Dora the Explorer, the adventure-loving protagonist of the beloved animated children’s show, has had her fair share of dangerous encounters. But she might face her scariest foe yet in “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”: high school. A trailer for the live-action film reboot has dropped and sees the plucky, optimistic Dora (Isabela Moner) trying to find her place among surly teens and stuffy teachers — none of whom care about her survival skills or her previous jungle-based education.
As its title hints, an ancient city made of gold plays a big part of the film. Dora’s explorer parents (Eva Longoria and Michael Peña) are determined to find it, but want their daughter to sit this particular escapade out. “Exploring is not a game, and you don’t look before you leap,” her father says. So Dora is left behind to attend high school with her cousin Diego (Jeffrey Wahlberg).
Dora feels pretty out of her element until she, Diego, and two other classmates are kidnapped during a school field trip. The captors want Dora to lead them to her parents and, ergo, the Lost City of Gold. Dora and the rest manage to escape into the jungle (“Oh, look, Dora brought a knife on the field trip, everybody”) but must figure out a way to save her parents from the bad guys. Her friend and trusty monkey sidekick, Boots (voiced by Danny Trejo), of course, also comes along for the ride.
“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” hits theaters August 2. Created by Valerie Walsh, Eric Weiner, and Chris Gifford, the original “Dora the Explorer” ran from 2000-2014 on Nickelodeon.
