Review by Craig Byrne
Warner Bros.’ “Warner Archive” manufacture-on-demand program has finally extended to releasing television series, both animated and live-action. The 1980’s soap Falcon Crest has a release coming in a few weeks, and last week, they released a fan-favorite animated series from the early 1990’s, The Pirates of Dark Water.
I didn’t have a lot of knowledge or experience of the show or the concept aside from a Dark Water comic book from Marvel that my best friend had at the time, so this was something brand new to me. The series centers around Ren, who is the son of a man who was once royalty. When his father surfaces in his dying moments, Ren begins a quest to recover 13 items to bring back the majesty of his kingdom.
There seem to be inspirations from Aquaman and even Green Lantern within. And Ren himself might sound a little like Superman – George Newbern provides the voice.
Ren’s quest has him teamed with companions Ioz and Tula, who have their own secrets and thieving habits but ultimately become allies. There’s also a monkey-bird named Niddler who is a Snarf/Orko-like character… there’s really no other way to explain him.
Because this is such a limited release, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of restoration done to the picture. It certainly looks better than a videotaped copy from 20 years ago would, and for all I know, this could be how it originally aired. The animation appears kind of rushed at times, with characters going off-model. But I will say this is at least an interesting series, and that longtime fans of the show will probably love the set.
My only major complaint is that there are no bonus features. I read online there was a Dark Water miniseries with a different voice for Niddler… it would have been cool to see that variation. Also, unfortunately, the show ended before seeing the conclusion of Ren’s quest. A bonus feature interview with some of the creative people behind the show, explaining where they would have gone with it, would have been welcome.
The complete Pirates of Dark Water can be purchased now exclusively at the Warner Archive. If you were a fan of the show, I definitely recommend getting it because I think supporting this program could mean we’ll get other rare WB series in the future. (The 2000 Fugitive and Eight is Enough are highest on my Warner Archive wishlist).
Here’s a clip from the DVD, courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment’s Youtube channel:
1 Comment
I agree. It would have been great if there was a bonus feature interview with Glenn Leopold (Story Editor/Writer), David Kirschner (Creator of the Show), Kristina Luckey, and other writers who worked on the show. Frank Welker played so many characters in this show – Niddler, Morpho, The dark dweller, Chiroptus, One of Lugg Brothers, and other guest voices. This was one of those great shows that was cancelled because of failing to meet airdates. The last 4 episodes failed to meet the airdates. They were supposed to air around December 1992. But I think those 4 episodes came in late from Overseas Animation Studio. So they were aired about 5 months after.