Dora The Explorer star Isabela Moner believes the forthcoming big screen adaptation of the popular television series will deliver everything fans will be looking for. Running from 2000 to 2014 on Nickelodeon, Dora The Explorer follows the titular young adventurer on her travels alongside an anthropomorphic monkey and a talking backpack. Dora's quests were usually interrupted by the appearance of Swiper, a fox committed to a life of hard crime. Episodes of Dora The Explorer were, of course, highly educational for their young audience, helping them to develop mathematical and linguistic skills, while also preaching messages of kindness and equality.
In October of last year, it was revealed that Dora would be getting the live-action movie treatment at the hands of none other than Michael Bay - a move that sounded suspiciously like the infamous FunnyOrDie parody. Since then, it has been announced that James Bobin will be directing the adaptation, with Nick Stoller and Andrew Form writing the script. Although Bay's production company will be working on the film, it seems the man himself won't directly be involved. Starring in the title role will be Isabela Moner, who'll be portraying a teenage version of the iconic animated character.
Related: Dora The Explorer Live Action Movie Now Has A Villain
Screen Rant recently had the chance to interview Moner while the young actress was on promotional duties for Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and couldn't pass up the opportunity to inquire about the progress of the Dora The Explorer movie:
SR: I know you have Dora the Explorer coming out. How excited are you for that, and did you watch Dora growing up? What do you think the tone of the film is going to be?
Isabela Moner: Um, so I... of course, yes. I watched Dora growing up. I'm bilingual and she's like my icon. So I read the script and I wasn't really sure I was going to do it, but when I read the script it was so funny and it was so like, I think it captured everything that audiences would have wanted to see in that childhood, you know, star, obviously. And it is a leap from this (Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado) but I think versatility is important and it's up to me to prove to people I can do it.
For those skeptical about Dora's transition to the big screen, it's somewhat reassuring that Moner herself admits she was wary about the project prior to reading the script, but was convinced otherwise by the movie's humor. The actress is also certainly not wrong when she mentions the stark contrast between her current movie, a crime thriller about the U.S-Mexico drug business, and her forthcoming portrayal of a Nickelodeon cartoon character. However, if Moner proves her versatility and excels in both roles, the actress may find herself one of the most sought after young stars in Hollywood.
It is interesting however, that Moner promises Dora The Explorer will deliver what fans "would have wanted to see." Since the TV series first started eighteen years ago, many people familiar with the character are going to be adults by now and as a result, it's not immediately obvious how the movie is going to be pitched. Will it stick to the tone of the original and aim to bring in a new audience of youngsters or will it take a more realistic, comedic approach and seek to give fans of the original series a nostalgia-tinged parody? Moner's comments seem to suggest the latter is more likely.
