Sunday, August 4, 2019

TEENAGE DORA SEARCHES FOR LOST CITY OF GOLD

movie review
Like many families, Dora the Explorer captured the attention and imagination of my children during their preschool years.  Just as my now 10 year old twins have grown up, so has the bilingual adventurer whose educational animated television show has delighted kids for two decades since its 1999 debut on the Nickelodeon cable network. Now a new live-action movie from Paramount Pictures, has a teenaged Dora takes audiences on a jungle trek  through an adventurous comedy that makes for a fun summer family outing to the movie theater.

Thanks to Paramount Pictures who invited my family for an advance screening of DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD before its official theatrical release date of August 8, 2019. My son and daughter were so excited that we had some great seats reserved for us in a spot that provided a perfect view of the movie screen and they were able to see this new film before any other kids they know could. DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD is a family-friendly flick that is suitable for all ages to view. It is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for action and some impolite humor.

movie review


DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD spoofs the Nickelodeon cartoon providing plenty of laughs without insulting and tearing down the original content the movie is inspired by.  The movie begins with a six year old Dora dreaming up wild exploits and engaging in pretend play with her cousin Diego that shows the stories depicted in the Nickelodeon cartoons are reflections of a childhood imagination. The movie then shifts to a sixteen year old Dora being reunited with Diego who had earlier moved from the country to the city and now she is moving to live with his family while her parents go off on an archeological expedition. This teenage girl has many of the traits and behaviors of the six year old cartoon character which causes many of the students in Dora's new high school to tease her. While she is being laughed at on screen though, the audience is laughing with her as Isabela Moner good naturedly parodies Dora the Explorer.

The comedic tone of the movie is combined with mystery / action movie elements when Dora is kidnapped by treasure hunters who want to trade the teenager to her parents in exchange for them showing the location of the fabled City of Gold within the Amazon jungle. Dora now finds herself in real life on an adventure like the ones she dreamed up as a child. Will she be able to escape these kidnappers and thwart their scheme to loot the giant golden monkey statue from her parents archeological dig site? You'll have to go see DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD to find out!



Now I have to be honest, my kids were a bit apprehensive of going to see DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD because they thought it might be "babyish" and meant for preschool aged audiences. They were thrilled that is absolutely not the case and the movie actually perfect for kids their age to see as it plays to the 7 - 12 year old demographic. This movie really is for tweens who enjoyed the Dora the Explorer television show and have grown beyond it.

The lady sitting behind us wasn't so thrilled as she brought along with her a gaggle of preschool aged tots who are at the prime age for watching the Nickelodeon cartoons. While the content was fine for these youngster to view, it really didn't capture their attention. They were shuffling about in their seats and wandering around the aisle really not paying much attention to what was going on in the movie and causing a distracting commotion for the rest of the audience. Parents should note that DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD really is a movie for elementary school aged kids and tweens rather than the preschoolers who may be enjoying the Nickelodeon TV show now. Parents who also watched Dora the Explorer along with their kids as they were growing up will get a chuckle out of the movie as well.

movie review


A mashup of The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and The Goonies (1985) style content, DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD is a fun and funny film that families can enjoy together making it a nice summer movie to go see. This dad blogger, gives the film A Geek Daddy nod of approval because it provided an entertaining afternoon for my family. For more info about the movie, head over to dora.movie

1 comment:

  1. My 17 yr old grew up watching Dora and can't wait to see the movie!

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