANHATTAN AND restored our festive spirit – but it wasn’t until the mid-’90s that the Muppets set sail on the high seas for their most ambitious adventure to date. Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s coming-of-age tale, Muppet Treasure Island placed Kermit, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and friends back in classic text territory following a successful stint in Dickensian London with The Muppet Christmas Carol four years earlier.

Returning to the helm was Brian Henson – son of Muppets originator Jim – who, having proven that his father’s creations could survive without their visionary leader, was keen to continue pushing their legacy forward. So, compasses aligned, Henson and his crew set out to tell a swashbuckling pirate tale that, 25 years later, still remains one of the Muppets’ most beloved outings.

“I definitely felt more comfortable,” Henson tells SFX, reflecting on his return to the director’s chair. “I was very nervous about Christmas Carol. It required everyone being very supportive to be able to pull it off.” After his father’s unexpected death in 1990, the future of the Muppets was unclear. Thankfully, his son not only stepped up to bat but knocked it out of the ground – and with renewed confidence, Henson Jr was ready to do more of what The Jim Henson Company did best: creating surprising, multigenerational entertainment. “Treasure Island was much less stressful so it was more fun, but oddly, it’s a much more ambitious movie.”