Dora, a teenage explorer, leads her friends on an adventure to save her parents and solve the mystery behind a lost city of gold.
Dora The Explorer, the beloved Latina girl who transformed the world with her wide-eyed innocence twenty years ago as an animated television character, has made a roaring comeback as a full-fledged, real-life, snarky teenager who has yet to realize that her indifference to societal norms is what makes her a natural for being ostracized by her peers. Growing up with parents whose occupations were in research seemed almost fateful for little Dora (Isabela Moner) who knew nothing outside of a fancy-free lifestyle in the jungle with her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg), her monkey, Boots, and her fearless attitude. When Dora’s parents (Eva Longoria & Michael Pena) realize their daughter’s innocence and isolation might make her an easy target for maladjustment, they decide to send her to school so that she could make human friends and learn how the other side of the world lives.
Dora’s realm into the outside world is almost a complete disaster from the beginning. While reuniting with her cousin Diego seems like a great idea to her, it is completely embarrassing for him to have to explain to his peers, her quirky attitude and lack of knowledge of all things cool. While he thinks that it will go away in a matter of time, it only gets worse and he doesn’t know how to approach her to let her know her real-world adaptation is a complete failure. Dora’s first field trip with her school buddies turns into a massive undertaking as she, her cousin and two more awkward students become part of a vicious kidnapping plot to gain access to the Lost City of Gold that Dora’s parents have connections to. In a topsy-turvy cross-country hike through the jungle, Dora and her buddies are befriended by Alejandro (Eugenio Derbez) who claims to know her parents and uses it as a ruse to get Dora to lead him to the Lost City. Dora’s invaluable skills as an explorer make her the most popular kid in the crowd, and in the end, she saves the day and the Lost City, and becomes respected and valued by all of her new friends.
Director James Bobin, in this film, demonstrates so many lessons that are relative when it comes to handling peer pressure, believing in yourself and respecting other’s differences, that no one of any age should come away without feeling they’ve learned something to apply to daily living. Since Dora has literally grown up in front of our eyes, her span of influence is relative and timeless. Kudos to Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies for bringing Dora back to the forefront with believable characters that challenge us and make us all realize the impact of our circle of influence through the eyes of our children and the adults that support their growth and development.
In Theaters Friday, August 9th
