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Dora the Explorer: Dora's Pirate Adventure
Paramount // G // January 27, 2004
List Price: $16.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Dora the Explorer is a children's show (aimed roughly at pre-schoolers) which air on the Nickelodeon cable network, and is one of the most popular shows of its kind. Up until recently, the show was broadcast in the standard half-hour format. But, that all changed with the airing of Dora's Pirate Adventure a 45-minute mini-movie (which would have accounted for an hour of broadcast time with commercials). Now, Dora's "first double-length musical episode" has come to DVD, complete with bonus episodes.
Dora the Explorer follows the adventures of a young girl named, Dora (voiced by Kathleen Herles). Dora loves exploring the countryside and going on adventures with her best friend, Boots the Monkey (voiced by Harrison Chad). (For the moment, we won't discuss why any parents in their right minds would let their child wander to and fro with a monkey.) She and Boots have many friends who they often encounter on their adventures, while they inevitably run into Swiper the Fox (voiced by Marc Weiner), a mean fox who likes to steal things from Dora. (Well, he doesn't really steal them, he actually just throws them into the woods, but that's still bothersome.) In Dora's Pirate Adventure, Dora and her friends, including her cousin Diego (voiced by Gabriel Alvarez) (a recent addition to the show -- to add more appeal for boys?), are going to put on a play for their parents. The play is to be a pirate adventure. But, before the show can go on, the Pirate Pig Captain (voiced by John Leguizamo) and his crew steal Dora's costume chest, thinking that the chest contains treasure. Now, Dora and her friends must follow The Map (voiced by Marc Weiner) and conquer three obstacles in order to get the costumes back. (One of the obstacles is a singing bridge, voiced by Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough).
The DVD also includes two "bonus" episodes, but as most young viewers will most likely watch all three episodes at once, I'll discuss them here, as opposed to the bonus features section. In "Dora Saves the Prince", Dora is excited about her new story-book, which concerns a young prince who has been captured and imprisoned by a mean witch. So, taking a page from Blue's Clues, Dora and Boots leap into the book and go on an adventure to save the Prince. The other episode is entitled "El Coqui", which is the Spanish word for frog. (I think.) Dora and Boots meet El Coqui, a young frog who has gotten lost. He has a beautiful singing voice, but can only sing when he is on his home island. So, Dora and Boots, being the good Samaritans that they are, offer to help El Coqui get home.
If you have a pre-schooler at home, you are probably more than familiar with Dora the Explorer, and as these shows go, it is one of the better ones out there. For entertainment value, Dora the Explorer offers an ensemble of fun and colorful characters, which combine a young girl (with which the target audience can relate) as well as a menagerie of talking animals. (Although, Diego's jaguar can't talk. What's up with that? Maybe it's because he's a baby.) The show is well-paced and Dora constantly invites the viewer to participate in her adventures. (The show plays like an interactive video game and Dora expects verbal responses from the audience in order to continue her trip.) As far as educational merit, Dora the Explorer encourages problem-solving skills and creative thinking. In each show, Dora must traverse a certain route and has to use her deductive skills to find the best way to her destination, and this often includes solving puzzles. Also, Dora and her friends often use specific Spanish words, so the show aids in learning a new language. Often, the shows will include a social-lesson as well.
The three episodes included on this DVD are all very good and exhibit the core appeal of Dora the Explorer. The somewhat longer Dora's Pirate Adventure is especially good, as it offers a selection of entertaining songs, and having John Leguizamo along for the ride doesn't hurt.
Video
Dora the Explorer: Dora's Pirate Adventure finds its way to DVD courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The three episodes offered on this DVD are all presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. The shows look very good, as the images are very sharp and clear. There is no grain to be had here, nor are there any defects from the source material. The colors are vibrant and nearly leap off of the screen. There is some flickering of the image at times, but otherwise, the video presentation is very good.
Audio
The episodes contained on this DVD offer Dolby Digital Stereo audio tracks. These tracks provide clear dialogue with no distortion. While these tracks are unremarkable, they do their job well, as the songs in Dora's Pirate Adventure sound especially good and the occasional use of stereo effects are effective, most notably Swiper the Fox's trademark sound.
Extras
This DVD contains a handful of extras. There are sing-alongs for two songs from Dora's Pirate Adventure. With "Dora's Flash Cards", viewers see an object and then hear Dora name the object in both English and Spanish, thus continuing the language lessons started by the show. "Sing a Pirate Song" is a set-top activity in which viewers can arrange different words and icons to create their own song. Finally, we have a clip from the Noggin show "Oobi", which features a talking hand with eyes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not sleeping tonight!
Dora the Explorer continues to be one of the finest shows on television for pre-schoolers and the Dora's Pirate Adventure DVD shows why. The three episodes included here are fun and entertaining and should experience a great deal of replay.
Dora the Explorer is a children's show (aimed roughly at pre-schoolers) which air on the Nickelodeon cable network, and is one of the most popular shows of its kind. Up until recently, the show was broadcast in the standard half-hour format. But, that all changed with the airing of Dora's Pirate Adventure a 45-minute mini-movie (which would have accounted for an hour of broadcast time with commercials). Now, Dora's "first double-length musical episode" has come to DVD, complete with bonus episodes.
Dora the Explorer follows the adventures of a young girl named, Dora (voiced by Kathleen Herles). Dora loves exploring the countryside and going on adventures with her best friend, Boots the Monkey (voiced by Harrison Chad). (For the moment, we won't discuss why any parents in their right minds would let their child wander to and fro with a monkey.) She and Boots have many friends who they often encounter on their adventures, while they inevitably run into Swiper the Fox (voiced by Marc Weiner), a mean fox who likes to steal things from Dora. (Well, he doesn't really steal them, he actually just throws them into the woods, but that's still bothersome.) In Dora's Pirate Adventure, Dora and her friends, including her cousin Diego (voiced by Gabriel Alvarez) (a recent addition to the show -- to add more appeal for boys?), are going to put on a play for their parents. The play is to be a pirate adventure. But, before the show can go on, the Pirate Pig Captain (voiced by John Leguizamo) and his crew steal Dora's costume chest, thinking that the chest contains treasure. Now, Dora and her friends must follow The Map (voiced by Marc Weiner) and conquer three obstacles in order to get the costumes back. (One of the obstacles is a singing bridge, voiced by Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough).
The DVD also includes two "bonus" episodes, but as most young viewers will most likely watch all three episodes at once, I'll discuss them here, as opposed to the bonus features section. In "Dora Saves the Prince", Dora is excited about her new story-book, which concerns a young prince who has been captured and imprisoned by a mean witch. So, taking a page from Blue's Clues, Dora and Boots leap into the book and go on an adventure to save the Prince. The other episode is entitled "El Coqui", which is the Spanish word for frog. (I think.) Dora and Boots meet El Coqui, a young frog who has gotten lost. He has a beautiful singing voice, but can only sing when he is on his home island. So, Dora and Boots, being the good Samaritans that they are, offer to help El Coqui get home.
If you have a pre-schooler at home, you are probably more than familiar with Dora the Explorer, and as these shows go, it is one of the better ones out there. For entertainment value, Dora the Explorer offers an ensemble of fun and colorful characters, which combine a young girl (with which the target audience can relate) as well as a menagerie of talking animals. (Although, Diego's jaguar can't talk. What's up with that? Maybe it's because he's a baby.) The show is well-paced and Dora constantly invites the viewer to participate in her adventures. (The show plays like an interactive video game and Dora expects verbal responses from the audience in order to continue her trip.) As far as educational merit, Dora the Explorer encourages problem-solving skills and creative thinking. In each show, Dora must traverse a certain route and has to use her deductive skills to find the best way to her destination, and this often includes solving puzzles. Also, Dora and her friends often use specific Spanish words, so the show aids in learning a new language. Often, the shows will include a social-lesson as well.
The three episodes included on this DVD are all very good and exhibit the core appeal of Dora the Explorer. The somewhat longer Dora's Pirate Adventure is especially good, as it offers a selection of entertaining songs, and having John Leguizamo along for the ride doesn't hurt.
Video
Dora the Explorer: Dora's Pirate Adventure finds its way to DVD courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The three episodes offered on this DVD are all presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. The shows look very good, as the images are very sharp and clear. There is no grain to be had here, nor are there any defects from the source material. The colors are vibrant and nearly leap off of the screen. There is some flickering of the image at times, but otherwise, the video presentation is very good.
Audio
The episodes contained on this DVD offer Dolby Digital Stereo audio tracks. These tracks provide clear dialogue with no distortion. While these tracks are unremarkable, they do their job well, as the songs in Dora's Pirate Adventure sound especially good and the occasional use of stereo effects are effective, most notably Swiper the Fox's trademark sound.
Extras
This DVD contains a handful of extras. There are sing-alongs for two songs from Dora's Pirate Adventure. With "Dora's Flash Cards", viewers see an object and then hear Dora name the object in both English and Spanish, thus continuing the language lessons started by the show. "Sing a Pirate Song" is a set-top activity in which viewers can arrange different words and icons to create their own song. Finally, we have a clip from the Noggin show "Oobi", which features a talking hand with eyes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not sleeping tonight!
Dora the Explorer continues to be one of the finest shows on television for pre-schoolers and the Dora's Pirate Adventure DVD shows why. The three episodes included here are fun and entertaining and should experience a great deal of replay.
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