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Dora and the Lost City of Gold Review: Can You Say “When’s the Sequel?”

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DORA AND THE LOST CITY REVIEW

Dora, Boots, Diego, and Swiper grew up in my house with my kids. And since she didn’t annoy me and taught the kids Spanish, it was on a whole lot. When I heard there would be a live-action reboot of the show, I initially thought D-D-D-on’t, Dora! But now I can sum the Dora and the Lost City of Gold Review up this way: Can You Say “When’s the Sequel?”

Dora and the lost city of gold parent movie review

I wanted to see this one from the moment I saw the first Dora trailer

While railing about reboots and nostalgia is fun (and yeah, I do it, I know!) there are some times when it’s ok to set that aside and give things a fair shake. 

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is one of those movies and one of those times. 

I can sum it up like this: if all the reboots and live-action remakes would learn from Dora, no one would have much to complain about. This one hit the sweet spot of nostalgia & self-awareness and was a heck of a fun ride for kids of all ages. 

DORA THE EXPLORER
L-R, Eugenio Derbez, Nicholas Coombe, Jeffrey Wahlberg, Madeleine Madden and Isabela Moner star in Paramount Pictures’ “DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD.”

About Dora and the Lost City of Gold

Dora, age 16, has spent her whole life exploring the jungle with her two professor parents. Without other kids around, she’s made friends with her pet monkey Boots and spent her days learning just about everything there is to know about her word. When her parents have a lead that sends them on a dangerous exploration, Dora is sent to study another jungle: public high school in Los Angeles. Soon she finds herself a little lost and a lot more lonely than she expected, despite living with her once best friend and cousin, Diego. Dora and her classmates find themselves trying to save her parents and uncover the mystery behind the Lost City of Gold. 

Rated: PG 

Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes

Dora and the Lost City of Gold Review

Parents, if you sat through way too many episodes of Dora in your life this movie is your reward. 

No, really, it’s that good, especially for those of us who had the theme song stuck in our heads for years. My husband, a former Army Ranger, mind you, laughed his head off the entire movie. He enjoyed this way more than the 8-year-old.

And that is one of the things that Dora does so right: it wins over a bigger audience by being both nostalgic and self-aware of just how far that nostalgia can take us.

And I’ll admit, it took me pretty far!

If every reboot would study Dora (past and present) and learn how to pull this off, consumers would be much less wary of all the recycled ideas. 

Dora and the map in the lost city of gold parent movie review

But what if you’ve never seen a single episode? What if you don’t know Dora?

That’s ok- you’ll still enjoy the delight that is Isabela Moner. She is simply a joy to watch as Dora.

Moner’s awkward teen who knows she is but is a bit weird, but determined to be herself anyway could have been expected and boring. But it works with the help of Jeff Wahlberg, who plays Diego, acting as her opposite in many scenes. He’s not sure if he’s impressed or embarrassed by her earnestness and it rings true for a modern teen/family relationship. 

When Can You Pee During Dora and the Lost City of Gold?

This movie does rely on action to move the plot along, so I’d suggest trying to find the slower dialogue filled moments for your pee breaks during the Dora movie. 

I know- you’ll take the kids and they aren’t always on that schedule- but here are the places you could try to hold out for that bathroom break during Dora and the Lost City of Gold:

  • 20 minutes in when Dora is on the school bus for the 2nd time
  • 34 minutes in when the teens are in a cornfield
  • 48 minutes after the quicksand incident (but this one needs to be quick- maybe even go during the quicksand issue)
  • 58 minutes when Sami sings to Dora

Dora and the lost city of gold parent movie review

Are There Any End Credit Scenes in Dora and The Lost City of Gold?

Not really, though the credits song was pretty much my favorite part of the movie. 

I mentioned how self-aware it was, right? Nothing more so then this hilarious song. 

And if you are a Dora superfan, you might as well wait until the very end of the movie credits for a throwback. There’s not a stinger to tell us a sequel is coming (awww, man!) but I’m all on board if we get another one. 

Dora and the Lost City of Gold Parent Movie Review

While you lose the whole idea of learning and teaching your kids in this version of Dora, you really don’t mind because the acting and characters are so enjoyable and kid-friendly for the whole family.

This movie is rated PG and it is mostly clean. 

The language concerns are going to be the for the younger crowd; there’s a lot of poo and fart joke so if bathroom humor is not your thing, you may want to be aware of those jokes in the movie. 

Dora and the Lost City of Gold Trailer & Poster
L-r, Eva Longoria, Isabela Moner and Michael Peña star in Paramount Pictures’ “DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD.”

There is one cartoon naked booty of a man- that’s not necessary- but not graphic or even on screen too long. But that’s it as far as any sexual issues or nudity to be aware of.

Kids will think it’s hilarious and awesome, parents probably shrug their shoulders and think, “It could have been worse.” 

I’ll still give this vote for the most kid-friendly and entertaining movie of the summer (yes, we liked it as a family more than Toy Story 4 and Aladdin!)

Rating: solid 8.5 

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