Dora the Explorer to come to theaters

By Sarah LaLond

Dora the Explorer is back, and this time she’s searching for a mysterious civilization in “Dora and the Lost City of Gold.”

Isabela Moner, from Nickelodeon’s “100 Things to Do Before High School,” brings the explorer to life with the character’s iconic two-tone orange shorts and pink T-shirt, complete with her shoulder length hair and bangs.

This reboot of an animated children’s classic follows a movie trend set in the last decade. Movie companies started capitalizing on decades-old nostalgia with their recreation of “Star Trek” (2009) and “The Force Awakens” (2015), starting a Star Wars sequel series.

These films were based on already massive movie franchises, however recent remakes have also been inspired by a stand-alone films. Disney has methodically reimagined Disney princess movies, starting with “Alice in Wonderland” (2010), and looking forward to “Aladdin” (2019) and “Mulan” (2020).

While “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” follows the trend of reboots, the trailer feels similar to family-friendly, adventure movies like “Night at the Museum” (2006) with Ben Stiller or “Bedtime Stories” (2008) with Adam Sandler.

However, unlike these films, “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” has a fresh take on the protagonist. Dora is played by a teenaged Peruvian actress Isabela Moner. The movie doesn’t seem to just focus on Dora’s adventures, but also deals with a coming of age narrative.

From James Bobin, the director of The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014), this film will undoubtedly have humor for kids and adults.  

Dora and her monkey sidekick Boots return in “Dora and the Lost City of Gold,” premiering Aug. 2 in theaters.