Dora and her band of friends bring their adventures to the big screen, and the result is muy gracioso. Can you say “gracioso”? It means funny.
“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” sings, dances and explores its way to an older crowd. Dora, played by Isabela Moner, was once a cute but sometimes annoying child and is now a teenager attending high school in Los Angeles. Diego, her primo, is played by Jeff Wahlberg.
After living her entire childhood in the jungle, she’s oblivious to social faux pas. Her childlike innocence, and singing about her backpack, make her the ridicule of the school. Diego is embarrassed of her antics and distances himself from the aloof Dora.
A trip to the History Museum ends with Dora, Diego and two students kidnapped and taken back to the jungle. Kidnappers are trying to find a lost Incan civilization. The kidnappers believe Dora’s parents found the lost city and kidnap her to force her to find them.
The movie stays true to the cartoon version including characters like map and Boots the monkey. Dora breaks into songs quite often about her backpack or map. There’s even a part where the characters hallucinate they are cartoon characters.
In the end, Dora saves her parents and continues to stay true to herself in the process. Despite her quirky personality, her peers learn to accept her.
The actors do a wonderful job blending comedy with some touching moments. Boots and Swiper the fox are a little disappointing. For a movie that attempts to be set in the real world, it fails to make Boots and Swiper look real. Yes, they are talking animals, but they could have done a better job of making them look less creepy.
Overall, it was a funny story with some cheesy moments. This is a movie that parents can enjoy along with their children of all ages.
