Dora and the Lost City of Gold explained

Director:James Bobin
Producer:Kristin Burr
Cinematography:Javier Aguirresarobe
Editing:Mark Everson
Distributor:Paramount Pictures
Runtime:102 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
Budget:$49 million
Gross:$120.6 million[1]

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a 2019 American adventure comedy film directed by James Bobin and written by Nicholas Stoller and Matthew Robinson, from a story conceived by Stoller and Tom Wheeler. Based on the Nick Jr. animated television series Dora the Explorer, the film was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on August 9, 2019, the same day the final then-unaired episode of Dora the Explorer aired in that country.

Produced by Paramount Players and Nickelodeon Movies in association with Walden Media, MRC and Burr! Productions, it is a loose live-action adaptation of the aforementioned series and the first such film in the eponymous media franchise as a whole created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner. It stars Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Peña and Eva Longoria, with Danny Trejo as the voice of Boots. The titular Lost City of Gold is based on the legendary Inca city, Paititi.

A live-action Dora film was announced in 2017,[2] and Moner was cast in the title role in May 2018. Most of the other lead cast members were hired throughout the rest of the year, and filming took place from August to December 2018 in Australia and Peru. John Debney and Germaine Franco were hired to compose the film's score. This film is set after the events of the animated original television series and was also the first film based on a Nick Jr. Channel series.

As a lead–up to the movie, five out of the six unaired episodes of the original series aired on Nick Jr. from July 7 to August 4, 2019. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Moner's performance and the self-aware humor and grossed $120 million worldwide against a budget of $49 million.

Plot

In the Peruvian jungle, 6-year-old Dora Márquez, daughter of jungle explorers Cole and Elena, goes on adventures with her monkey friend Boots, her 7-year-old cousin Diego, and imaginary friends Backpack and Map while thwarting Swiper the thieving fox. One day, Diego and his family leave for Los Angeles while Dora and her parents remain searching for the hidden Inca city of gold, Parapata.

Ten years later, Cole and Elena decipher the location of Parapata. They send a now 16-year-old Dora to stay with Diego's family in Los Angeles while they travel to the lost city. At Diego's high school, Dora meets fellow students Sammy and Randy. Sammy sees Dora as a rival due to her intelligence, while Randy develops a crush on her. Dora's eccentric behavior culminates in mocking and name-calling by some of her new classmates when she publicly dances to a conga song at the school dance. Embarrassed, Diego tells Dora that she is no longer in the jungle, which leads to a fallout between them.

On a class field trip to a museum, Dora, Diego, Sammy, and Randy are lured to its off-exhibit archives, where mercenaries led by a man named Powell capture them and fly them to Peru. When they land, a man named Alejandro, who claims to be a friend of Dora's parents, helps them escape. The mercenaries, aided by Swiper, steal Dora's map. Alejandro reports that Dora's parents have gone missing and the mercenaries are searching for them in hopes of getting into Parapata to steal its treasures. Dora resolves to find her parents first with Alejandro's help, and the other teens agree.

The group travels through quicksand, Inca ruin puzzles, hallucination-inducing spores that turn them into animated characters in the style of the original cartoon, and attacks from forest guards of Parapata. During the journey, Sammy warms up to Dora, who reconciles with Diego and notices her cousin has a crush on Sammy. Dora reaches her parents outside the borders of Parapata, but Alejandro, the true leader of the mercenaries, captures them, telling them they will be freed once he claims the gold. Boots helps the teens escape and restores Dora's confidence. Realising that the mercenaries plan to kill Cole and Elena once they have served their purpose, she resolves to find the way inside Parapata so they can use its treasure to bargain for Elena and Cole's release.

Inside the hidden city, Dora and the others solve its temple's puzzles and dodge its traps, bringing them to the central shrine. Alejandro, having secretly followed them, arrives as the group reaches its final test. He thinks that the gold is the right answer against Dora's warnings and falls into a trap. The soldiers guarding Parapata, having apprehended Dora's parents and the mercenaries, confront the teens. Dora speaks to their queen in Quechua, assuring that the group only came to learn about the ancient civilization. Dora figures out the answer to the test, and the Incas allow her and everyone to have a single glimpse of their greatest treasure until Swiper appears and steals the smaller idol, thus angering the gods. As Alejandro and the mercenaries are taken away, Dora regains the idol and puts it back into place. After the group leaves, Diego and Sammy become a couple. Dora's parents and the teens arrive at her jungle home. Cole and Elena discuss going on another expedition as a family, but Dora decides to return to school in Los Angeles.

During the credits, Dora and her friends sing "We Did It" at the high school dance to celebrate their victory, Alejandro remains a prisoner in Parapata for another 1,000 years, and Cole and Elena stop Swiper from running away with their Incan artifact.

Cast

Voice cast

Production

On October 24, 2017, a deal was struck for a live-action version of the television series to be made, with James Bobin directing. Nicholas Stoller and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel were hired to pen a script. Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes was announced as producer, though Bay and the company were ultimately not involved.[3]

The film depicts a teenage version of Dora.[4] It was issued an initial release date of August 2, 2019.[5] In May 2018, Isabela Moner was cast to play Dora.[6] Eugenio Derbez began negotiations to join in June,[7] and was confirmed to appear in July. Micke Moreno was originally cast to play Diego, but withdrew and was replaced by Jeff Wahlberg.[8] [9] Eva Longoria and Michael Peña were cast as Dora's parents that August.[10] [11] Madeleine Madden also joined the cast of the film.[12] In October, Q'orianka Kilcher was added to the cast,[13] and in November, Pia Miller was set to play Dora's aunt Sabrina.[14] In December 2018, Benicio del Toro joined as the voice of Swiper,[15] and in March 2019, Danny Trejo announced that he had been cast as the voice of Boots the Monkey.[16]

In an interview with Forbes, Moner stated that she learned Quechua language for the character. She said that the film would "take audiences to Machu Picchu" to "explore the Incan culture," and commented that "Dora is very cultured and she knows everything about everything," and that she "doesn't have a defined ethnicity."[17] Filming began on August 6, 2018, on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia,[18] [19] and concluded on December 7, 2018.[15] On May 3, 2019, it was revealed that Marc Weiner would be reprising his role as the voice of Map from the animated series.[20]

The visual effects are provided by Mill Film, Moving Picture Company and Cheap Shot VFX, supervised by Lindy De Quattro, Andy Brown and Richard Little with visualization services provided by Proof and 2D animation provided by Blink Industries.

Release

The film was released on August 9, 2019, the same day that the 2000 animated television series ended.[21] It was previously slated for August 2, 2019.[18]

Home media

Dora and the Lost City of Gold was released on Digital HD on November 5, 2019, and later on DVD and Blu-ray on November 19, 2019.[22] The film is also available on Amazon Prime[23] and Paramount+.

Reception

Box office

Dora and the Lost City of Gold grossed $60.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $60.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $120.6 million against a production budget of $49 million.[1]

In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside The Kitchen, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Brian Banks, and was projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,500 theaters in its opening weekend.[24] [25] The film made $6.7 million on its first day, including $1.25 million from Thursday night previews. It went into debut to $17 million, finishing fourth at the box office; 46% of its audience was Latino, while 32% were Caucasian, 11% African-American and 10% Asian.[26] It dropped 51% in its second weekend to $8.5 million, finishing sixth.[27] It then made $5.3 million in its third weekend and $4.1 million in its fourth, and $2.7 million in its fifth.[28] [29] [30]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "Led by a winning performance from Isabela Moner, Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a family-friendly adventure that retains its source material's youthful spirit."[31] Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported that adult and children filmgoers gave it an average of 4.5 and 3.5 stars out of 5, respectively.[26]

Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Whereas most of the cast (and especially Derbez) play broad, borderline-slapstick versions of their characters, Moner has the wide eyes and ever-chipper attitude we associate with Dora, but adds a level of charisma the animated character couldn't convey."[33]

Future

On February 15, 2022, Paramount+ announced development of a live action series, said to be "in the same spirit as the recent live action film for older audiences".[34] In 2024, a new live-action film, Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado, was announced to be in development for release on Paramount+, though it was not clarified on if it was a sequel to Dora and the Lost City of Gold or not.[35] Samantha Lorraine was cast in the role of Dora, replacing Moner, and Alberto Belli is attached to direct.[36]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) . December 18, 2019 . . October 24, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191024093150/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3993339393/ . live .
  2. News: Bui . Hoai-Tran . August 10, 2018 . 'Dora the Explorer' First Look at a Grown-Up Dora Reminds You That Yep, This Movie is Happening . . August 10, 2018 . March 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085839/https://www.slashfilm.com/dora-the-explorer-first-look/ . live .
  3. Web site: Borys. Kit. October 23, 2018. 'Dora the Explorer' Movie in the Works With Nick Stoller (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. March 24, 2019. April 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190407191155/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/dora-explorer-movie-works-nick-stoller-1051195. live.
  4. michaelbay. 1029083177762078721. One more time: Bay or Platinum Dunes has nothing to do with the Dora movie. It is being falsely reported in the press. Bay is set to start directing #6underground this week and Platinum Dunes has started developing #AQuietPlace 2. —webmaster. Michael. Bay. August 13, 2018. March 24, 2019.
  5. Web site: 'Dora The Explorer' Headed To Theaters Late Summer 2019. Anthony. D'Alessandro. February 26, 2018. Deadline Hollywood. March 24, 2019. March 22, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190322104139/https://deadline.com/2018/02/dora-the-explorer-live-action-movie-release-date-1202303523/. live.
  6. Web site: Isabela Moner Lands Title Role In Paramount Players' Live-Action 'Dora The Explorer'. Anthony. D'Alessandro. May 2, 2018. Deadline Hollywood. March 24, 2019. June 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190628115823/https://deadline.com/2018/05/isabela-moner-lands-title-role-in-paramount-players-live-action-dora-the-explorer-1202381322/. live.
  7. Web site: Borys. Kit. June 6, 2018. Eugenio Derbez Circles Paramount's 'Dora the Explorer' Live-Action Film. The Hollywood Reporter. March 24, 2019. July 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190701090526/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/eugenio-derbez-talks-join-paramounts-dora-explorer-live-action-film-1117905. live.
  8. Web site: Exclusive: 'Dora the Explorer' Movie Casts Micke Moreno as Diego. Jeff. Sneider. July 24, 2018. Collider.com. March 24, 2019. June 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190602181155/http://collider.com/micke-moreno-dora-the-explorer-diego/. live.
  9. Web site: Jeffrey Wahlberg Replaces Original Diego in 'Dora the Explorer' Movie. Jeff. Sneider. November 14, 2018. collider.com. March 24, 2019. November 16, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181116230609/http://collider.com/jeffrey-wahlberg-dora-the-explorer-movie. live.
  10. Web site: Eva Longoria Joins Paramount's 'Dora The Explorer'. Anthony. D'Alessandro. August 20, 2018. Deadline Hollywood. March 24, 2019. March 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090945/https://deadline.com/2018/08/dora-the-explorer-movie-eva-longoria-1202448621/. live.
  11. Web site: Borys. Kit. August 21, 2018. Michael Pena Joins Eva Longoria in 'Dora the Explorer' (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. March 24, 2019. March 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091508/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/michael-pena-play-dora-explorer-dad-movie-eva-longoria-1136452. live.
  12. Web site: 'Dora The Explorer' Movie Adds 'Picnic At Hanging Rock' Actress Madeleine Madden. Deadline Hollywood. Anthony. D'Alessandro. August 1, 2018. August 21, 2018. March 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090306/https://deadline.com/2018/08/picnic-at-hanging-rock-actress-madeleine-madden-joins-paramounts-dora-the-explorer-1202438505/. live.
  13. Web site: 'The Alienist's Q'orianka Kilcher Cast In Paramount's Live-Action 'Dora the Explorer' Movie. Amanda. N'Duka. October 16, 2018. Deadline Hollywood. March 24, 2019. March 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091010/https://deadline.com/2018/10/the-alienist-qorianka-kilcher-paramount-live-action-dora-the-explorer-movie-1202484014/. live.
  14. Web site: Former Home And Away star Pia Miller lands major movie role. Back. Grace. November 21, 2018. New Idea. December 16, 2018. May 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501235114/https://www.newidea.com.au/former-home-and-away-star-pia-miller-lands-major-movie-role. live.
  15. Web site: Borys. Kit. December 14, 2018. Benicio del Toro to Play Villain in 'Dora the Explorer' (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. March 24, 2019. March 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085847/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/benicio-del-toro-star-dora-explorer-1169319. live.
  16. officialDannyT. 1108795510733697024. The rumors are true, I finally can tell you I am a monkey...Boots!!! Don't miss the @DoraMovie trailer this Saturday 3/23, debuting live during the @Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards! #DoraMovie. Danny. Trejo. March 21, 2019. March 24, 2019.
  17. News: Isabela Moner Learned Indigenous Peruvian Language To Play 'Dora The Explorer'. March 7, 2019. Rosy. Cordero. March 27, 2019. Forbes. April 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401092248/https://www.forbes.com/sites/rosycordero/2019/03/07/isabela-moner-learned-indigenous-peruvian-language-to-play-dora-the-explorer/. live.
  18. News: 'Dora The Explorer' First Photo Unveiled; Nicholas Coombe Joins As Production Gets Underway. D'Alessandro. Anthony. August 10, 2018. Deadline Hollywood. August 10, 2018. June 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190609065213/https://deadline.com/2018/08/dora-the-explorer-photo-movie-nicholas-coombe-cast-1202443778/. live.
  19. Web site: Paramount's 'Dora The Explorer' Movie Set For Australia Shoot After Tax Break Concession. Andreas. Wiseman. March 18, 2018. Deadline Hollywood. March 24, 2019. March 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091048/https://deadline.com/2018/03/paramount-dora-the-explorer-australia-queensland-1202340647/. live.
  20. Web site: Marc Weiner to Reprise Role of 'The Map' on 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold' . 2023-07-20 . en.
  21. Web site: 'Dora And The Lost City Of Gold' Moves Release Date After 'Artemis Fowl' Flees August. Deadline Hollywood. Anthony. D'Alessandro. May 7, 2019. May 7, 2019. April 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190414084346/https://deadline.com/2019/04/dora-the-explorer-live-action-movie-release-date-1202303523/. live.
  22. Web site: Dora and the Lost City of Gold DVD Release Date November 19, 2019. DVDs Release Dates. en. October 8, 2019. September 22, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190922191842/https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/9227/dora-and-the-lost-city-of-gold. live.
  23. Web site: Paramount Pictures . Paramount.com . 2022-03-24 . September 9, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190909183057/https://www.paramount.com/movies/dora-and-lost-city-gold . live .
  24. Web site: Will 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold' Catch the Box Office Crown From 'Hobbs and Shaw'?. TheWrap. Jeremy. Fuster. August 6, 2019. August 7, 2019. January 7, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200107184149/https://www.thewrap.com/will-dora-and-the-lost-city-of-gold-catch-the-box-office-crown-from-hobbs-and-shaw/. live.
  25. Web site: 'Hobbs & Shaw' To Swat Away Five Wide Releases Including 'Dora', 'Scary Stories' & More – Box Office Preview . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . August 7, 2019 . August 7, 2019 . August 7, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190807164435/https://deadline.com/2019/08/hobbs-shaw-dora-the-explorer-scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-weekend-box-office-preview-1202663356/ . live .
  26. Web site: 'Hobbs' Hauls $25M; 'Scary Stories' Frighten 'Dora'; 'Kitchen' Sinks Melissa McCarthy & Tiffany Haddish To Career B.O. Lows – Sunday AM Update . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . August 11, 2019 . August 11, 2019 . August 10, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190810145835/https://deadline.com/2019/08/dora-and-the-lost-city-of-gold-hobbs-shaw-the-kitchen-box-office-weekend-1202665153/ . live .
  27. Web site: How Universal Is Reviving The R-Rated Comedy & Making 'Good Boys' Great At The B.O. With A $21M Opening . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . August 18, 2019 . August 18, 2019 . August 16, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190816181043/https://deadline.com/2019/08/good-boys-hobbs-shaw-47-meters-down-uncaged-scary-stories-weekend-box-office-1202669605/ . live .
  28. Web site: 'Angel Has Fallen' tops box office, ahead of 'Overcomer' - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. August 25, 2019. August 27, 2019. September 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190913172551/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-08-25/box-office-angel-has-fallen-overcomer-ready-or-not. live.
  29. Web site: 'Angel Has Fallen' Still In Flight At Sluggish Labor Day Box Office With $16M+ 4-Day . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . September 1, 2019 . September 2, 2019 . August 31, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190831041344/https://deadline.com/2019/08/angel-has-fallen-dont-let-go-blumhouse-labor-day-weekend-box-office-1202708288/ . live .
  30. Web site: Box Office: 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' Tops $300 Million, 'Lion King' Nears $1.6 Billion And 'Hobbs & Shaw' Passes $550 Million Overseas. Forbes. September 8, 2019. September 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190913122207/https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/09/08/weekend-box-office-saaho-ne-zha-spider-man-quentin-tarantino-leonardo-dicaprio-brad-pitt-margot-robbie-angel-has-fallen-gerard-butler-john-wick-keanu-reeves-dwayne-johnson-jason-statham-hobbs-shaw-lion-king-toy-story-farewell-peanut-butter-falcon/#192d3a937c12. live.
  31. Web site: Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019). Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. . June 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200613213435/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dora_and_the_lost_city_of_gold. live.
  32. Web site: Dora and the Lost City of Gold reviews. Metacritic. October 26, 2022. October 31, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191031074251/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/dora-and-the-lost-city-of-gold. live.
  33. Web site: July 28, 2019 . Debruge . Peter . Film Review: 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold ' . . August 10, 2019 . November 1, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191101110030/https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/dora-and-the-lost-city-of-gold-review-dora-the-explorer-movie-1203282523/ . live .
  34. Web site: February 15, 2022 . We're announcing the return of @DoraTheExplorer with a new animated series for preschoolers AND a live-action series in the same spirit as the recent @DoraMovie for older audiences. . February 15, 2022 . Twitter . February 15, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220215221959/https://twitter.com/paramountplus/status/1493708342253940739 . live .
  35. Web site: New Live-Action Dora the Explorer Movie on the Way . 2024-05-16 . TV Shows . en.
  36. Web site: Kit . Borys . 2024-05-08 . New ‘Dora the Explorer’ Movie to Star ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’ Actress Samantha Lorraine (Exclusive) . 2024-05-20 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.

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