The trio takes the map to the half-wit Squire Trelawney (Fozzie Bear), who arranges a voyage to find the treasure.

The ship is commanded by Captain Abraham Smollett (Kermit the Frog) and his overly strict first mate, Mr. Samuel Arrow (Sam Eagle).

After Gonzo and Rizzo are kidnapped and tortured by three of the crew who have turned out to be pirates, he has the treasure map locked up for safe keeping.

Smollett is hung from a cliff to fall to his death, joined soon by Mina after she reveals where the treasure is hidden to save his life only to spit out a kiss from Silver.

The group engages the remaining pirates in a sword fight on the beach with Sweetums defecting to Smollett's side until only Silver is left standing, but he surrenders when he finds himself outnumbered.

In a tearful standoff, neither can bring themselves to follow their threats and Jim allows Silver to leave as long as they never cross paths again, much to their disappointment.

The crew of the Hispaniola sails away into the sunset, but not before some scuba-diving rat tourists Rizzo brought to the ship earlier recover the treasure from the sea.

In the first draft, Gonzo and Rizzo were initially written to portray two characters named Jim and Hawkins, but Thatcher explained that "the studio was nervous that they couldn't hold the emotional heart of the movie, so eventually the human Jim Hawkins was written in, and we cast Gonzo and Rizzo alongside him.

[7][8] Veteran Muppet performer Frank Oz was unavailable for most of the shooting due to scheduling conflicts with his directing career, so fellow Muppet performer Kevin Clash puppeteered his characters Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle and Animal on set, while Oz dubbed the voices in post-production.

[9] The Muppet Treasure Island: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack scored by Hans Zimmer, as well as songs written by pop songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

To coincide with the film's theatrical release, a making-of documentary featuring the filmmakers and the Muppets aired on the Disney Channel on February 2, 1996.

[12] On January 31, 1999, the film made its network television premiere on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney serving as counterprogramming to Fox's coverage of Super Bowl XXXIII.

The website's critical consensus reads: "Though less Muppet-centric than the original trilogy, Muppet Treasure Island is an energetic, cheerful take on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure, with typically solid gags.

The Muppet action blends seamlessly with the human actors, and adults will be kept giggling with wittily anachronistic jokes about codependence, water-skiing, and Henry Kissinger.

[23] The Hormel Foods Corporation (the creators of Spam) sued Jim Henson Productions for using the name "Spa'am" for one of the film's tribal pig characters.

[24] The judge dismissed their suit on September 22, 1995 after a trial for failure to prove damages, noting, "one might think Hormel would welcome the association with a genuine source of pork.