Dora and The Lost City of Gold (2019)

Dora and The Lost City of Gold (2019)

6/10

Starring

Isabela Moner

Eugenio Derbez

Michael Peña

Eva Longoria

Directed by James Bobin

I’ll be honest—I didn’t expect to like this movie at all. But I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself laughing hysterically while watching it. For me, this movie was a mix of yuckiness and comedy. The two main characters who carried the humor were Isabela Moner (Dora) and Eugenio Derbez (Alejandro).

When both characters are in the jungle searching for Dora’s parents, get ready for some truly unexpected comedy. Even when you can sense something silly is about to happen, the way they handle it still manages to make you laugh.

The movie starts with some annoying yuckiness that might make you question your decision to watch it. We see young Dora and Diego in the forest, pretending to be on an adventure. Dora breaks the fourth wall and talks to her pet monkey, Boots, just like in the animated series. However, things improve as the movie progresses, so stick with it.

The main adventure revolves around finding Parapata, a place rumored to be filled with gold and jewels. Dora’s parents are determined to explore the location, and Dora has been helping them decipher clues. When her parents finally figure out the location, they send Dora to stay with her cousin Diego—someone she hasn’t seen in ten years. They want to keep her safe, as others are also seeking Parapata for less noble reasons. They also hope she’ll experience life outside the jungle. Boots, her pet monkey, stays behind with her parents.

Diego now lives in America with his family, while Dora has spent her entire life in the Peruvian jungle. Visiting a city for the first time as a young adult, Dora arrives with her unshakable optimism, making both friends and foes along the way. Her biggest challenge, however, is Diego, who feels embarrassed by her presence now that she’s attending school with him.

Dora’s world turns upside down when she stops hearing from her parents. Fearful that something terrible has happened to them, she’s left stuck in the U.S. with no hope. During a class scavenger hunt, Dora, Diego, and two other students are grouped together—only to get kidnapped and shipped in a crate back to Peru.

Once in Peru, they’re rescued by Alejandro, who claims to be a friend of Dora’s parents. Trusting him, they set off together to find Dora’s parents.

This is a great movie to watch with the family.

Even though it didn’t make much money at the box office—only doubling its budget—I believe home video sales could bring in a significant chunk. This might lead to a second Dora adventure, or maybe the studio will play it safe and move on. Who knows?