Dora and The Lost City of Gold

Dora and The Lost City of Gold brings a beloved childhood favorite to the big screen.

But is it worth a visit to the theater?

Every parent loves at least one of their children’s cartoon shows more than they would publicly admit. One of those shows for me was Dora the Explorer. I loved the show because of the adventure element, the Spanish, and Dora’s joyful attitude. I am not ashamed to admit that I was excited about the prospect of a Dora movie. I was also worried. Honestly, there are not too many family-friendly movies based on teenagers these days.I attended an early screening of the new Dora movie with three girls, ages 16, 14, and 11. The girls were not sure what to expect from the movie. When the movie opened up with a pretty cheesy cartoon scene, the girls groaned, but I was delighted. It reminded me of my early days as a mother. However, the rest of the movie had a teen-girl approved level of cheesiness. The seemingly purposeful cheesiness was perfectly balanced by adventure, comedy, and action. Even better, there was no inappropriate language or adult content. I would say Dora and The Lost City of Gold is a perfect family movie if not for a couple brief ideologically-inspired moments of dialogue. However, those scenes are not important and your kids probably won’t even notice them (although you might roll your eyes a little).

This movie will not win the Oscar for best picture, but it is a fun family-movie that you can enjoy with your kiddos. Go see it!

Here is the official synopsis:

Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, nothing could prepare Dora for her most dangerous adventure ever – High School. Always the explorer, Dora quickly finds herself leading Boots (her best friend, a monkey), Diego, a mysterious jungle inhabitant, and a rag tag group of teens on a live-action adventure to save her parents and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost city of gold.

Rating: PG for action and some impolite humor

Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes