15 Must-Watch Pirate Cartoons for Kids

Pirate cartoons for kids are a perfect gateway to adventure: treasure maps, talking parrots, sword fights that are all in good fun, and just enough danger to feel exciting without the real scares.

The best ones range from gentle preschool series to swashbuckling family films.

So hoist the Jolly Roger and grab your eye patch.

Here is a guide to the best pirate cartoons for kids, spanning every age from toddlers to tweens, with an honest note on the format and best age range for each one, because a show that is perfect for a four-year-old is very different from one built for a ten-year-old.

The Best Pirate Cartoons for Kids

Jake and the Never Land Pirates

Jake and the Never Land Pirates is the quintessential pirate cartoon for young kids, a Disney Junior series set in Peter Pan’s Never Land. Jake and his crew go on treasure hunts, dodge Captain Hook, and keep inviting viewers to help solve problems, which makes it perfectly interactive for preschoolers.

Format: animated series
Where to watch: Disney Junior and Disney+
Why kids love it: they get to join the adventure and shout along

Best for: preschoolers and early-elementary kids.

Peter Pan & the Pirates

Peter Pan and the Pirates is a 1990 Fox Kids series that expands J.M. Barrie’s world into a full swashbuckling adventure, with Peter, the Lost Boys, and a scheming Captain Hook. It leans more action-adventure than the Disney film, giving slightly older kids a meatier version of Never Land.

Format: animated series
Where to watch: streaming and physical collections
Why kids love it: nonstop Peter-versus-Hook action

Best for: elementary-age kids who love adventure.

Captain Pugwash

Captain Pugwash is a British classic, a gentle, silly cartoon about a bumbling pirate captain whose clever cabin boy Tom always saves the day. Created by John Ryan in the 1950s, its hand-drawn charm and easy slapstick have kept it beloved for generations.

Format: animated series
Where to watch: DVD and archive collections (IMDb)
Why kids love it: silly, low-stakes pirate comedy

Best for: little kids and nostalgic parents.

The Pirates of Dark Water

The Pirates of Dark Water is an early-90s cult-classic fantasy series about a young prince questing across the ocean world of Mer to find magical treasures and stop a spreading evil called the Dark Water. Darker and more serialized than most kids’ pirate shows, it is a great pick for older kids who like real stakes, and a favorite of 90s Saturday-morning fans.

Format: animated series
Where to watch: streaming and DVD
Why kids love it: epic fantasy-pirate world-building

Best for: older kids who like serialized adventure.

Zak Storm: Super Pirate

Zak Storm follows a teen surfer swept into the Bermuda Triangle, where he captains a magical ship and battles across seven seas to find his way home. Fast-paced and modern, with a video-game energy, it is built for kids who want action and cool gadgets with their pirates.

Format: animated series
Where to watch: streaming
Why kids love it: high-energy action and a magic sword

Best for: elementary kids and tween action fans.

Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!

Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! sends the Mystery Inc. gang on a cruise that sails straight into the Bermuda Triangle and a ghost-pirate mystery. It is the classic Scooby formula, spooky-but-safe scares and a solvable mystery, dressed up in full pirate gear (IMDb).

Format: animated film
Where to watch: streaming and DVD
Why kids love it: friendly, comedic pirate spookiness

Best for: kids who like light, silly scares.

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! is a gloriously funny stop-motion film from Aardman (the Wallace and Gromit studio), following a hopeless but enthusiastic Pirate Captain chasing the Pirate of the Year award. The claymation detail and dry British humor make it a treat for kids and adults alike.

Format: stop-motion animated film
Where to watch: streaming and Blu-ray
Why kids love it: bright, hilarious, and endlessly rewatchable

Best for: the whole family.

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is a wonderfully weird Cartoon Network series about a naive boy raised by a whale, who dreams of adventure alongside the greedy Captain K’nuckles. Its surreal, rubbery art style launched a generation of animators, though its oddball humor lands best with slightly older kids.

Format: animated series
Where to watch: streaming
Why kids love it: bizarre, boundary-pushing comedy

Best for: older kids who like weird humor.

The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie

The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything is a feature-length VeggieTales movie starring the franchise’s lazy pirate trio on an accidental heroic quest. Like all VeggieTales, it pairs goofy songs and slapstick with a gentle moral, making it a safe, wholesome pick for younger viewers.

Format: animated film
Where to watch: streaming and DVD
Why kids love it: catchy songs and silly veggie pirates

Best for: young kids and faith-based families.

Playmobil: The Movie

Playmobil: The Movie is a 2019 animated adventure where a young woman journeys through fantastical toy worlds to find her brother, including a rollicking pirate sequence. It is a bright, fast, toy-inspired romp, lighter on plot but full of color and energy for younger kids.

Format: animated film
Where to watch: streaming
Why kids love it: colorful toy worlds and easy fun

Best for: younger kids who love toys.

Sinbad: The Flying Princess and the Secret Island

Sinbad: The Flying Princess and the Secret Island is a Japanese animated film following the legendary young sailor Sinbad on a seafaring quest full of magic and mystery. It is a gentle, storybook take on the classic Arabian Nights adventurer, more whimsical high-seas fantasy than hardened pirate tale.

Format: animated film
Where to watch: streaming
Why kids love it: dreamy, adventurous sea voyages

Best for: younger kids who like fairy-tale adventures.

Return to Treasure Island (1989)

Return to Treasure Island is an animated take on the beloved Robert Louis Stevenson story, sending young Jim Hawkins back to the high seas in pursuit of buried gold. It is a solid, straightforward treasure-hunt adventure that introduces kids to the original pirate tale that inspired so many others.

Format: animated adaptation
Where to watch: DVD and archives
Why kids love it: a classic buried-treasure hunt

Best for: kids ready for the original Treasure Island story.

Muppet Treasure Island

Muppet Treasure Island is the Muppets’ zany spin on Treasure Island, with Kermit as Captain Smollett and a scene-stealing Tim Curry as Long John Silver. A quick honest note: it is a Muppet puppet film rather than a traditional cartoon, but it is such a perfect, funny, song-filled kids’ pirate story that it belongs in the conversation.

Format: Muppet puppet film (not animation)
Where to watch: Disney+
Why kids love it: hilarious songs and lovable chaos

Best for: the whole family.

One Piece

One Piece is the most famous pirate story in all of animation, following Monkey D. Luffy and his crew across a vast ocean world in search of the ultimate treasure. It is endlessly imaginative and beloved worldwide, with one honest note: it is a long-running shonen anime aimed at older kids and tweens, with more action and intensity than the younger entries here.

Format: animated series (shonen anime)
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Netflix, and more
Why kids love it: a huge world, huge heart, and huge adventure

Best for: older kids and tweens, not little ones.

LazyTown’s Pirate Adventure

LazyTown is the energetic, movement-loving kids’ show starring the acrobatic hero Sportacus, and its pirate-themed episodes turn healthy-habit lessons into treasure-hunting fun. One honest note: LazyTown is a live-action and puppet show rather than a cartoon, but its pirate adventures are a big hit with the preschool crowd.

Format: live-action puppet series (not a cartoon)
Where to watch: streaming and Netflix
Why kids love it: high-energy songs and active fun

Best for: preschoolers who like to move.

If you want the short version, here are my go-to pirate cartoons for kids sorted by age group.

My Quick Pirate-Cartoon Picks

Best for toddlers: Jake and the Never Land Pirates
Best for the whole family: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
Best for tweens: One Piece
Most nostalgic: Captain Pugwash

Pirate Cartoons for Kids FAQ

What is the best pirate cartoon for young kids? Jake and the Never Land Pirates is the gold standard for preschoolers: interactive, gentle, and full of friendly pirate fun.

Are there pirate cartoons for older kids? Yes. The Pirates of Dark Water and Zak Storm offer real adventure and stakes, and One Piece is the big one for tweens ready for a long-running anime.

Is One Piece appropriate for kids? It is aimed at older kids and tweens rather than little ones, with more action and intensity, so it suits roughly ages ten and up.

What is a good pirate movie for family movie night? The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists from Aardman and Muppet Treasure Island are both crowd-pleasers that parents enjoy as much as kids, and two of the best pirate cartoons for kids for a family night in.

Whether your little adventurer is three or thirteen, there is a pirate cartoon here to send them off to the high seas, and these pirate cartoons for kids cover every stop along the way.

So which pirate cartoon is your family’s favorite, and which one should we add to the crew?

Let us know in the comments.