Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado is directed by Alberto Belli and written by JT Billings. The film follows Dora, played by Samantha Lorraine, a kind, positive teen who has always dreamed of discovering the legendary Sol Dorado, which is said to grant any wish to the one who finds it. Raised alongside her best friend and cousin Diego (Jacob Rodriguez), Diego now works at Jungle World, an animal theme park. When Dora learns that her lifelong idol, explorer Camila, is also working there, she applies for a job—hoping not only to spend more time with Diego but also to meet Camila. However, Dora soon discovers that Camila is secretly using Jungle World as a front in her own search for Sol Dorado. As Dora digs deeper, she realises Camila isn’t the hero she once believed—she’s actually after Dora, who has a bracelet which is the map to Sol Dorado. At Jungle World, Dora becomes friends with Naiya (Mariana Garzón Toro) and her brother Sonny (Acston Luca Porto), who help her in her adventure. In a surprising twist, Diego and Naiya already share a history. Together, the group must follow the clues, outsmart Camila, and find Sol Dorado—before it’s too late.

Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado was a fantastic film that felt like a heartfelt love letter to the original Dora the Explorer TV series while skilfully reimagining it for a more mature audience. The story was captivating and kept me engaged throughout, with a few surprising twists along the way. The action scenes were exciting and well-executed; it had everything from car chases to sword fights and more. This film also goes more like the style of Indiana Jones and even references it at one point with the inclusion of horror elements like skeletons and creepy bugs that added some scares. The plot is full of action and excitement from the very start to the very end. What stood out most was the emotional connection I felt with the characters. Samantha Lorraine was perfect as Dora, delivering a vibrant, energetic performance. She really embraced the role, balancing humour with heart. One of the most charming aspects of her character was her unwavering positivity—even when others were unkind, she remained determined to stay upbeat. Samantha was incredible as Dora and was born to play her. Jacob Rodriguez is extremely talented and was equally great as Diego, offering a cool, laid-back contrast to Dora’s high-spirited energy, which made for some funny and dynamic interactions. Jacob also brings out a brave and kind side in his character. Mariana Garzón Toro was fantastic and stood out as Naiya, bringing a rebellious edge to the group. She was really badass, and I loved her stylish cool boots and outfits that matched her fierce attitude. Her character was funny in her own sarcastic way. I liked that as the story went on we saw more layers to her character. Acston Luca Porto was a joy to watch on screen and added humour and energy to Sonny. Though his younger age meant characters underlooked him, they learned to appreciate him as time went on, especially his sister. The entire cast had excellent chemistry and worked incredibly well together, making each character feel authentic and essential. I also liked the subplot involving Naiya and Diego’s relationship—it added depth and drama to the story, giving the plot more emotional layers. Overall, the cast was perfectly chosen, and their performances elevated the film and made it really enjoyable. Another element that contributes to the film’s more mature tone is the emotional storyline between Dora and Diego. Having spent their entire lives together, Diego is struggling with the fact that he wants to tell Dora he wants to leave to go to school somewhere else. This adds depth and emotional weight to the film, creating heartfelt moments. It is also more impactful as Dora doesn’t really have any human friends besides Diego, so in some ways it’s harder for her to let go of him, which was also slightly relatable. The locations and sets are also, with scenes filmed in real jungles that give the movie an adventurous and immersive feel. The sets, locations and characters’ outfits are all bright and colourful. The comedy throughout is well-executed, often drawing subtle nods to the original TV show. For example, one character yells “Go, Diego, go!” during a tense escape, and at another moment, a character jokes that something might have been swiped, prompting a classic “Ohh, man!” response. These references were clever and made me chuckle. One of my favourite funny moments was when a character said you’re my best friend, who I just met 15 minutes ago. Another thing I liked about this film is that they include the map song in a unique way. I also liked how they had an updated unique instrumental of the theme song. I much preferred this film to the previous one. The plot was stronger than previous versions, and it felt aimed more at an older, more mature teen audience and younger viewers, rather than being primarily targeted at young kids. Another fantastic element to this film is that it has an IMAX-style aspect ratio for certain scenes or probably a cheaper version of imax. Certain scenes have an aspect ratio that will get bigger, meaning you can see more on the top and bottom. I wish the whole film had been filmed that way.

When I spoke with the stars of Dora, the cast shared that the film was shot in a real jungle and that they worked with lots of real animals. Filming in the jungle gave them the chance to explore and go on their own mini-adventures. They also mentioned that they performed all their own stunt.

As well as talking with the cast I was also lucky enough to chat with JT Billings the writer of the film, he told me that, he started working on Dora over three years ago. When he first started working on the film he said that “The hardest question was: what journey do you give someone who’s already so good? Dora’s always been the one teaching us things — so what could she learn? Very late in the process, as I was trying to “map out” the movie, I had this idea: What if Dora lost her map? What would she do if she didn’t know where to go? Could she still lead? Still inspire? That question unlocked everything for me. It gave us a way to challenge her character without losing her spirit.” Once JT had that idea the story clicked with him. He also explained “Paramount and Nickelodeon were incredibly collaborative. They understood we were taking a big creative swing and fully supported it. That kind of support is rare, and I’m so grateful for it, because the story we set out to tell — Dora’s story — made it to the screen.”

While I really enjoyed Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado, there were a few very minor aspects I felt could have been improved. I would have liked a few more fight scenes featuring the main cast as it would have added to the excitement. The wish at the end also felt a bit underwhelming, but I like to think that its limitations were intentional and that it could only be used for a single person, rather than something grand like changing the whole world for the better. In that context, the smaller, more personal nature of the wish seemed to align with the film’s core message and theme. These are very slight improvements to an already great film.

Overall, Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado is a fantastic film packed with action, adventure, comedy, and just the right number of surprises and a few scares to keep things exciting. The film has a great cast who are all perfect for their roles and who all have great chemistry together, which brings the story to life. The sets and locations are visually stunning and add lots of atmosphere to the film. Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado is a really enjoyable, fun story.  The cast are all young talented actors who are going to be the next big stars of Hollywood. I highly recommend watching this new adventure film! 4 🌟

Full interview below

https://youtu.be/KRf-UdMkpH4?si=jVTXbgTHY9TvhL5s