There are quite a few differences between the new live-action movie Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado and the original animated Dora the Explorer series. Sol Dorado is the second feature to adapt the iconic cartoon into live-action, though it is a standalone following Dora (Samantha Lorraine) and her cousin Diego (Jacob Rodriguez) on a brand-new adventure.

There are a number of major changes beyond the obvious adjustments to the premise, which included making Dora and Diego teenagers and adding original live-action characters to the Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado cast, such as the villainous henchman Beetle (Christian Gnecco Quintero), Diego’s girlfriend Naiya (Mariana Garzón Toro), and Naiya’s younger brother Sonny (Acston Luca Porto).

1

Dora Doesn’t Sing As Much In Dora And The Search For Sol Dorado

Only One Of Dora’s Iconic Songs Remains

One element of the original Dora the Explorer character that is not retained in Sol Dorado is the fact that she sings frequently in the cartoon show. In addition to the show’s theme song, the character performed a variety of songs to indicate various recurring actions, including leaving on an adventure, consulting Map, and opening Backpack.

It seems that the songs were removed so the live-action Sol Dorado would feel more realistic. However, young Dora is seen singing “I’m the Map” to herself in flashbacks, both because it makes more sense for a child to sing and because Map and Dora’s belief in its powers are major elements of her character arc in the movie.

2

Dora Rarely Speaks To The Camera

The Cartoon Frequently Involves Direct Address

In the original cartoon series, the viewer is as much of a character as Dora, Diego, and Boots. This is because Dora frequently asks the audience for help with finding various objects, because the show was designed to directly engage children in the narrative while teaching them Spanish words.

The previous live-action movie, 2019’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold, had a recurring gag where Dora (Isabela Merced) addressed the camera, baffling the other characters around her.

However, Dora rarely speaks directly to the audience in the new movie. While she does address the camera periodically throughout her adventure, particularly in the ending of Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado, these moments are played as brief throwback references rather than anything integral to the storyline.

3

Dora And The Search For Sol Dorado Changes Diego’s Personality

The Live-Action Character Feels Completely Different

One of the core components of Diego’s character in Dora the Explorer and the spinoff Go, Diego, Go! is the fact that he is brave and adventurous, just like his cousin. While certain elements of his character were maintained in Sol Dorado, including his use of the versatile Rescue Pack, he is presented as much more of a coward in the new movie.

While Diego still accompanies Dora on her adventures in the movie, Sol Dorado extrapolates his overall personality from his position as Dora’s rescuer. This means that he has been changed into a more cautious and nervous character, who is constantly calculating risks and expressing fear that Dora might endanger herself.

4

Boots Technically Doesn’t Speak English In Dora And The Search For Sol Dorado

One Brief Moment Changes Everything

The original Dora the Explorer show takes place in a cartoon universe where animals can speak, and it is never questioned. This includes Dora’s best friend, Boots, who is a periwinkle monkey that wears red boots. Boots accompanies Dora on the majority of her adventures in the show. He also does so in Sol Dorado, though his speech is limited.

Dora and Boots chatter to one another in monkey language…

Although the beginning of the movie depicts him speaking to Dora without her being shocked by his abilities, a later scene reveals that the other characters around her cannot hear Boots speaking English. Instead, Dora and Boots chatter to one another in monkey language. When Boots is depicted speaking English, it is being translated from monkey language for the audience.

This may explain why Boots is used as more of a comic relief supporting character in the movie rather than being a co-lead, as he is in the series. Because he does not possess the ability to speak to the rest of the cast of characters, it would not make sense for him to play a major role in the same way.

5

Swiper Doesn’t Speak At All

The Character Has Multiple Catchphrases In The Show

Another character whose ability to speak is curtailed in the live-action universe of Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado is Swiper. In the cartoon, Swiper is an orange fox who loves to sneak around and steal things. He is typically thwarted when he is caught by the audience and Dora says “Swiper, no swiping!” three times.

Although Swiper has a number of catchphrases in the original series, including “oh, man,” another way that Sol Dorado makes the world around Dora more realistic is that he does not speak at all during the movie. This makes sense in-universe because Dora has not met him before, so she has not had a reason to learn fox language.

6

Swiper Looks Completely Different In Dora And The Search For Sol Dorado

He Received A Significant Redesign

Swiper losing the ability to speak is far from the only major change that was made to the character in the new movie. While 2019’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold depicts Swiper in a more cartoon-accurate way, making him a bipedal fox in a bandanna, this is not the case in The Search for Sol Dorado.

Swiper was voiced by Benicio del Toro in Dora and the Lost City of Gold.

In Sol Dorado, Swiper looks almost completely unrecognizable, because he is depicted as a fox who looks more or less real and is only slightly anthropomorphized in his behavior. This is very different from the movie’s depiction of Boots, who retains a slightly cartoonish colorization and is allowed to keep the footwear that gives him his name.

7

Map Is Not Sentient In Dora And The Search For Sol Dorado

Map Is A Major Character In The Show

Another one of the more cartoonish elements in the original Dora the Explorer is the fact that many inanimate objects that Dora brings along on her adventures are sentient, have eyes, and can speak. This includes Map, who can not only speak but sings the song “I’m the Map,” which makes multiple appearances in the movie, as sung by Dora.

While Map does not speak in Sol Dorado, it is depicted in a slightly magical realist way. This is because Dora fervently believes that Map is magic, which leads to her feeling lost and aimless when it is accidentally burned in a fire. However, over the course of the movie, she learns that Map’s magic always came from within her.

​​​​​​​

8

Backpack Is Not Sentient Either

The Character Is Reduced To An Object

In Dora the Explorer, Backpack is another character, like Map, who proves useful to Dora on her adventures. When Backpack comes into play, she also has a signature song. Read the lyrics of her song below:

Backpack, backpack

Backpack, backpack

I’m the backpack loaded up with things and knickknacks too

Anything that you might need, I got inside for you

Backpack, backpack

Backpack, backpack

Unlike Map, Backpack does not play a major role in Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado. Although Dora does wear a purple backpack that looks similar to Backpack from the original show, it does not rise to the level of narrative significance that Map does, and it is only infrequently referred to.

​​​​​​​

9

Camila Is An Entirely Different Character In Dora And The Search For Sol Dorado

There Seems To Be No Connection Between The Two Camilas

In Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado, Cowboy Bebop and Jurᴀssic World Dominion‘s Daniella Pineda portrays the main antagonist, Camila. Camila is a former television star who went on adventures using the moniker Camila the Crusader and who wants to use the power of the тιтular Incan artifact Sol Dorado for selfish reasons.

Sol Dorado is said to grant one wish to the person who discovers it.

While there is a character named Camila in the original Dora the Explorer show, she seems to have no connection to the live-action Camila. In the cartoon, Camila is a classmate from Guatemala who is Dora’s age, whereas Camila is much older in the movie. Additionally, the animated Camila is best friends with Tomás the Turtle.

However, the Camila of Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado has Swiper as her animal companion. The animated Camila only appears in a handful of episodes, so it is ultimately unclear if the two characters having the same name is intentional or coincidental, though their differences make the latter seem more likely.