When Isabela Moner first heard that the beloved animated Nickelodeon show “Dora the Explorer” was getting an aged-up, live-action adaptation, she was admittedly concerned about the idea.
“It’s natural to wonder if what you love is going to be corrupted just to make money off us fans,” said the 18-year-old star of “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” (opening Aug. 9). “I was skeptical about what Hollywood would do to something that was special to me.”
But that’s not the case here, stresses Moner, because the movie has everything kids and parents remember about the series, which debuted in 2000. That includes Dora’s signature look: bangs, a hot pink shirt and bright orange shorts.
Moner, who starred in “Instant Family,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” “100 Things to Do Before High School” and “Transformers: The Last Knight,” isn’t just your average teen nostalgic about the bilingual exploradora’s adventures – she was involved in the show’s animated 2014 spinoff “Dora and Friends,” which turned Dora from a 7-year-old to a tween. Moner was the voice of one of the friends, Kate, so playing the high school version of Dora came naturally to her.
“When I read the script and realized it was really clever and fun and kid-friendly, I thought ‘this will work,’ ” the Cleveland, Ohio, native said. “It’s very touching to see all the characters and animals, Boots, the backpack and the songs.”
In the movie, Dora lives with her archaeologist parents (Eva Longoria and Michael Peña) in the South American jungle, with only pet monkey Boots to keep her company. When her parents go to Peru to search for a legendary Incan city of gold, they send the previously home-schooled Dora to live with her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg) and his family in Los Angeles, California.
Trusting and enthusiastic, Dora is the ultimate fish out of water when she…
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