Dora and the Lost City of Gold
Detailed parental analysis
Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a light-hearted family adventure, carried along by a deliberately offbeat tone and a generous dose of self-mockery. A teenage girl raised in the jungle by archaeologist parents finds herself thrust into an American high school, then swept up in an expedition to find a lost Incan city. The film is aimed primarily at primary school children and pre-teens, with enough second-degree humour to keep parents entertained.
Underlying Values
The film's central message is clear and repeated: be yourself without trying to conform to others' expectations. Dora embodies an overflowing intellectual curiosity and self-confidence that the narrative never punishes, even when she is mocked. The moral distinction between explorers and treasure hunters is sharp and unambiguous: knowledge and cultural transmission are presented as legitimate ends, personal enrichment as a corrupted motivation. The film also strongly values teamwork and perseverance, and reserves the resolution of the plot for the teenagers themselves, with adults being systematically outmatched or absent at the crucial moment.
Violence
The film contains several action sequences that could be potentially anxiety-inducing for younger viewers: teenagers are shot at with arrows, trapped in quicksand, locked in an aqueduct that fills with water, and exposed to classic temple traps of the genre. A kidnapping scene involving armed mercenaries, during which the children are gassed, is the most intense in the film. Violence remains within the codes of the family adventure film, however: it is neither gory nor gratuitous, characters consistently escape unharmed, and tension is quickly defused by humour. For a child under 7 years old, some of these sequences may nonetheless cause genuine fright.
Substances
A hallucinogenic sequence deserves to be flagged: the characters involuntarily inhale plant spores and find themselves in an altered state, represented visually by a transformation into cartoon characters. The scene is treated in a comic and whimsical manner, without explicit glamorisation, but it concretely introduces the notion of consciousness alteration by a natural substance. It is a simple entry point for a conversation about the effects of drugs, even when presented in a light-hearted way.
Language
The language is generally very mild. A few slightly informal expressions punctuate the dialogue, without notable vulgarity. Scatological humour is present recurrently, with jokes about flatulence and bowel movements, including a song about needing to use the toilet. This register is clearly calibrated to make primary school children laugh and may seem childish to pre-teens.
Parental and Family Portrayals
Dora's parents are positive and loving figures, but their physical absence for much of the film is structurally significant: it is precisely this absence that allows the children to act autonomously and succeed where adults fail. The film does not criticise parents, but it constructs its narrative on the idea that teenagers are capable of managing on their own, even better than adults in certain situations.
Strengths
The film succeeds in its aim of adapting a children's animated series whilst preserving its spirit without reproducing its naivety. The self-mockery is well-balanced: Dora herself gently pokes fun at the codes of the original series, which creates an amusing distance without betraying the character's spirit. The narrative construction is solid for the genre, with a brisk pace and well-linked plot twists. The film also conveys a genuine interest in archaeology, pre-Columbian civilisations and intellectual curiosity as a driver of action, which gives it a slight educational value beyond mere entertainment.
Age recommendation and discussion points
The film is suitable from age 8 onwards for relaxed viewing; below that age, certain action scenes and the kidnapping by armed mercenaries may be anxiety-inducing. Two interesting angles for discussion after viewing: why Dora does not seek to change in order to please her classmates, and what distinguishes, in the child's view, an explorer from a treasure hunter.
Synopsis
Dora, a girl who has spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, now must navigate her most dangerous adventure yet: high school. Always the explorer, Dora quickly finds herself leading Boots (her best friend, a monkey), Diego, and a rag tag group of teens on an adventure to save her parents and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost Inca civilization.
About this title
- Format
- Feature film
- Year
- 2019
- Runtime
- 1h 42m
- Countries
- United States of America
- Original language
- EN
- Directed by
- James Bobin
- Main cast
- Isabela Merced, Jeffrey Wahlberg, Madeleine Madden, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Peña, Eva Longoria, Benicio del Toro, Madelyn Miranda, Malachi Barton, Dee Bradley Baker
- Studios
- Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Players, Walden Media, Paramount Pictures, MRC
Content barometer
- Violence2/5Moderate
- Fear2/5A few scenes
- Sexuality1/5Allusions
- Language1/5Mild
- Narrative complexity2/5Moderate
- Adult themes1/5Mild
Watch-outs
Values conveyed
- Courage
- Friendship
- Acceptance of difference
- Perseverance
- Autonomy
- teamwork
- curiosity