Why 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold' is Today's Must-Watch Family Film
‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold’ was a punchline the second it came out due to being a live-action movie of a cartoon meant for very young kids (lots of jokes about Dora talking to the camera for 90 minutes), rumors of Michael Bay producing it (Dora, with explosions!), and some of the usual commentary about how Hollywood is out of ideas and is left to adapt a show meant for 5-year-old for an older teen/adult audience.
All the skepticism was earned; personally, I couldn’t get past the Michael Bay rumors (it turned out to be false). This was unfortunate because, had I known James Bobin was the director, I would have had a very different anticipation level (more on that later).
Box office-wise, it had a forgettable opening weekend and overall run, although reviews were surprisingly strong. I attributed it to low expectations, and due to aging Dora up, I didn’t think it would appeal much to my 5-year-old daughter.
Who would have thought it was not only a surprising delight but one of the best movies of 2019 (and possibly one of the best family movies of the last 10 years)?
Yes, you heard me: a ‘Dora The Explorer’ movie is one of the best family movies of the last 10 years (at least).
It’s a family movie not owned by Disney, so it has gotten little fanfare since its release. But, if you have kids, and even if you’re an adult who loves silly humor, it’s not only a must-see movie but a movie you’ll want in your annual viewing rotation.
Let’s get into why:
1) Its basically a Muppet movie without any Muppets
What do I mean by this, other than James Bobin directing? Muppet movies aren’t for everyone (as their recent box office reveals), but their core strength is being funny without being vulgar (despite their best attempts during that thankfully ill-fated network run on ABC with jokes about cross-species intercourse and Scooter running down people with golf carts. No, I will not link to any of this!).
Dora has this quality in spades: the raunchiest this movie gets is a poop joke (which is a legitimate poop joke in context). Otherwise, the humor is primarily based on the conceit of its plot (a wildly innocent and naïve girl in an otherwise jaded world), the Dora tv plot tropes (yep, she does talk to her map and backpack as well as the camera, and it all makes sense), as well as its characters, who all have a chance to be silly and have jokes made at their expense.
Oh, and just like the best Muppet Movies, it has humans getting flustered by animals as if they are people.
Also, it has Michael Pena being Michael Pena.
2) Dora is 3-dimensional character who you want to see more of.
a. Its an achievement by Isabela Merced to make Dora feel realistic, and yet obviously absurd enough to laugh with her and at her at times. As much as Dora is a caricature, she portrays a living breathing teenager whose awkwardness most adults can identify with on different levels. It’s a great example of how its ok to jump in completely naïve into a jaded world you don’t know anything about, and its ok if most people don’t get you. There will always be 4 people who do, and that’s who matters.
3) The Adventure is Perfect For Kids
a. This is not a great adventure movie by any stretch (the movie gets a little bogged down in the adventure exposition in the 2nd half of the movie.) The adults have seen every beat dozens of times before, but for kids, the adventure works because of the cast’s chemistry, and it’s sophisticated enough to open their eyes to the adventure in front of them. And oh, by the way, it’s super educational.
4) The cast has great chemistry and diversity.
a. We’ve already talked about Dora, but the rest of the cast also excels at charm, authentic awkwardness, and comedy. We’re particularly impressed with Madeline Madden, the actress, and the character she plays, Sammie. Sammie is a character that has gone wrong in countless movies before: the bookworm, Lisa Simpson-esque character who is the killjoy of the group and does nothing but nag the other characters. Sammie is not divorced from this stereotype, particularly in the beginning, but shows her humanity at many points in the movie and some legit comedic timing. In short, she’s a believable character.
b. Overall, of the 4 kids, only one is a white male, and he’s adorable. As we said, diversity is a plus, but better yet, you’d never notice it because they’re kids and act like everyday kids.
5) It doesn’t have a villain problem
a. This movie didn’t need to have a good villain for it to work, yet it made sure to have one that is loathsome and yet absurd. In truth, there are multiple villains in this movie, and they all have their comedic moments (If you can’t laugh at Boba Fett deadpan yelling at a fox to stop singing due to unprofessionalism, I have nothing for you, and yes, Boba Fett/Temura Morrison is in this movie.)
The big bad (so to speak) is a bit of a twist (adults will see this coming from a mile away), but I won’t spoil it here. As far as big villains go, considering the stakes, he’s sinister, greedy, and anti-fun, but also (importantly) ridiculous: his premature victory dance is something to behold.
It’s a villain performance you’ll enjoy while not being scary at all for kids who easily have nightmares.
6) It has a huge heart
a. We’re in an era where nihilism prevails, but sometimes, we need to leave a movie hopeful for the future, thinking, “The Kids Are Alright.” ‘Dora and The Lost City of Gold’ doesn’t have lofty ambitions, but it does want to be a movie that tells kids it’s ok to be a dork because there are always other dorks like you. Always.
In this crazy world, we need friendship more than anything, and we need people looking past other people’s differences for commonalities. This movie has this in spades.
Also, I love how they ended the movie with a catchy rendition of the Dora song “Oh Hooray We Did It”, with the 4 friends (and eventually the school) all dancing together on school property (remember, the school was laughing at Dora earlier in the movie).
Cynics will call the ending and the movie corny, and to some extent, it's true, but it's missing the point. ’Dora and the Lost City of Gold’ is not interested in competing with other gross-out movies or peddling tropes like “this is how kids REALLY think”. The Dora movie believes in innocence, which is indeed as quaint a value as some of the values the Westerns peddled in the 60s and 70s.
Innocence, though, is funny: you want to get rid of it as soon as possible growing up. You come to realize that the older you get, the more you want it back. Cynicism keeps you safe from predators but also safe from joy. Innocence opens up the door again.
Put ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold’ on your watchlist because some of the great movies are those that make you giggle like a kid at the absurdities of life and the joys of living.