Young TV explorer Dora braves new adventures in move to big screen.
TV’s kid explorer braves new experiences: high school, the big screen
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that we’re talking about a bigbudget “Dora the Explorer” movie in the Indiana Jones mold. After all, studios are ever on the hunt for exploitable IP (Indy’s former home Paramount more than most), and here’s one with a fair amount of nostalgic allure for postMillennials, thanks to the TV show’s endless replays on Nickelodeon since its debut in the early 2000s.
What is surprising, however, is how well “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” works. It exists like a time capsule, the kind of artifact the title character might herself seek out, harking back to the kinds of movies the whole family might have made an evening of in the ’80s and ’90s.
After a brief intro establishing our title character as an inquisitive and energetic 7yearold raised in the jungle and homeschooled by her explorer parents, Eva Longoria and Michael Peña (with some fun callbacks fans of the show will appreciate), we jump forward nearly 10 years to our title character (Isabela Moner), now 16, shipped off to L.A. to enter the most unforgiving jungle of all: high school.
There, she is reunited with cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg), a long way removed from his “Go, Diego, Go!” spinoff days. Now he’s a jaded teen just trying to find his place in the high school pecking order. Meanwhile, Dora comes into contact with class president Sammy (Madeline Madden) and learns that her own brand of spirited optimism isn’t especially welcome. (Needless to say, her struttinglikeapeacock dance at homecoming goes over about as well as you’d expect.)
It looks initially like this is turning into a simple “Mean Girls” riff with Moner doing a variation on Lindsay Lohan (not a bad idea), but it’s not long before adventure calls and we take a hard left turn into “The Goonies” (also not a bad idea). After a school field trip gone awry, Dora, Diego, Sammy and lovable weirdo Randy (Nicholas Coombe) are roped into a junglebound quest for Dora’s parents, themselves searching for the fabled Incan city of Parapata (the “City of Gold” in the title, natch).
The “Dora” movie comes to us from director James Bobin and writer Nich
olas Stoller, the same team that did such a solid job rebooting the Muppets in two movies for Disney earlier this decade, and they bring the same practiced ease with tones here. There are genuine laughs and genuine chills, all within a framework that can be appreciated by anyone who watched the show when they were a kid, or watches it still.
The entire cast does a solid job, but I need to reserve special praise for Moner. It’s not easy to take on a character whose entire description can be boiled down to “excitable” and turn it into someone with an arc worth following, but Moner manages it. She has a big, genuine smile, and an infectious charm that grounds the entire proceedings and makes Dora someone we want to go along with on this jungle adventure (and others, if Paramount’s franchise wishes bear fruit).
The adults also more than hold their own, with the alwayswelcome Temuera Morrison (“Aquaman’s dad!” per my 10yearold, excitedly nudging me in the ribs) as one of the mercenaries searching for the city, and Eugenio Derbez as a colleague of Dora’s parents who ends up accompanying the kids. And while Michael Peña is far away from his “AntMan” character Luis, he does get some moments of extended riffing that call to mind his comedic skills on display there. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention fun cameos by Benicio Del Toro and Danny Trejo that are worth looking for — or rather listening for.
While the notion of a “grownup” “Dora the Explorer” reboot sounds like something out of a sketch comedy show or YouTube parody, “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” exists precisely to disperse that cynicism. There’s a genuine void in the marketplace for offerings like this. It’s so joyful and confident in its own premise that it practically dares you not to walk out of the theater with a smile on your face, strutting like a peacock.