''The Legends of Treasure Island'' is a British

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

television series. It had two series of 13 episodes each and each episode runs for 22–25 minutes. The series was loosely based on

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's original 1883 novel ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

''. Featuring a mysterious and dark storyline, it incorporates magic and many new characters.

Billy Bones Billy Bones is a fictional character appearing in the first section of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''.''Treasure Island.'' In The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English (2000).Stevenson, Robert Louis. 1883 994The Old Se ...

is not in this series, instead Jim's father Mr. Hawkins is in his place. It was broadcast in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

and in other countries throughout Europe and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and was also aired in Australia on ABC TV Network. The programme was a

FilmFair FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced children's television series, animated cartoons, educational films, and television advertisements. The company made numerous stop motion films using puppets, clay animat ...

production for

Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...

. As of 2021, ''The Legends of Treasure Island'' is owned by

ITV plc ITV plc is a British media company that holds 13 of the 15 regional television licences that make up the ITV network (Channel 3), the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. ITV plc is listed on th ...

Characters

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

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

: * Jim Hawkins: '' Dog'': The main protagonist, he is cunning for his age, and determined to reach the treasure as his father asked him. * Ben Gunn: ''Dog'': 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 Long John Silver is a Character (arts), fictional character and the main antagonist in the novel ''Treasure Island'' (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular cult ...

: '' Fox'': 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 Dr. David Livesey () is a fictional character from the 1883 novel ''Treasure Island'' by Robert Louis Stevenson. As well as doctor, he is a magistrate, an important man in the rural society of southwest England, where the story opens; his social ...

: ''Dog'': Is a friend of Jim and his father, and aids the boy against the pirates. *

Captain Smollett Captain Alexander Smollett is the fictional captain of the schooner ''Hispaniola'' in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''. He plays an important part in disciplining the main characters on the ship as the story progresses, and ...

: ''Dog'': 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 John Trelawney is a supporting character from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''. Character overview Stevenson describes him as a tall man, over six feet high, and plump in proportion, and he has a bluff, rough-and-rea ...

: '' Giant Pigeon'': 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: '' Giant Rat'': The mysterious blind boss of Long John Silver. *Jane: ''

Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

'': 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 Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the cl ...

), and Rat (who was, ostensibly 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 Israel Hands, also known as Basilica Hands, was an 18th-century pirate best known for being second in command to Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. His name serves as the basis for the name of the villainous sidekick in Robert Louis Steve ...

seen during series 1 included a

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slend ...

and a

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...

among others.

Cast

Series 1

Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring on the BBC comedy sketch show '' French and Saunders'' with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Sau ...

as Jim Hawkins * Juliet Stevenson as Jane *

Richard E. Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is a Swazi-English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy ''Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack Hock in Mar ...

as Long John Silver *

Robert Powell Robert Powell (; born 1 June 1944) is an English actor who is known for the title roles in '' Mahler'' (1974) and ''Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) and its s ...

as Dr. Livesey *

Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in ...

as Squire Trelawney *

Chris Barrie Chris Barrie (born Christopher Jonathan Brown, 28 March 1960) is a British actor, comedian, and impressionist. He worked as a vocal impressionist on the ITV sketch show ''Spitting Image'' (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in t ...

as Captain Smollett / Ben Gunn *

Rob Rackstraw Robert Rackstraw (born 31 October 1965) is a British voice actor who has worked in various animated films, television shows and video games. Career Rackstraw has an extensive voiceover career over 20 years. He voiced the main villain Pew in ' ...

as Pew ncredited*

Jimmy Hibbert James Christian Hibbert is an English actor and writer. He is best known for his voice work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall Films. Early life James Christian Hibbert was born as the eldest of three children of author Christopher Hibber ...

as Nebbich / Rat / Weasel ncredited* Gary Martin as Merman Prince as ep 8, Additional Voices *

Carla Mendonça Carla Mendonça (born 1961) in Coventry, Warwickshire is a British actress. She is known for playing Orla Crawshaw in ''Coronation Street'', Sophie Johnson in the CITV children's sitcom ''My Parents Are Aliens'' (2001–2006) and Mrs. Fitzgeral ...

as Additional Voices

Series 2

John Hasler John Hasler (born 21 April 1974) is an English actor. He is best known as T-Shirt in the children's television series ''T-Bag'' from 1985 to 1992, and for voicing Thomas the Tank Engine in the UK dub of the children's television series ''Thomas ...

as Jim Hawkins *

as Squire Trelawney *

as Captain Smollett / Ben Gunn *

Rob Brydon Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He played Dr Paul Hamilton in the Australian/British comedy series ''Supernova'', Bryn West in the BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey'' a ...

as Long John Silver *Corinna Powlesland as Jane *

as Pew ncredited*

as Sea Witch / Small Mole ncredited*William Maxwell as Dave * David Holt as Boil * Leslie Randall *Shona Morris as Mad Meg * Issy Van Randwyck as Mother of small mole *

as Nebbich / Rat / Weasel ncredited

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1993)

Season 2 (1995)

Broadcast

* U.K. **

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

(

CITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...

, 1993–1995) **

Carlton Kids Carlton Kids was a British digital terrestrial pay television kids channel, provided by Carlton Television, which started broadcasting in November 1998 and closed in February 2000. Its sister channels were Carlton Food Network, Carlton World, ...

(1998–1999) * Australia ** ABC TV (1995–1996, 1999–2000) ** 7TWO (2010) * Ireland **

RTÉ 1 (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

(1996) **

Network 2 Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

(''

The Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in New Cross, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter of a mile from the Old Den, which it ...

'', 1995–1996) * U.A.E. **

Dubai 33 Dubai Channel 33 (originally branded as Ch33) was a national television channel transmitting terrestrially out of Dubai in English, targeting the expat community in the U.A.E. It was founded in 1977. Up until the late 1980s, it was a 12-hour channe ...

* South Africa **

SABC2 SABC 2 is a South African family public television channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). SABC 2 broadcasts programming in English, Sepedi, Afrikaans, Venda, and Tsonga. As of August 2018, the channel started broadc ...

(1998–1999) * Namibia **

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

(1994–????) * Poland **

TVP2 TVP 2 (TVP Dwa, ''Program II Telewizji Polskiej'', ''"Dwójka"'') is a Polish public mainstream TV channel operated by TVP. Launched in October 1970, its varied line-up contains a variety of programming (documentary, history, talk-shows, game-sh ...

(1995–1996, 1998) * Italy **

Rete 4 Rete 4 (in English Network 4) is an Italian free-to-air television channel operated by Mediaset Italia and owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. Presently the director is Sebastiano Lombardi. Programs TV Programmes (currently) Rete 4's strength ...

(1996–1997) * France **

Canal+ Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

(1993) ** Canaille Peluche (1993) ** FR3 (1994–1995) ** Les Minikeums (1994–1995) **

The Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Company. ...

(1999) * Singapore ** Channel 5 (''

Take 5 "Take Five" is a jazz standard originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Take Five or Take 5 also may refer to : Music * Take 5 (band), an American boy band (with an eponymous album) * ''Take Five'' (revue), a 1957 American musical revu ...

'', 1993–1996) * Malaysia **

MetroVision 8TV () is a Malaysian Chinese-language free-to-air television (formerly both English and Chinese-language free-to-air television) network focused on the Chinese community of Malaysia. Its programming consists of mostly dramas, sitcoms, and re ...

(1995) * Jordan ** Channel 2 * Germany **

BFBS The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselve ...

('' Children's SSVC'') ** SSVC Television ('' Children's SSVC'') * Russia **

Channel One Russia Channel One ( rus, Первый канал, r=Pervyy kanal, p=ˈpʲervɨj kɐˈnal, t=First Channel) is a Russian state-controlled television channel. It is the first television channel to broadcast in the Russian Federation. Its headquarters ...

(1995–1996) * Pakistan ** PTV * Brunei ** RTB * Thailand **

IBC 7 IBC is an initialism that can stand for: Broadcasting *Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, Channel 13, Philippines *International Beacon Project, Worldwide network of radio propagation beacons *International Broadcast Centre *International ...

* New Zealand ** TV2 * Kuwait **

KTV2 Kuwait television channel 2 (KTV2) is Kuwait's governmental television channel dedicated for the English language, English-speaking public. The channel broadcasts English-speaking shows, local Television programme, programmes, news, English-subti ...

* Indonesia ** antv

Trivia & Home Media Releases

*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 Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

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 ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadca ...

, 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 The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

in the US by

Image Entertainment RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 ...

. Both releases are now out of print.

References

External links

The series description at Toonhound

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Legends of Treasure Island 1990s British children's television series 1990s British animated television series 1993 British television series debuts 1995 British television series endings British children's animated adventure television series British children's animated drama television series ITV children's television shows English-language television shows Television shows produced by Central Independent Television Television series by FilmFair Television series by DHX Media Television series by Cookie Jar Entertainment Television series based on Treasure Island Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Television series by ITV Studios