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The Legends of Treasure Island

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The Legends of Treasure Island
US DVD cover
GenreAnimated series
Based onTreasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Directed byDino Athanassiou
Simon Ward-Horner
StarringDawn French
John Hasler
Juliet Stevenson
Corinna Powlesland
Richard E. Grant
Rob Brydon
Robert Powell
Hugh Laurie
Chris Barrie
Rob Rackstraw
Gary Martin
Carla Mendonça
Issy Van Randwyck
William Maxwell
David Holt
Leslie Randall
Shona Morris
Jimmy Hibbert
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26
Production
ProducerPeter Lewis
EditorAndi Sloss
Running time22–25 minutes
Production companiesFilmFair
Central Independent Television
Carlton UK Productions
Original release
NetworkITV (CITV)
Release10 September 1993 (1993-09-10) –
27 June 1995 (1995-06-27)

The Legends of Treasure Island is a British animated television series. It had two series of 13 episodes each and each episode runs for 22–25 minutes.[1]

The series was loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson's original 1883 novel Treasure Island. Featuring a mysterious and dark storyline, it incorporates magic and many new characters. Billy Bones is not depicted in this series, he is replaced by Jim's father, Mr. Hawkins.

The series was broadcast in the United Kingdom and in other countries throughout Europe and Asia and was also aired in Australia on ABC TV Network. The programme was a FilmFair production for Central Independent Television. As of 2021, The Legends of Treasure Island is owned by ITV plc.

Characters

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This cartoon, unlike most other Treasure Island cartoons and movies, featured the main characters as anthropomorphic animals:

  • Jim Hawkins: The main protagonist, he is cunning for his age, and determined to reach the treasure as his father asked him.
  • Ben Gunn: : A hermit found living on the Island, he knows more about the dangers of the Island and is able to provide warnings. He frequently describes things as being "like a leech" and often speaks in very vague terms that can be hard to understand.
  • Long John Silver: Unlike the book and most adaptations, Long John Silver is not an anti-hero with dubious morality but rather a straight villain, although he does save Jim's life in episode 3.
  • Dr. Livesey: Is a friend of Jim and his father, and aids the boy against the pirates.
  • Captain Smollett: A brave captain who offers Jim his aid. When Jim states that he cannot pay Smollett, he states that he will accept a new pair of boots after they find the treasure as payment. He is also the one who decides to go to Squire Trelawney for funding, as the two are close friends.
  • Squire Trelawney: Squire Trelawney is a friendly, yet money-obsessed character, who is only convinced to fund the expedition upon hearing the promise of treasure. He often acts as if he doesn't have a clue what he's doing, despite supposedly having gone on many adventures.
  • Blind Pew: The mysterious blind boss of Long John Silver.
  • Jane: One of the exclusive characters for this Treasure Island incarnation. Jane was kidnapped by Silver to be held for ransom, but since her parents did not want her, he got stuck with her. In the first episode, she switches sides and teams up with Jim, for whom she showed growing feelings as the series progressed.

Subsidiary recurring characters included the pirates Morgan (a hog), Nebbich (a hyena), and Rat (who was, appropriately enough, a rat). These characters featured mainly in the first season and only made minor appearances at the beginning of the second before disappearing altogether. Other minor pirates except Israel Hands seen during series 1 included a weasel and a rabbit among others.

Cast

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Series 1

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Series 2

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Episodes

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Series overview

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SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
11310 September 1993 (1993-09-10)3 December 1993 (1993-12-03)
2134 April 1995 (1995-04-04)27 June 1995 (1995-06-27)

Season 1 (1993)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
11"The Quest Begins"10 September 1993 (1993-09-10)
Jim leaves the Admiral Benbow with Captain Flint's treasure map and begins a treasure voyage aboard Captain Smollett's ship. Along the way Silver and his gang board and take over the ship, but Jim and his friends escape and enter a portal to Treasure Island.
22"Memories Are Made of This"17 September 1993 (1993-09-17)
Setting up camp on the island, the explorers venture into a purple mist which temporarily gives them amnesia, resulting in them handing the map over to the pirates. Can Captain Smollett and shipwrecked dog Ben Gunn rescue them?
33"The Watch Tower"24 September 1993 (1993-09-24)
Jim and Jane explore a watchtower on Skeleton Island but end up leaving the map there and must go back to retrieve it. However, the pirates learn of this and plan to get the map before they do.
44"Now You See Me"1 October 1993 (1993-10-01)
Jim and Jane discover a graveyard containing Flint's grave. Could this be where the treasure is buried? Meanwhile, Jane puts on a ring turning her invisible and she can't get it off!
55"Return to Sender"8 October 1993 (1993-10-08)[2]
Ben Gunn wants to borrow Long John Silver's longboat to reach his friend on Yonder Island, but the pirate will only lend it to him in exchange for the map. Will Ben betray one friend to help another?
66"Flint's Return"15 October 1993 (1993-10-15)[3]
Once every year, the ghost of Captain Flint rises from his grave to visit the spot where he buried his treasure. While the pirates plan to use this to find the treasure, the explorers plan to use it to trap the pirates.
77"The Labyrinth"22 October 1993 (1993-10-22)
Pew plans to use the Labyrinth, a mountain cave to get rid of Jim and his friends once and for all. Silver, also plans to not only do this but dispose of Pew as well, fed up of being bossed around by him.
88"The Pool of Prophecy"29 October 1993 (1993-10-29)[4]
Jim falls into the Pool of Prophecy, which shows him a vision of the future where he'll become a pirate. Is there any way to prevent this from happening?
99"The Fountain of Truth"5 November 1993 (1993-11-05)
Long John Silver drinks from the Fountain of Truth, believing it to be the Fountain of Youth. As a result, he begins to speak to the truth and plans to change his ways, but can he be trusted?
1010"Tails We Win"12 November 1993 (1993-11-12)[5]
Jane wonders off and discovers a lagoon where she befriends a mermaid. While she's gone, Silver attacks the campsite, taking Jim and his friends prisoner. Can Jane and her mermaid friend save them?
1111"The Cave of Babel"19 November 1993 (1993-11-19)[6]
While exploring the island one day, Jim comes across a mysterious cave and is hypnotized into entering a giant crystal. Transported inside, Jim is disfigured by the crystal's magic; coming out as a flat picasso-like figurine. Meanwhile, John and his assistant Rat also enter the cave where their heads are swapped by the magic. They soon clash with Jim and his friends over the map and soon face off in the cave where their fighting causes the cave's destruction, reverting them to normal.
1212"The Merman Prince"26 November 1993 (1993-11-26)[7]
Long John Silver makes a deal with a merman prince to give Jane over as a bride to the merman in exchange for a magic compass.
1313"The Beginning of the End"3 December 1993 (1993-12-03)
Long John Silver accidentally destroys a statue of a fire god resulting in the island about to self-destruct, unable to cope with any more evil. While the explorers make a deal with the pirates, Jim and Silver have a fiery showdown atop the island volcano.

Season 2 (1995)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
141"Consequence"4 April 1995 (1995-04-04)
Jim and Ben Gunn (along with Squire Trelawney) return to the island planning to save it from self-destructing but the place has other ideas. Meanwhile, Pew is about to rise from his watery grave, endangering Jim and his friends.
152"Reunion"11 April 1995 (1995-04-11)
Jane leaves Captain Smollett and Dr. Livesey on the Hispaniola to join Jim and the others on the island. She stumbles across a shipwreck containing Flint's logbook. Could this lead them to the treasure? However, the girl is menaced by a ghost.
163"Silver in the Island's Underworld"18 April 1995 (1995-04-18)
Following his fall into the volcano at the end of Series 1, Long John Silver finds himself in Hell where he meets some horrific creatures including the Devil himself!
174"Silver's Bond"25 April 1995 (1995-04-25)
Back in the land of living as a pact to send Jim to the underworld in his place, Long John Silver attempts to convince the boy that's he's changed but Jim isn't so sure.
185"Emily"2 May 1995 (1995-05-02)
Jim and Jane stumble across a shipwreck graveyard where they meet a ghost girl called Emily who is looking for her father.
196"Forest of Darkness"9 May 1995 (1995-05-09)[8]
The squire gets taken by a tribe who believes he is a god called the Great Kaloombah. However, as he and his friends learn, the tribe plan to sacrifice him to the volcano!
207"Antidote"16 May 1995 (1995-05-16)[9]
Jane is bitten by a snake and has only 24 hours to live! Jim and Ben Gunn must venture across a dangerous swamp to find the antidote.
218"City in the Sky"23 May 1995 (1995-05-23)[10]
Believing himself to have died, Squire Trelawney is taken to the mysterious city in the sky for the good deed of rescuing the treasure they had by a group of humanoids with wings. And as he stays up there, he falls in love with the caretaker. Unfortunately, Silver and his minions invade the land to plan to take the egg-shaped treasures.
229"Dragon"30 May 1995 (1995-05-30)
Jim and Long John must put aside their differences when they are both swallowed by a dragon and must find their way out of the beast.
2310"Allegiance"6 June 1995 (1995-06-06)
A group of sailors discover what appear to be the lost treasure of Captain Flint, forcing Ben and Trelawney to disguise themselves as the sailors. However, as Trelawney through his supposed tall tales wins some of the crew over, Long John Silver takes over the ship!
2411"The Oracle"13 June 1995 (1995-06-13)
Lured into an underwater city by a mysterious witch who plans to feed them to the Kraken, the explorers and Silver trapped down there must find a way to escape with the former trying to save the true ruler of the underwater city.
2512"Double Cross"20 June 1995 (1995-06-20)
The explorers are captured by Long John Silver and Pew who make them find the treasure and try to dispose of each other in the process.
2613"One For All"27 June 1995 (1995-06-27)
Captain Smollett and Dr. Livesey return and rescue Jim from Pew. With the treasure, the explorers plan to head home but they are not out of the woods yet.

The order commonly listed (Flint's Return as ep. 5, The Cave of Babel as ep. 6, City in the Sky as ep. 20, Antidote as ep. 21 etc.) is taken from the Australian VHS releases and is possibly a production order.

Broadcast

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Trivia & Home Media Releases

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  • The episode Reunion in series 2 was aired out of order, probably due to the episode being produced following the first episode. It was aired and released on home video in Australia as the 2nd episode of series 2, while chronologically it is the 4th episode.
  • When The Legends of Treasure Island got its solo video release in the UK from Pickwick Video, it had 3 episodes; it omits the 2nd episode Memories Are Made of This, but it does contain the 1st, 3rd and 4th episode from series 1.
  • Although it was a UK show, the entire series was not made available on video there. The entire 26 episodes however were released on video in Australia by Reel Entertainment, with 12 volumes released.
  • A TV movie version featuring select episodes from series 1 of the show was released on Video & DVD in the US by Image Entertainment. Both releases are now out of print.

References

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  1. ^ "Legends of Treasure Island Episode 01 – The Quest Begins". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ BFI Collections Search: Return to Sender
  3. ^ TELEVISION & RADIO, The Daily Telegraph, 15 October 1993 (pg.37); DESCRIPTION: "Jim rescues Ben Gunn from the clutches of Long John Silver."(this happens at the beginning of the episode)
  4. ^ 29 October Friday TV Morning / Afternoon, Radio Times, 23–29 October 1993 (pg.99); DESCRIPTION: "Jim has visions of the future in which he sees himself as an evil pirate."
  5. ^ BFI Collections Search: Tales We Win [sic]
  6. ^ TV Friday, Heartland Evening News, 19 November 1993 (pg.4); DESCRIPTION: "Jim discovers a wonderful mirror-like wall inside a strange cave. Suddenly, he is sucked into it followed by Rat and Silver, with amazing results."
  7. ^ 26 November Friday TV Morning / Afternoon, Radio Times, 20–26 November 1993 (pg.111); DESCRIPTION: "A search for a magic compass leads Jane to a merman prince."
  8. ^ 24-HOUR TV, Nottingham Evening Post, 9 May 1995 (pg.2)
  9. ^ 24-HOUR TV, Nottingham Evening Post, 16 May 1995 (pg.2)
  10. ^ Tuesday TV, Irvine Herald, 19 May 1995 (pg.93)
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