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Dora the Explorer: City of Lost Toys
Paramount // Unrated // June 3, 2003
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
"Dora the Explorer is a television show which airs on the Nickelodeon cable network, during their Nick Jr. segment of programmng. Nick Jr. features shows, such as "Blue's Clues", which are aimed at younger viewers, predominantly between the ages of 2-6 years old.
As with the other Nick Jr. programs, "Dora the Explorer" balances entertainment and education. The show focuses on Dora (voiced by Kathleen Herles), a young Latina girl who loves to explore. Assisted by her friend, Boots the Monkey (voiced by Harrison Chad), Dora goes on many adventures to solve puzzles, find lost items, or to help her friends. With the aid of her trusty Map (voiced by Marc Weiner), Dora finds her way to the destination. But, she is always on the look-out for Swiper the Fox (also voiced by Weiner), who loves to take Dora's belongings.
The show's educational emphases falls on problem solving, memorization, and language skills. On each show, Dora must find her way to a particular location. The viewer is asked to help Dora plan her route. Once the map has been examined, Map asks the viewer to remember the three main landmarks for the route, so that they can be repeated to Dora. Finally, Dora is bilingual, and peppers her speech with Spanish words and phrases, making it easy for young viewers to learn basic words such as "open" and "grandmother" in Spanish. The show has strategically timed pauses in which the audience is asked to give an answer, and the use of a mouse icon gives the entire program the feel of an interactive game.
The "City of Lost Toys" DVD contains four episodes of the show, although two of these episodes are presented as bonus features. (Which leads to the DVD's one technical glitch. The "Play All" selection on the main menu is a misnomer, as it will only play the first two episodes.) In "The Lost City", Dora and Boots serach for the "City of Lost Toys" so that Dora can find her teddy bear. They also search for other items that their friends have lost. This theme continues in "Lost Squeaky", in which Boots' squeaky toy bounces away, and he and Dora must retrieve it. Benny the Bull is in trouble in "Sticky Tape", as his hot air balloon has sprung a leak. So, Dora has to go on a quest for sticky tape to help Benny. Finally, Boots gets a hankering for blueberries, so he and Dora go on a "Berry Hunt".
The mixture of interactivity and charming characters make "Dora the Explorer" a winner for young viewers.
Video
As it's a children's TV show, "Dora the Explorer" is presented on this DVD in a full-frame format. To put it very simply, the episodes on this disc look great, clearly rivaling/surpassing digial broadcast quality. The colors are striking and very rich. The image is sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects.
Audio
The DVD offers a Dolby Digital stereo English track. (Ironically, there is no Spanish track or Spanish subtitles.) The sound is clear, showing no signs of hissing or defects. The track is well-balanced, with the nearly constant music never drowning out the dialogue. Stereo effects are sparse, but younger viewers shouldn't mind this.
Extras
Aside from the aforementioned "Bonus Episodes", this DVD contains flash cards, which offer certain words in both English and Spanish. There is also a short called "Oobi", in which two hands with eyes take a bath together. This frighten my daughter greatly. Finally, there is a text parent's guide which describes the aims of "Dora the Explorer" and Nick Jr.
It can be challenging for an adult to watch a children's show, but I've got to ask; Where are Dora's parents? Why do they let her wander around with that monkey? Didn't they see "Outbreak"? (Actually Dora's parents have been on the show, and seem like nice people, but come on, they're way too lenient).
"Dora the Explorer is a television show which airs on the Nickelodeon cable network, during their Nick Jr. segment of programmng. Nick Jr. features shows, such as "Blue's Clues", which are aimed at younger viewers, predominantly between the ages of 2-6 years old.
As with the other Nick Jr. programs, "Dora the Explorer" balances entertainment and education. The show focuses on Dora (voiced by Kathleen Herles), a young Latina girl who loves to explore. Assisted by her friend, Boots the Monkey (voiced by Harrison Chad), Dora goes on many adventures to solve puzzles, find lost items, or to help her friends. With the aid of her trusty Map (voiced by Marc Weiner), Dora finds her way to the destination. But, she is always on the look-out for Swiper the Fox (also voiced by Weiner), who loves to take Dora's belongings.
The show's educational emphases falls on problem solving, memorization, and language skills. On each show, Dora must find her way to a particular location. The viewer is asked to help Dora plan her route. Once the map has been examined, Map asks the viewer to remember the three main landmarks for the route, so that they can be repeated to Dora. Finally, Dora is bilingual, and peppers her speech with Spanish words and phrases, making it easy for young viewers to learn basic words such as "open" and "grandmother" in Spanish. The show has strategically timed pauses in which the audience is asked to give an answer, and the use of a mouse icon gives the entire program the feel of an interactive game.
The "City of Lost Toys" DVD contains four episodes of the show, although two of these episodes are presented as bonus features. (Which leads to the DVD's one technical glitch. The "Play All" selection on the main menu is a misnomer, as it will only play the first two episodes.) In "The Lost City", Dora and Boots serach for the "City of Lost Toys" so that Dora can find her teddy bear. They also search for other items that their friends have lost. This theme continues in "Lost Squeaky", in which Boots' squeaky toy bounces away, and he and Dora must retrieve it. Benny the Bull is in trouble in "Sticky Tape", as his hot air balloon has sprung a leak. So, Dora has to go on a quest for sticky tape to help Benny. Finally, Boots gets a hankering for blueberries, so he and Dora go on a "Berry Hunt".
The mixture of interactivity and charming characters make "Dora the Explorer" a winner for young viewers.
Video
As it's a children's TV show, "Dora the Explorer" is presented on this DVD in a full-frame format. To put it very simply, the episodes on this disc look great, clearly rivaling/surpassing digial broadcast quality. The colors are striking and very rich. The image is sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects.
Audio
The DVD offers a Dolby Digital stereo English track. (Ironically, there is no Spanish track or Spanish subtitles.) The sound is clear, showing no signs of hissing or defects. The track is well-balanced, with the nearly constant music never drowning out the dialogue. Stereo effects are sparse, but younger viewers shouldn't mind this.
Extras
Aside from the aforementioned "Bonus Episodes", this DVD contains flash cards, which offer certain words in both English and Spanish. There is also a short called "Oobi", in which two hands with eyes take a bath together. This frighten my daughter greatly. Finally, there is a text parent's guide which describes the aims of "Dora the Explorer" and Nick Jr.
It can be challenging for an adult to watch a children's show, but I've got to ask; Where are Dora's parents? Why do they let her wander around with that monkey? Didn't they see "Outbreak"? (Actually Dora's parents have been on the show, and seem like nice people, but come on, they're way too lenient).
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