The Muppets have taken to the high seas, and Jolly Roger was never jollier. Borrowing only slightly more than the title from the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, Kermit and Co. turn a couple of hours at the movies into a day at the beach.

You may not be able to squeeze brine out of a stone, but you can, apparently, squeeze those cuddly Muppets till a bit more treasure trickles out. As much as we love them, it's tough watching inanimate objects cruelly exploited.

Muppet Treasure Island confirms what The Muppet Christmas Carol suggested -- that the Muppet legacy, that staple of childhood for two generations now, really has been passed into capable hands.

A pleasure from start to finish, Muppet Treasure Island orchestrates people, puppets, shameless gags and sublimely ridiculous production numbers to wryly rework Robert Louis Stevenson's classic kids' tale.