Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Muppet Treasure Island arrived in 1996 from Walt Disney Pictures and Jim Henson Productions, the third theatrical outing to place Kermit, Miss Piggy and company inside a classic literary frame. Following Muppet Christmas Carol, it continued the studio's run of adapting canonical texts through puppetry and vaudeville humor, pairing Tim Curry's Long John Silver with the Muppet ensemble. The film held modest box office but built a lasting following on home video, prized for its songs and its blend of piracy adventure with Henson's workshop craft.
This cell centers on Captain Abraham Smollett, the human captain of the Hispaniola and one of the few live action principals anchoring the Muppet cast within Stevenson's story. Collectors seek Smollett material because human characters appear far less often than puppet performers in Henson merchandise, making his frames comparatively scarce. As a name identifying a specific character role rather than a scene description, this cell likely comes from a title card, trailer insert, or credits sequence, the kind of studio produced element used to introduce cast and crew before the narrative proper begins.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of Muppet Treasure Island (1996).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, and a band of Dolby Digital data blocks is visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
The text 'EASTMAN' is legible along one edge; no key numbers are clearly readable in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a blue-violet tint in the clear areas; the dye image reads as warm and saturated with no visible fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the costumed characters and period set dressing are consistent with Muppet Treasure Island (1996).
Era check
The combination of Eastman colour stock, blue-tinted base, variable-area optical track, and Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063429
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
