This live-action adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon
cartoon series "Dora the Explorer," directed by James Bobin, is that
Hollywood rarity: a sunny, fun-filled movie with valuable lessons about
kindness, friendship and tolerance. Taking the place of the 7-year-old featured
on the small screen, a teenage Dora (Isabela Moner) is sent to live with
relatives in Los Angeles while her archaeologist parents (Eva Longoria and
Michael Pena) set off in search of the fabled Incan site of the title. Before
long Dora, together with her cousin (Jeff Wahlberg) and two classmates (Madeleine
Madden and Nicholas Coombe), are kidnapped by bandits eager to locate Ma, Pa and
the pre-Columbian treasure from which the location of their dig takes its name.
Rescued by a family friend (Eugenio Derbez), the intrepid teens set out to find
Dora's folks before the thieves, led by a crafty fox (voice of Benicio del
Toro), can. The film's few rough edges are compensated for by its much-needed
presentation of positive role models for young people.
Watch out for: Unthreatening
action sequences, a childish scatological reference, one mildly crass oath.
Rated: A-II, adults and
adolescents; MPAA: PG
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2019