The Pirates of Dark Water
Series, 1991, The early '90s, Set in The planet Mer
The Pirates of Dark Water is #8 of 22 in release order and #8 of 22 in chronological order in the ABC Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
When Ren, a young son of a lighthouse keeper, rescues a stranger foundering in the rocks near his home, he learns the man was an aide to his true father, a great King. Ren is given a magic compass crystal that guides him to a dragon who shows him that the only way to claim his heritage is to find the Thirteen Treasures of Rule. Unfortunately, a pirate ship captained by the evil Bloth is also aware of this treasure and is relentlessly pursuing Ren for it. On his side, Ren soon acquires companions like Ioz the Pirate, Tula the Eco-Mage, and Niddler the Monkey-Bird, who help him in his quest. That quest becomes all the more urgent when Ren learns that the Dark Water, a carnivorous form of water that consumes anything it snares, threatens to envelope and destroy his world and only the treasures he seeks can stop it.
The Pirates of Dark Water recap
On the ocean world of Mer, a living black liquid called Dark Water is spreading and swallowing everything it touches. Ren, a young lighthouse keeper, learns he is the son of the dying King Primus of Octopon. Before he dies, his father tells Ren that only the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, scattered across the world, can stop the Dark Water. Ren sets off on the ship Wraith with Niddler, a talking monkey-bird; Tula, a fierce young woman who turns out to be an ecomancer, able to command nature; and Ioz, a selfish pirate who joins for the money and slowly grows loyal. Their enemy is Bloth, a huge pirate lord, whose warship Maelstrom chases them across the seas. Each episode brings a new island, a new trap and usually a new treasure. Hanna-Barbera produced it in 1991 as a five-part miniseries on ABC, then continued it in syndication as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. It ran for 21 episodes.
The Pirates of Dark Water ending explained
The Pirates of Dark Water never ends. The show stopped abruptly in 1993 after 21 episodes, with the quest far from finished: Ren has eight of the thirteen treasures, Bloth is still at large and the Dark Water still covers much of Mer. It was cancelled without a finale, and no revival or closing film has ever been made, so what happens to Ren, Octopon and the rest of the treasures is never shown.
Where to watch The Pirates of Dark Water
The Pirates of Dark Water is streaming on Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 8.2/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Beetlejuice, before Sonic the Hedgehog.
- Chronological order: after Beetlejuice, before Sonic the Hedgehog.
Cast
- George Newbern as Ren (voice)
- Brock Peters as Bloth (voice)
- Héctor Elizondo as Ioz (voice)
- Jodi Benson as Tula (voice)
- Frank Welker as Niddler (voice)
- Peter Cullen as Mantus (voice)
- Tim Curry as Konk (voice)
- Roddy McDowall as Niddler (voice)
- Earl Boen as Lugg Brother #1 (voice)
- Peter Renaday as Additional Voices (voice)
- Kate Mulgrew as Cressa (voice)
- Robert Foxworth as Additional Voices (voice)
Created by David Kirschner.