Paramount Pictures
If someone told me back in 2000 when I used to watch Dora the Explorer with my younger brother that one day in 2019 I would be watching a live-action Dora the Explorer movie, I would call them crazy. I still find it odd that we live in a world where Hollywood will reboot or remake just about anything if it had any sort of fandom. Dora the Explorer didn’t seem like it would be a movie that would draw in a crowd or even be remotly entertaining. I was proved wrong instantly.
Dora and the Lost City of Gold focuses on a teenaged Dora who goes to the city with cousin Diego to attend high school. Dora previously lived in the jungle with her parents, but they want her to have a social life where she can explore more things. While attending a museum one day with her classmates, Dora and her friends are kidnapped and are forced to try and find the Lost City of Gold and the mystery of a lost Inca civilization.
In the original cartoon, Dora was a very lively character who had a positive attitude about life and her friends, and it was a good message to send to kids. Isabela Moner is perfect as Dora. She carries the characteristics of Dora well into the live-action film. She wants people to understand who she is, and she doesn’t care what people think about her. Once she leaves the jungle to attend high school, people start making fun of and her cousin Diego is embarrassed by the way she acts. Dora remains positive about her time in high school and still tries to make friends.
I laughed a lot in this movie even though I went into it thinking that I wasn’t going to laugh at all. The film was very self-aware, and it made fun of the fact that Dora talks to the audience and asks them questions. The film opened with the catchy Dora the Explorer theme song and featured both Dora and Diego as kids going on an adventure. It also had Boots the monkey, Swiper the fox, Backpack, and Map all talking. It was a fun way to open the film. After their adventure, Dora and Diego sat down for dinner with Dora’s parents played by Michael Pena and Eva Longria. Dora asks if the audience if they can say ‘delicioso’ and both parents just stare awkwardly at her. This type of humor appears a lot throughout the film, the kind that pokes fun of the way Dora was structured. As someone who watched Dora the Explorer occasionally, I was able to laugh easily at those scenes.
The Dora show had a fun adventure feel, but it was targeted for kids, so it was simple. With having Dora as a teenager, the movie can provide bigger action scenes. The movie had an Indiana Jones vibe with large sets that were able to provide a fun feel. I think there is a lack of adventure movies for both adults and kids to enjoy. Dora and the Lost City of Gold is able to get adults and kids involved in the movie.
Boots and Swiper, two side characters on the Dora the Explorer show appear in the movie, but never were the focus of the film. Boots is voiced by Danny Trejo, who only had a few lines towards the end, and Swiper is voiced by Benicio Del Toro, who just said ‘Ahh man’ for most of the film. Both of their designs tried to mirror the original cartoon, and look a little more realistic, but ended up being a little weird, especially Swiper. Swiper’s animation isn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. People have been comparing Swiper’s design to Sonic’s animation, but I don’t see it.
Dora and the Lost City of Gold wasn’t a film that I was expecting to enjoy so much. From the humor to the fun adventure vibe, the Dora live-action film is one of biggest surprises of the year. It’s self-aware humor and silliness made this film work for both adults and children. If this movie is deemed successful, they should try and adapt other Nick Jr. shows like Blue’s Clues. They would be interesting!
Dora and the Lost City of Gold has a run time of 1 hour 42 minutes and is rated PG for action and some impolite humor.
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