The Pirates of Dark Water

Premise

Prince Ren, the son of the dying King Primus of Octopon, sails around the fantasy world of Mer on a ship called the Wraith, searching for the "Thirteen Treasures of Rule". The treasures are prophesied to save Octopon and Mer from the threat of Dark Water, an all-consuming black sentient liquid that has taken over the seas. His loyal crew of misfits that help Ren on his journey are the ecomancer Tula, a monkey-bird called Niddler, and the treasure-hungry pirate Ioz. Ren's opponent in his quest is the pirate lord Bloth of the warship the Maelstrom, who will stop at nothing to get the treasures and control the Dark Water himself.

Setting

The series is set on Mer, a world distinct from Earth that features various fictional creatures with varying degrees of intelligence, such as monkey-birds and leviathans. The planet consists of twenty seas, with the narrative primarily taking place across different islands. Portions of Mer are depicted as continually in flux; for example, the premiere episode features a river of spiked rocks rising from the ocean that appears to defy physics, though the series leaves it ambiguous whether this is caused by the Dark Water or the planet's natural geological hyperactivity.
Octopon was once the greatest city on Mer and referred to by the character Ioz as "the jewel in the crown of Mer" in episode 14. The city lies in ruins at the start of the series but is partially restored after Ren collects the first seven treasures. Production materials present Octopon as centuries ahead of Mer's current technological state, depicting a civilization in continual decline due to the Dark Water oozing from the planet's core.

Ships

The Wraith – A ship originally owned by the pirate Joat and later stolen by Ioz for Ren from the Janda-Town docks. The ship features a unique, dynamic mainsail designed to rotate to slow the vessel, act as a parachute, or detach entirely to function as a large glider. According to the show's original production Series Bible, the ship was constructed using lumber from mystical trees on a remote island; the wood retains the life-force of those trees, giving the vessel a seemingly sentient or haunted quality.
The Maelstrom – Bloth's massive and deadly warship. It is built from the bleached carcasses of leviathans and resembles a gargantuan floating fossil. Below the main deck sits a labyrinth of passageways, sewer lines, holding cells, and slaves' quarters. The dreaded Constrictus lives in the bowels of this death vessel.

Heroes

Ren (voiced by George Newbern) – The prince of the once-grand kingdom of Octopon and the main protagonist of the series. Ren was raised by a lighthouse keeper on the outskirts of his homeland, unaware of his destiny and heritage. He wields the broken sword that belonged to his father in its whole form.
Niddler (voiced by Roddy McDowall in the miniseries, Frank Welker in the TV series) – A monkey-bird who once belonged to Bloth until he escaped by aiding Ren's escape from the pirate captain. He hails from the island of Pandawa. Niddler is usually depicted as a little greedy and constantly ravenous for food, his favorite food being minga melons, but he likes Ren and his ability to fly often comes in handy.
Tula (voiced by Jodi Benson) – Tula is an ecomancer with the ability to control the elements and biological life, both sentient and non-sentient, as well as a natural affinity towards nature and animals. She is headstrong and often flusters Ioz. Tula is introduced as being a simple barmaid, but she stows aboard Ren and Ioz's ship, claiming she "wanted to get away from the drudgery of life on land".
Ioz (voiced by Héctor Elizondo) – A rogue and pirate who joins up with Ren initially for the promise of treasure. Throughout the seasons, his character matures and he becomes fond of Ren and his idealism, evolving into a protective brotherly figure to him and often risking his life for Ren and the quest for the Treasures.

Recurring characters

Zoolie (voiced by Dick Gautier) – A jolly, redheaded rogue who runs a gamehouse in Janda-Town.
Teron (voiced by Dan O'Herlihy) – An ecomancer who sprouts roots from his body to replenish himself while away from his homeland, Andorus. Bloth uses his power for evil, in turn exhausting the local environment and its positive life energy. Tula has great respect for him as an ecomancer and brings him back to Andorus to heal the island of the Dark Water. Teron also helps Tula adjust to her new powers as an ecomancer when they first manifest.

Villains

Bloth (voiced by Brock Peters) – The pirate captain of the feared pirate ship Maelstrom and one of the primary antagonists of the series. Bloth is after the Thirteen Treasures of Rule to gain control of the Dark Water. He destroyed Primus's fleet seventeen years prior to the timeline of the show and captured Primus and his aide Avagon, though the seven captains accompanying Primus were able to escape with the Treasures. Bloth has since been hunting them obsessively and destroying every remnant of the House of Primus just as obsessively.
Constrictus - A worm-like creature who lives in the bowels of the Maelstrom. Anyone who displeases Bloth gets thrown to the Constrictus.
Mantus (voiced by Peter Cullen) – Bloth's second-in-command with long limbs, hands, and feet and insectoid-like traits. He offers his cool and calculating personality as a battle strategist for Bloth's fleet.
Konk (voiced by Tim Curry) – A pirate who works for Bloth. He lost his right leg thanks to a close encounter with the Constrictus. For a long time, Konk was the only one to ever survive being thrown to the monster. Although not particularly smart, Konk possesses more bluster than most of Bloth's crew and is always trying to win Bloth's praise.
The Lugg Brothers (voiced by Earl Boen and Peter Renaday) – Two huge, dimwitted super-strong siblings who are members of Bloth's crew.
The Dark Dweller (voiced by Frank Welker) – One of the primary antagonists of the series. The Dark Dweller is a powerful, evil creature that created the Dark Water. He had the Treasures originally scattered because their power is the only thing capable of opposing him and his evil master plan to swallow Mer in Dark Water.
Morpho (voiced by Neil Ross) – A servant of the Dark Dweller and the leader of his worshippers, the Dark Disciples. He joins forces with Bloth and serves as the above-water liaison for the Dark Dweller, so that they can aid each other in their mutual goal of killing Ren and his friends, though they have two very different goals for the Compass and Treasures. Morpho was once an alchemist until he was captured by the Dark Dweller and transformed into a chimeric form resembling a variety of sea creatures.
Joat (voiced by Andre Stojka) – A pirate and the previous owner of the Wraith, which was stolen by Ioz. He uses his metal claw in place of his left hand mercilessly in battle.

Season 1 (1991)

ABC reaired the miniseries from September 14, to October 12, 1991, before premiering new episodes.

Voices

René Auberjonois as Kangent/Dagron Master
Michael Bell as Ratmore/Swar/Grovis
Jodi Benson as Tula
Earl Boen as Bezoar/Lug Brother
Roscoe Lee Browne as Angry Seaman
Hamilton Camp as Roulette
Darlene Carr as Female Prisoner/Lady Pirate/Zena
Philip Lewis Clarke as Game Player
Regis Cordic as Pirate/Male Prisoner
Peter Cullen as Mantus/Lead Mud Man/Dark Disciple
Jim Cummings as Slave Master/Scorian/Lorg
Tim Curry as Konk/Slave/First Scavenger
Keene Curtis as Garen
Julie Dees as Guard
Barry Dennen as Yellow Wing/Game Player
Paul Eiding as Second Merchant/Dello
Héctor Elizondo as Ioz/Lookout/Pirate #2
Harlan Ellison as Second Thief
Richard Erdman as Chieftain/Emcee
Robert Foxworth as King Obric
Linda Gary as Jenna
Dick Gautier as Zoolie
Ellen Geer as Guard
Ed Gilbert as First Merchant/First Guard
Dorian Harewood as Alomar
Dan O'Herlihy as Teron
Stacy Keach, Sr. as Grandfather
Paul Lukather as First Lost Soul
Allan Lurie as Second Brigmaster/Strand/Pirate #1/Merchant/Bartender/Tattoo Pirate
Tress MacNeille as Malu
Kenneth Mars as Jargis
Nan Martin as Monkey Bird Queen
Roddy McDowall as Niddler
Candi Milo as Solia
Kate Mulgrew as Cressa
George Newbern as Ren
Brock Peters as Bloth
Phil Proctor as Klack
Jan Rabson as Four-Armed Seaman/Torg
Peter Renaday as Lug Brother/Norgath/Teng
John Rhys-Davies as First Thief
Neil Ross as Morpho
Stanley Ralph Ross as Monk
Michael Rye as Kellon
Pepe Serna as Vul
Mark Silverman as Second Guard/Lookout/Second Lost Soul
Andre Stojka as Brigmaster/Slaggon/Joat
Les Tremayne as King Primus/Announcer/Third Lost Soul
Jessica Walter as Avagon
B.J. Ward as Cray
Frank Welker as Niddler/Blight/Kiroptus/Big Pirate/Feryx/Baby/Dark Dweller
Paul Williams as Sooth Sayer

Production

David Kirschner, the president and chief executive officer of Hanna-Barbera, created the series based on an idea he had when he was a child, inspired by "the works of Robert Louis Stevenson and the pictures of Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth". The original five-episode miniseries was "the most expensive animated project" Hanna-Barbera had taken on up to that time, with each half-hour episode costing US$500,000. Each half-hour episode consisted of 12,000 cels, double the number "of a typical Saturday morning cartoon series".

Overseas animation studios

Fil-Cartoons, Inc., Manila, Philippines
Tama Production Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan (episodes 1–2, 5)
Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan (episode 3–4)
Mr. Big Cartoons, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (episode 3–4)

Other studios

Madhouse, Inc., Tokyo, Japan
Big Star Enterprise, Inc., Seoul, South Korea
Kennedy Cartoons
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Manila, Philippines

Broadcast and release

The show first premiered on Fox Kids in early 1991 as a five-part mini-series titled Dark Water. Following a number of animation tweaks and other changes by Hanna-Barbera, those episodes were rebroadcast later in 1991 as the first five episodes of the regular series. Notably, the original mini-series featured the voice of Roddy McDowall as Niddler, whereas in the revised version, the character was voiced by Frank Welker.
The first season, consisting of 13 episodes, aired on ABC. The second season, consisting of the last 8 episodes, aired in first-run syndication as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. The series was never completed, ending abruptly after 21 episodes with only eight of the thirteen treasures collected.

Home media

The complete series was released on DVD on August 31, 2010.

Reception

The Pirates of Dark Water was reviewed favorably in The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide, which contrasted it with other cartoons from the same period, noting that it was "...serious, well-written, and had a certain amount of craft in its character animation and watercolor backgrounds." Collider called it one of the 14 greatest kids cartoons of the 1990s as well as a property worthy of resurrection. Screen Rant said the show "has a robust cult following to this day and was one of the best adventure shows of its era, with surprisingly strong writing and a beautifully designed world."

Comics

In November 1991, Marvel Comics produced a comic book series based on the show. Originally intended as a six-part limited series, it was extended to nine issues to include a three-part original story. A series of action figures based on the characters from the show was also produced. The toyline consisted of Ren, Niddler, Ioz, Zoolie, Bloth, Konk, Mantus, Joat, and the Wraith.

Video games

Pirates of Dark Water video games were released for the Super NES and Sega Genesis platforms, both published by Sunsoft. The Super NES version is a side-scrolling beat 'em up, co-developed by Japanese and American staff members, where players can choose to play as Ren, Tula or Ioz and proceed to fight Bloth's gang. Up to two players can play simultaneously. Each character has a life-draining Desperation Attack (spinning kick for Ren, ecomancer energy for Tula, and spinning punch for Ioz) and the ability to block – something not common in games of this genre. The Genesis version, developed by Iguana Entertainment, is a side scrolling platform game with role-playing elements. A Pirates of Dark Water role-playing game was released in 1994 but had a limited production run.

Cartoon Network interstitials

The show was parodied in one of a series of early interstitials on Cartoon Network. These commercials featured a "viewer's" question and Cartoon Network's comical take on the "answer". In Pirates' case, it was on the "unaired episodes". Cartoon Network claimed to have the episodes on tape and promised to air them, instead showing footage of a cat lapping milk, suggesting that someone taped over the only copy of what would have been the nonexistent episodes.