“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” is among the strangest live actions to have ever been released. It is the embodiment of the flood of live action movie releases; its creation was entirely unprompted and the experience of watching it felt unreal. Audience expectations were set low for the film, but many people were surprised by the quality of the film. This, by no means, makes the movie extraordinary. To say the least, it was impressive how the movie was executed. It somehow managed to infuse the Dora with the energy of the “Indiana Jones” franchise.
The Dora-based live action follows a fish-out-of-water format combined with an adventure action film. Dora (Isabel Moner) has lived in the Peruvian jungle her whole life, searching for the lost Incan city of Parapata. Her cousin, Diego (Malachi Barton) moved to Los Angeles, leaving Dora and her parents (Michael Peña and Eva Longoria) to find the city on their own. After ten years, Dora’s parents discover the location of Parapata, and send Dora to Diego’s high school. On a school field trip, Dora and her newfound companions get kidnapped by mercenaries and sent to the Peruvian jungle. Dora’s group overcomes obstacles and solves puzzles, seeking out Parapata and Dora’s parents.
Isabela Moner seemed to enjoy the role that she was given, her excitement for the whole movie making it hard not to smile while she’s on screen. In a movie whose premise seems grim, Moner manages to brighten the tone of the movie with her enthusiasm. Her performance embodies Dora’s demeanor in the original show without being cringeworthy, a feat that not many actors can produce. Additionally, she outshines most of her co-stars in a shocking turn of events.
Adults who enter the movie cynically may be pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the movie. There was a clear effort to make the movie more enjoyable for all audiences. The age demographic that would find the most enjoyment in the film are young children, but adults can also watch this movie without wanting to die for every second of the movie. It is aware of its absurdity, and takes advantage of this fact. The film doesn’t have much low-brow comedy, and that made it clear that the directors wanted this to be an experience for the whole family rather than trying to cash in on an easy market.
Unfortunately, the movie has not made back the money from its production budget. As of August 2019, the movie has only made approximately $34 million of its $49 million production budget through domestic releases. The marketing for this film was nearly non-existent, and it is the main cause for its poor performance in the box office. People who did hear about it expected the film to be much worse than what it actually was, and decided that they would not give the movie a chance. Movie-goers should approach this movie understanding that the movie is aware of its absurdity, and accept that it is truly a hidden treasure in the recent live action releases.
