I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of Dora the Explorer. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the show, just that it was not a part of my daughter’s formative years. The show was mostly on before she was born and when she was too young to appreciate TV. That doesn’t mean I was totally unfamiliar with Dora. I knew who Dora, Diego, Boots and Swiper were, but that was about it. I didn’t realize that her backpack and map talked to her.
So, it was with no preconceived opinions that I went in to watch Dora and the Lost City of Gold. And I was pleasantly surprised. To start off with, in case it’s not obvious, this is not a cartoon. However, the beginning does a good job of transitioning from the cartoon to the “real” world and setting up the basic intro to Dora.
When Dora has to move from the jungles of Central/South America to the jungle of Los Angeles and high school she is in for a whole new kind of adventure. She quickly learns that navigating high school and staying true to yourself is a lot more difficult than navigating the jungle. That doesn’t last long however as she soon finds herself kidnapped, along with some of her unwitting classmates, and whisked back to South America. Evil treasure hunters are attempting to track Dora’s parents who are on the trail of a legendary Incan city.
So, what did I think of the movie?
First, not knowing much about Dora is not a barrier to watching and enjoying the movie. If you don’t know anything about Dora, the movie gives you just enough backstory to keep you from getting confused.
Second, in a nutshell, I really enjoyed it. There, I said it. I liked Dora and the Lost City of Gold. It was fun. There were a few instances of high-school kids being typical mean jerks, because, well, they’re teenagers. And there was one scene that was centered around going to the bathroom in the jungle. Other than that, it was a mostly lighthearted film that left me pleasantly surprised. As I said, Dora was not a regular fixture in our household, so I hadn’t really planned on seeing this movie, but I enjoyed it and it is definitely worth going to see.
L-R, Madeleine Madden, Eugenio Derbez, Isabela Moner and Jeff Wahlberg star in Paramount Pictures “Dora and the Lost City of Gold.”
Disclaimer: The reviewer was given free entry to an advanced screening of this movie courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
