Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Animation
Likes: Noggin
Dislikes: "Dora the Explorer"
Hates: The free reign Swiper gets

The Show
Of all the television my daughter watches, few are as equally loved by her and disliked by me as Dora the Explorer. While my feeling that my little girl should have a nice solid grip on English before branching out into other tongues is a big part of my issue with Dora, it's certainly not the only one, as she's also a pushy little bugger who teaches that if you want someone to do something, all you need to do is incessantly berate them about it. (On a different note, did anyone else catch the fact that in the show only animals and inanimate objects speak just Spanish? Interesting bit ofinadvertent commentary there, no?)

Dora's adventures are all pretty similar, as some problem presents itself that involves travel, the path includes a few stops, and Dora has to follow those steps, overcome some obstacles (with requested input from the audience) and arrive at her goal. That's the story in the double length "Dora Saves the Snow Princess," as she reads her animal friends the story of a princess, an ice fairy and a witch. Suddenly though, they are pulled into the story book by the ice fairy, to help the princess. Naturally, the way to the tower where the princess is held captive is the last stop, after three other places.

The main story is pretty inconsequential, with a few action scenes, including running from a bear with the help of a Dora-like dogsled driver (huh?), and doesn't feel much different from her efforts to save the mermaids in that movie. These are some of the most recent episodes, which means Dora's voice is different, and incredibly, more annoying as she yells at you to answer her questions. It's not the only annoying change, as her monkey pal Boots has taken to frequently squealing in excitement, which makes me want to invite him to dinner, Faces of Death-style. Also of note is an increase in the amount of Spanish spoken in the episodes, sometimes without the English-then-Spanish repetition that aids understanding.

There are two other adventures, both centered on Dora's twin siblings (previously unknown to me.) In one, Dora is bringing them a new toy, an in-your-face jack-in-the-box, and in the other, Dora is taking her dog to a Twins Day party to see his twin brother (who they cruelly sent away it seems.) Once you get past the crippling repetition in the songs and dialogue, easily the most annoying part of the show, you can actually start to laugh at the more ridiculous parts of the series. Like, why does Dora need a map to find her way home from the toy store? Was she taken there in a blindfold? Why would Tico the Squirrel (and everyone in his car) look to me to tell him where potholes are, instead of watching where he's driving? And why do they put up with a thief like Swiper? Instead of telling him not to steal, throw him in jail! He's not going to change his tune. It's all part of the strange world of Dora the Explorer, and it's probably the reason why anyone over 5 years old shouldn't be watching.

The DVD
A one-disc release, this DVD is packed in a standard keepcase, which is wrapped in a pretty holofoil slipcover that repeats the cover art. Why these specialty covers can't be printed and inserted into the case, rather than wasting more paper, is a question I'd love to have an answer to. The disc features a static, full-frame menu, with options to watch all the episodes, select individual shows and check out the bonus features. There are no audio options and no subtitles, though closed captioning is included.

The Quality
The full-frame animation looks pretty good, as good as it's ever looked on TV, with nice bright color and just some minor issues with pixilation along thin black outlines. There are no obvious problems with dirt, damage or compression artifacts, resulting in an all-around solid presentation.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track is just what you'd expect from a kids cartoon, namely an average, right-down-the-middle track that offers up good, clean dialogue and strong music for the show's songs. There's nothing wrong here, but nothing to impress either.

The Extras
For once, there are a few real extras on a Nick cartoon DVD, and even if they aren't anything to write home about, they are welcome. First up is "Snow Princess Maze Adventure," a simple set-top game where you guide Dora through a multi-screen maze to the princess' castle. It might be of interest to the very young, with a song as the pay-off at the end, but any older kids will blow through it too quickly.

The other extra is the short "Pegasus" music video, which feels more like a deleted ending for the main episode. If you want to save your sanity, or have a kid with a really short attention span, this sums up the entire movie in short order.

The Bottom Line
Another short batch of Nick Jr. cartoons brings one lengthy special adventure that sticks to the standard Dora formula, along with a pair of stories starring her siblings, which all adds up to more of the same. The DVD looks and sounds about as good as possible and unlike most Nick DVDs, there are actual extras, even if they are of limited value. The same goes for the educational value of the main episode, so if that's important to you, and it is for me, you may want to try a different disc.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.