Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
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A teenage jungle explorer must navigate a perilous journey to Peru to rescue her parents from a group of mercenaries seeking a legendary city of gold.
The story
Ten years after her parents, Cole and Elena, began searching for the hidden Inca city of gold, Parapata, a now 16-year-old Dora Márquez is sent to stay with her cousin Diego's family in Los Angeles. While there, she meets new friends but faces social difficulties at her high school. During a class field trip, Dora and her classmates are kidnapped by mercenaries led by a man named Powell and flown to Peru. With the help of a man named Alejandro Gutierrez, the teens must navigate the jungle to find Dora's missing parents and the legendary city of gold.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dora Márquez, a 16-year-old jungle explorer, is sent to live with her cousin Diego in Los Angeles while her parents, Cole and Elena, search for the lost Inca city of Parapata. After a series of social mishaps at school, Dora and her new friends are kidnapped by mercenaries and taken to Peru. They are joined by Alejandro Gutierrez, who claims to be a friend of her parents. The group travels through the jungle, facing soldiers, quicksand, and hallucination-inducing spores. Along the way, Dora reconciles with Diego and Sammy warms up to her. They eventually find her parents, but Alejandro reveals himself as the mercenary leader. Boots helps the teens escape, and Dora leads them into Parapata to bargain for her parents' release. Inside the city, they solve puzzles and dodge traps. Alejandro falls into a trap while trying to claim the gold. Dora speaks to the city's queen in Quechua, explaining they only want to save her parents. She solves the final test with water, allowing a glimpse of the treasure. After Swiper steals a small idol, Dora restores it. The group returns home, where Diego and Sammy become a couple, and Dora decides to return to school in Los Angeles.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Bobin
- Writers
- Nicholas Stoller · screenplay; Matthew Robinson · screenplay; Tom Wheeler · story; Nicholas Stoller · story
- Cast and characters
- Isabela Moner · Dora; Eugenio Derbez · Alejandro; Michael Peña · Cole; Eva Longoria · Elena; Danny Trejo · Boots; Jeff Wahlberg · Diego; Madeleine Madden · Sammy; Nicholas Coombe · Randy
- Genres
- adventure; comedy; fantasy
- Themes
- friendship; bravery; cultural exploration
- Tone and mood
- family-friendly; adventurous
- Premise and plot tags
- live-action; based on animated series; teen adventure
- Source material / true-story basis
- Dora the Explorer animated television series
- Franchise connections
- Dora the Explorer
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a moderate box office success, grossing $120.6 million against a budget of $49 million.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
- Production trivia
- The film was released on the same day the 2000 animated television series ended.; Isabela Moner learned the Quechua language for her role.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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