New live-action ‘Dora’ features a more grown up explorer

NEW YORK (AP) — Isabela Moner says she didn’t expect much action when she signed up for “Dora and the Lost City of Gold,” a new film about the adventurous Latina explorer.

Instead, Moner says she found herself in a “Tomb Raider” meets “Indiana Jones” movie.” It’s a live-action version of Dora that’s very different from the popular Nickelodeon Jr. animated series.

The film, which features a large Latino cast including Eva Longoria, Michael Peña and Eugenio Derbez, also allowed Moner to connect with her heritage in a new way.

“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” features both Spanish and Quechua, an indigenous language, spoken in the Peruvian Andes and the highlands of South America.

Moner says during filming she called her great aunt in Peru to ask about the meanings of certain Quechua words.

“Dora” arrives in theaters Friday.