The Pirates of Dark Water facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Pirates of Dark Water
Genre	Action Adventure Fantasy
Created by	David Kirschner
Starring	George Newbern Jodi Benson Jim Cummings Peter Cullen Tim Curry Frank Welker Earl Boen Héctor Elizondo Brock Peters
Composer(s)	Thomas Chase Jones Steve Rucker
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	21
Production
Executive producer(s)	David Kirschner Paul Sabella Mark Young
Running time	30 min.
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions In Association With: Fil-Cartoons Tama Production (Season 1) Mr. Big Cartoons (Season 1) Wang Film Productions (Season 1) Additional Animation: Kennedy Cartoons (uncredited) Big Star (uncredited)
Distributor	Worldvision Enterprises (Season 1) Turner Entertainment (Season 2)
Release
Original network	ABC (Season 1) First-run syndication (Season 2)
Original release	February 25, 1991 (1991-02-25) – May 23, 1993 (1993-05-23)

The Pirates of Dark Water is an American animated fantasy TV show. Hanna-Barbera Productions made it, and David Kirschner created it. The show first aired in 1991. It tells an exciting story about a young prince trying to save his world from a dark, evil substance.

Story of the Dark Water

The alien world of Mer is slowly being taken over by a bad substance called Dark Water. Only Ren, a young prince, can stop it. He must find the lost Thirteen Treasures of Rule. These treasures are the only hope for Mer.

Ren has a loyal crew of friends who help him. They are Tula, who can control nature, Niddler, a funny monkey-bird, and Ioz, a pirate who loves treasure. But a mean pirate lord named Bloth wants the treasures for himself. He tries to stop Ren and his friends at every turn.

How the Show Aired

The show first appeared on Fox Kids in early 1991. It was a five-part mini-series called Dark Water. Later in 1991, these episodes were shown again. They became the first five episodes of the regular series. In the mini-series, Roddy McDowall voiced Niddler. But in the TV series, Frank Welker took over the role.

The first season had 13 episodes and aired on ABC. The second season had 8 episodes. It aired in first-run syndication. The series ended after 21 episodes. Ren had only found eight of the thirteen treasures. So, the story was never fully finished.

Main Characters

Heroes

• Ren (voiced by George Newbern) – Ren is the main hero. He is the prince of Octopon, a once-great kingdom. He grew up not knowing he was a prince. Ren carries his father's broken sword. He hopes to make his kingdom great again.
• Niddler (voiced by Roddy McDowall in the mini-series, Frank Welker in the TV series) – Niddler is a monkey-bird. He used to work for Bloth but escaped with Ren. He loves food, especially minga melons. Niddler can fly, which is very helpful for the crew.
• Tula (voiced by Jodi Benson) – Tula is an ecomancer. This means she can control nature and animals. She is brave and often argues with Ioz. Tula joins Ren's ship to escape her old life. She has many secrets.
• Ioz (voiced by Héctor Elizondo then Jim Cummings) – Ioz is a pirate. He first joins Ren for the promise of treasure. But over time, he becomes a good friend to Ren. He acts like an older brother and often risks his life for the quest. He still tries to get rich quickly, but it rarely works out.
• Zoolie (voiced by Dick Gautier) – Zoolie is a friendly, red-haired rogue. He runs a gamehouse. He used to be on Bloth's ship with Ioz. Zoolie often helps Ren and his friends when they visit his town.
• Teron (voiced by Dan O'Herlihy) – Teron is a powerful ecomancer. He needs special soil to stay strong away from his home. Bloth once held him prisoner. Tula respects him greatly.

Villains

• Bloth (voiced by Brock Peters) – Bloth is a huge, human-like pirate captain. He commands the scary ship Maelstrom. Bloth wants the Thirteen Treasures of Rule to control all the Dark Water. He has been hunting Ren's family for years. He wants to stop Ren from finding the treasures.
  • Mantus (voiced by Peter Cullen) – Mantus is Bloth's second-in-command. He is smart and helps Bloth plan battles.
  • Konk (voiced by Tim Curry) – Konk is a short, round pirate who works for Bloth. He lost his leg to Bloth's pet monster, the Constrictus. Konk is not very smart, but he always tries to impress Bloth.
  • The Lugg Brothers (voiced by Earl Boen and Frank Welker) – These two brothers are big and not very smart. They are part of Bloth's crew. They try to help Konk, but they often cause more trouble.
• The Dark Dweller (voiced by Frank Welker) – This is a powerful, evil creature. It created the Dark Water. The Dark Dweller scattered the treasures because they are the only thing that can stop it.
  • Morpho (voiced by Neil Ross) – Morpho serves the Dark Dweller. He used to be a human alchemist. The Dark Dweller changed him. Now, he has a tentacle for an arm. He works with Bloth to stop Ren.
• Joat (voiced by Andre Stojka) – Joat is a pirate. Ioz stole his ship, the Wraith. Joat has a metal claw instead of a hand. He is a fierce fighter.

Ships of Mer

• The Wraith – This is Ren's fast and beautiful ship. Ioz stole it from another pirate named Joat. The Wraith has a special main sail that can turn into a glider. It is said to be built from magical trees.
• The Maelstrom – This is Bloth's huge and dangerous warship. It looks like a giant floating skeleton. Inside, it has many passages and cells. Bloth's pet monster, the Constrictus, lives deep inside this ship.

About the World of Mer

Mer is a planet with many unique creatures. These include monkey-birds and giant leviathans. The world has twenty seas, and most adventures happen on islands. Parts of Mer are always changing. For example, rivers of spiked rocks can rise from the ocean. It is not clear if this is due to the Dark Water or just how the planet works.

Octopon was once the greatest city on Mer. It was called "the jewel of Mer." But it was in ruins until Ren found the first seven treasures. Then, it was partly restored. Octopon seemed to be very advanced for its time.

Episodes

Voice Actors

Many talented actors gave voices to the characters:

• Jodi Benson – Tula
• Earl Boen – Lugg Brother #1
• Peter Cullen – Mantus
• Tim Curry – Konk
• Héctor Elizondo – Ioz (earlier episodes)
• Roddy McDowall – Niddler (mini-series)
• George Newbern – Ren
• Brock Peters – Bloth
• Frank Welker – Niddler (TV series), Lugg Brother #2, Dark Dweller

Other Voices

• René Auberjonois – Kangent
• Jim Cummings – Scorian
• Dan O'Herlihy – Teron
• Neil Ross – Morpho
• Andre Stojka – Joat
• B.J. Ward – Cray

Other Adventures

The world of The Pirates of Dark Water also appeared in other forms:

• Marvel Comics made a comic book series based on the show in 1991. It had nine issues.
• Video games were released for the Super NES and Sega Genesis.
  • The Super NES game was a fighting game. Players could choose Ren, Tula, or Ioz.
  • The Genesis game was a platform game with some role-playing elements.
• A Pirates of Dark Water role-playing game was also made in 1994.

Images for kids

• 

  The official logo for The Pirates of Dark Water.

See also

In Spanish: Piratas de las aguas negras para niños