Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2018) Paramount/Action-Adventure-Comedy RT: 102 minutes Rated PG (action, some impolite humor) Director: James Bobin Screenplay: Nicholas Stoller and Matthew Robinson Music: John Debney and Germaine Franco Cinematography: Javier Aguirresarobe Release date: August 9, 2019 (US) Cast: Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Pena, Eva Longoria, Jeff Wahlberg, Madeleine Madden, Nicholas Coombe, Temuera Morrison, Christopher Kirby, Natasa Ristic, Pia Miller, Adriana Barraza, Madelyn Miranda, Malachi Barton, Q’orianka Kilcher, Benicio del Toro (voice), Danny Trejo (voice). Box Office: $60.5M (US)/$120.6M (World)
Rating: ***
I’ve never seen a single episode of Dora the Explorer, the popular animated series that’s been running on Nickelodeon since 2000. Why would I? It’s for little kids. All I knew going into the live-action adaptation Dora and the Lost City of Gold is its basic premise, a little Latina girl from the jungle going on quests and teaching young viewers Spanish words. There was no reason to think I’d enjoy Dora and the Lost City of Gold as much as I did. The fact is it’s surprisingly entertaining. It’s also accessible to those who’ve never seen the show like me. I picked up a lot, like the masked fox that serves as the main antagonist, during the course of the movie. I ended up having a good time. Once in a while, it’s nice to be surprised.
At once, Dora and the Lost City of Gold stays true to the show and characters while affectionately skewing the more bizarre aspects of it. Take an early scene when young Dora breaks the fourth wall and asks the audience if they can say “delicioso”. There was a lot of fourth wall-breaking in the show. Dora would frequently ask viewers to repeat words or help solve puzzles. When she does it in the movie, her parents look at each other bewilderedly. Her father comments that she’ll grow out of it. Uh, not necessarily. The movie jumps ahead ten years to 16YO Dora (Moner, Instant Family) still doing the same thing except she’s recording it for YouTube. The movie also pokes fun at the talking backpack and map as well as the aforementioned fox Swiper (voiced by Benicio del Toro), a bandit who “swipes” stuff. The movie opens with a disclaimer about foxes and swiping. Adults will find this amusing.
Anyway, what about the plot? It’s kind of a Crocodile Dundee/Indiana Jones blend that has Dora transferring to a Los Angeles high school while her parents, explorers Elena (Longoria, Desperate Housewives) and Cole (Pena, Ant-Man), search the jungles of Peru for the legendary lost Incan city of Parapata. They don’t think she’s old enough to join them so they send her to the States to stay with family including her beloved cousin/childhood bestie Carlos (Wahlberg, Mark and Donnie’s nephew).
Attending a school with lots of other kids proves to be her most difficult quest yet. She instantly runs afoul of the class queen bee Sammy (Madden, TV’s Picnic at Hanging Rock), a mean girl who hates competition. She also meets Randy (Coombe, TV’s Spy Kids: Mission Critical), a dorky sort who becomes enamored of her. Meanwhile, Diego is mortified beyond words about his cousin’s perkiness, can-do attitude and extremely high energy level. The other kids make fun of her, but she doesn’t seem to notice or care.
The Indiana Jones stuff kicks in after Dora is kidnapped, along with Diego, Sammy and Randy and taken back to the Amazonian jungle by mercenaries. She’s expected to lead them to her parents who haven’t been heard from in weeks. Somebody else is interested in the lost city of gold. Fortunately, they’re rescued by Alejandro (Derbez, How to Be a Latin Lover) who claims to be a friend of Dora’s parents and offers to help her find them. Unfortunately, her classmates have no choice but to tag along. Their journey through the jungle is laden with the usual pitfalls- i.e. arrows, quicksand, giant flowers emitting hallucinogenic pollen (which leads into a hilarious animated sequence), ancient warriors and assorted puzzles and booby traps.
You know, of course, that I must point out that the second Cannon-produced Allan Quatermain movie was entitled Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold. It’s one of the first things that hit me when I saw the trailer for Dora and the Lost City of Gold. It’s no secret which one I prefer. Hint, it’s NOT the one with Richard Chamberlain. The next thing that struck me is how similar it seemed to the recent Jumanji movie. Granted, the teens in that jungle adventure were in the bodies of avatars but the idea is almost the same. It seemed kind of odd that I wanted to see Dora and the Lost City of Gold but something about it appealed to me. Perhaps it could be my love of Saturday matinee adventure flicks. Whatever, you can count me as a fan of this incarnation of Dora (still no desire to watch the cartoon).
What really makes Dora and the Lost City of Gold work is Moner, a positively endearing young actress I guarantee is going places. She’s the ideal choice for the role. She perfectly embodies the character’s can-do spirit and unflappable optimism even under the worst circumstances. She has a song for EVERY occasion, even a character’s reluctance to do number two in the wild. She takes her performance to the next level by being in on the joke. She delivers a lot of her lines with a knowing smile and wink. Derbez has some amusing moments as the teen’s rescuer and de facto babysitter. Wahlberg lives us to his family’s legacy with the deadpan way he delivers his line. Madden hits all the right notes as the mean girl rendered helpless without access to her smart phone and a Starbucks. Coombe brings a sense of self-deprecation to his nerdy character.
Dora and the Lost City of Gold continues the tradition of delivering positive messages about friendship, cooperation and never giving up. A scene where Alejandro and the kids get trapped in quicksand is a good example. The same goes for scenes where the kids work together to solve puzzles that will reveal clues to the lost city’s location. I don’t know if this is in the show or not but the difference between explorers (good) and treasure hunters (bad) is stressed. I’m not sure how helpful that is in real life but okay.
I have but one critique of Dora and the Lost City of Gold and it’s this. As much as I like the jungle adventure aspect of it, it would have been funnier if Dora remained in L.A. navigating the jungle that’s high school. Imagine Dora’s struggle to remain true to herself with all the day-to-day pressures faced by teenagers trying to fit in. She’s lived in the jungle all her life; there are some great fish-out-of-water, culture-clash opportunities here. Aside from that, Dora and the Lost City of Gold is great fun for the whole family. It’s funny, thrilling and even a little scary. Plus, it ends with a big musical number (an updated version of the “We Did It!” song, of course). How can you knock such a good-natured movie?
