Nickelodeon to Relaunch Dora the Explorer with Diana Zermeño’s Animated Theatrical Short “Dora and the Fantastical Creatures”

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a fantastical time for Diana Zermeño.

Nickelodeon is relaunching the famed Latina explorer in new animated theatrical short, Dora and the Fantastical Creatures, featuring the Latina actress in the voice cast as the titular character, exclusively in theaters on Friday, September 29.

The short film will precede the Spin Master Entertainment/Nickelodeon Movies/Paramount picture, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.

It’s a Dora like you’ve never seen her before — in complete CGI animation.

The new CGI animated preschool series of Dora will debut in spring 2024 on Paramount+ stateside. Internationally, Dora will stream day-and-date on Paramount+ and air on Nickelodeon channels in all markets where available.

In Dora and the Fantastical Creatures, Dora (Zermeño) and Boots (Asher Spence) embark on an incredible adventure to the land of alebrijes, the most magical and colorful creatures in the rainforest. There, they must band together against Swiper (Marc Weiner) to save the beloved alebrijes and their Copal Tree Celebration.

The short film also features: Anairis Quiñones as Luna Arcoiris; Danny Burstein as Sol; and Kate del Castillo as Ale. Following the debut of Dora and the Fantastical Creatures, additional Dora content will also be available across Nickelodeon platforms, Paramount+ and Noggin.

The short is produced by Nickelodeon Animation in Burbank, Calif. William Mata is directing from a screenplay by Alejandro Bien-Willner and a story by Bien-Willner and Sean Gill. Production is overseen by Eryk Casemiro, Executive Vice President, Global Animated Series, Nickelodeon. Miriam Ritchie and Marielle Kaar serve as Nickelodeon’s Executives in Charge of Production for the short. Dora the Explorer is created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner.

Joining the cast of Dora and the Fantastical Creatures in the new Dora series are additional voice actors, including: Anairis Quiñones as Map and The Fiesta Trio’s armadillo; Maria Canals-Barrera as Abuela; Danny Burstein as Grumpy Old Troll, and The Fiesta Trio’s frog and marmoset; Katarina Sky as Backpack; Donovan Monzon-Sanders as Tico; Tandi Fomukong as Isa; Quintún Muñoz as Benny; and Chris Gifford as Big Red Chicken.

Cinedigm Acquires North American Rights to Fatima Ptacek’s Coming-of-Age Drama “Coast”

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Fatima Ptacek will be coasting into a theater near you…

Cinedigm has acquired North American rights to Coast, a coming-of-age drama starring the 21-year-old half-Ecuadorian and part-Colombian American actress.

In addition to Ptacek, who has lent her voice as the lead role of Dora in Nickelodeon‘s animated television series Dora the Explorer since 2010, the film also stars stand-up comedian Cristela Alonzo, Melissa Leo and Ciara Bravo.

Cinedigm plans to release Coast day-and-date in theaters and on VOD on April 8.

Set in a farming community along the Central California coast, the story revolves around 16-year-old Abby (Ptacek), who is desperate to escape the trappings of small-town life. Stuck in a loop of sameness, she refuses to believe the lives of those around her are all she has to look forward to, longing for something more. Everything changes when she falls for the lead singer of a touring rock band and must decide whether to leave her family and friends behind in search of a better life.

Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart directed the film from a script by Cindy Kitagawa, which was based on her own childhood experiences.

Mia Frampton and Mia Xitlali round out its cast.

Hester and Schweickart produced alongside Dani Faith Leonard, Sonya Lunsford, Wendy Guerrero and Alex Cirillo.

“We are excited to partner with Cinedigm and VMI to help audiences get to know the amazing talent in Coast. It’s thanks to the nuanced performances of all of our actors that we can bring to life the complexity of Abby’s teenage heart,” said Hester and Schweickart in a joint statement. “Nobody lives in a vacuum, and through Coast we wanted to explore the tangled web of what ‘home’ means to each of us. Plus, who couldn’t use a dose of mosh pit fun?”

“Coast reminds us of that exciting time when the world is a place of endless possibility, and we are searching for our place within it. Its rich, dimensional characters, including those of Latinx and Asian American heritage, are brought to life through the stellar cast,” added Cinedigm’s Chief Content Officer, Yolanda Macias. “Given its universally relatable storyline and fantastic soundtrack, we’re sure audiences will gravitate toward this rockin’ film when it releases in theaters and on digital this spring.”

Isabela Merced to Portray Juliet in “Rosaline,” 20th Century Fox’s Revisionist Take on “Romeo & Juliet”

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Wherefore art thou Isabela Merced?

The 19-year-old Peruvian American actress has been cast to play Juliet in 20th Century Fox’s Rosaline, a comedic and revisionist take on Romeo & Juliet with Kaitlyn Dever attached to star.

Karen Maine will direct, with 21 Laps, Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen producing.

The script is based on the novel When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle and is a modern twist on the classic William Shakespeare tale. We see “the most famous love story ever told” through the eyes of Juliet’s cousin Rosaline (Dever), a sharp but idealistic young woman—who happens to be Romeo’s recent ex. What begins as an attempt to foil the famous romance and win back her guy becomes a journey of self-discovery as she ultimately works to help get the star-crossed lovers back together.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber penned the script.

Merced is best known for her roles in Sicario: Day of the Soldado and as Dora the Explorer in Paramount’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold movie.

She was most recently seen in Netflix’s Let It Snow and also voiced the lead character in DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s Spirit Untamed.

She is currently filming Warner Bros.’ new Father of the Bride film starring Andy Garcia.

Isabela Merced to Star in Warner Bros.’ Remake of “Father of the Bride”

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Isabela Merced is joining the wedding party…

The 19-year-old Peruvian American actress/singer, who starred in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, will star opposite Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan in Warner Bros.‘ remake of Father of the Bride.

Gaz Alazraki, who helmed Club de Cuervos, is directing the feature, which goes before cameras in May.

Like previous iterations of Bride, which includes a Spencer Tracy-fronted 1950 movie and the Steve Martin-starring 1991 feature, the latest remake will center on the father of a soon-to-be bride coming to terms with his daughter’s nuptials.

The latest take, however, will be told through the relationships in a big, sprawling Cuban American family.

Merced will play the sister of the bride, who is being played by Adria Arjona. Garcia is the father.

Matt Lopez wrote the script for the update.

In addition to starring in Dora, in which she toplined as the globe-trotting adventuress, Merced co-starred with Mark Wahlberg in Instant Family, was part of the ensemble for Netflix’s Let It Snow, and appeared with Benicio Del Toro in Sicario: Day of the Soldado.

She next voice-stars in DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed and will be protected by Jason Momoa in action-thriller Sweet Girl. Both are due to be released this summer.

Merced is signed to Republic Records.

Paramount+ Rebooting Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” as Live-Action Series

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Dora the Explorer is getting the live-action television treatment.

The Nickelodeon series will be rebooted for Paramount+.

Dora the Explorer, which ran for eight seasons, will return in live-action form aimed at kids 6-11.

The series follows Dora Marquez, a 7-year-old Latina with a love of embarking on quests accompanied by her talking purple backpack and Boots the monkey.

Kathleen Herles, Caitlin Sanchez and Fatima Ptacek have previously voiced the character of Dora on the long-running animated series.

A live-action film adaptation of the series, starring Isabela Moner, was released in 2019. Dora and the Lost City of Gold also starred Eva Longoria.

First Trailer Released for Isabela Moner’s “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Welcome to the jungle, Isabela Moner…

Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for Dora and the Lost City of Gold, starring the 17-year-old Peruvian-American actress.

The live-action film is based on the popular Nickelodeonanimated series, Dora the Explorer.

In addition to Moner as the title character, the film also Eva Longoria, Michael Peña and Eugenio Derbez.

After spending most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, Dora prepares to leap into her most challenging adventure yet – high school. Always the explorer, she quickly finds herself leading Boots (her best friend, a monkey), Diego (half-Dominican American actor Jeffrey Wahlberg), a mysterious jungle inhabitant (Derbez), and a rag-tag group of teens on a live-action adventure to save her parents and solve the mystery behind a lost city of gold.

The film is directed by James Bobin. The screenplay is written by Nicholas Stollerand Matthew Robinson, from a story by Tom Wheeler.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold arrives in theaters on August 2.

Moner’s previous credits include the films Instant Family, Sicario: Day of the Soldadoand Transformers: The Last Knight.

Benicio del Toro to Voice Swiper in Paramount Pictures’ “Dora the Explorer” Film

Posted on December 16, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Benicio del Toro is taking a big swipe…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actor and Oscar winner will voice the villainous fox Swiper in Paramount Pictures’ Dora the Explorer film.

The film has finished shooting in Australia, but del Toro will provide the voice-over to the fox who always tries to undermine the young explorer.

On the animated series, Dora is known to wave Swiper away from his thieving activities by getting the television audience at home to scream “Swiper no swiping.”

The movie follows a high school-bound Dora leading her friends and her sidekick Boots the monkey on a Goonies-type adventure to save her parents and solve the mystery behind a lostIncacivilization.

Isabela Moner from Instant Family stars alongside Michael Pena and Eva Longoria as her parents, as well as Eugenio Derbez, Adriana Barraza, Q’orianka Kilcher and Temuera Morrison.

del Toro’s previous credits include Traffic, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Sicario.

James Bobin directs the feature live-action take of the classic Nickelodeon cartoon series.

The film hits theaters on August 2, 2019.

Michael Peña to Star in the Film Adaptation of the Classic Television Series “Fantasy Island”

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a sweet, sweet fantasy project for Michael Peña…

The 42-year-old Mexican American actor has been tapped to portray the iconic Mr. Roarke in the Sony Pictures and Blumhouse-produced Fantasy Island film adaptation from director Jeff Wadlow.

Peña will take on a role that was originated by Ricardo Montalban when the television series, from Aaron Spelling, launched in 1978 on ABC.

Mr. Roarke, joined by his sidekick, Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize), was the mysterious overseer of the island who granted the fantasies of visitors for a price. Created by Gene Levitt, the series dealt with dark themes and the supernatural as visitors come to the island to live out their fantasy wishes.

Wadlow co-wrote the screenplay with Truth or Dare scribes Chris Roach and Jillian Jacobs.

Sony holds the rights to property and will distribute.

Peña has had a solid 2018 lineup appearing in blockbusters like A Wrinkle in Time and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Up next, he co-stars opposite Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper in The Mule at WB, and is part of the main cast of the upcoming fourth season of Netflix’s Narcos.

Peña is also currently in production on Paramount’s Dora The Explorer live-action film.

Eva Longoria to Star in the Live-Action Film Adaptation of Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer”

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria is exploring a new role…

The 43-year-old Mexican American actress and former Desperate Housewives star has been cast in Paramount Players’ live-action feature of Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer.

Longoria is set to portray Elena, Dora’s mother.

The James Bobin-directed movie hits theaters on August 2, 2019 and is already in production over in Australia with castmembers Isabela Moner (as Dora), Eugenio Derbez, Micke Moreno, Nicholas Coombe, Madeleine Madden, Adriana Barraza, and Temuera Morrison.

In the movie, the young explorer takes on high school, and with her new pack of friends as well as her sidekick the monkey Boots and her cousin Diego, leads them on a Goonies-esque quest to save her parents and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost Inca civilization.

Longoria recently starred in LD Entertainment’s Dog Days and Pantelion/MGM’s Overboard.

Longoria, via her production company UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, is executive producing the ABC drama series Grand Hotel scheduled for a midseason release as well as the recently announced series Ambassador which received a big put pilot commitment from ABC. She was also the EP on Lifetime’s Devious Maids and NBC comedy Telenovela in which she also starred.

Eugenio Derbez to Guest Star on Disney’s “Elena of Avalor”

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is getting animated…

The 56-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker has signed on for a guest starring role on the Disney animated series Elena of Avalor, according to Variety.

The series follows Elena, Disney’s first princess inspired by diverse Latin cultures and folklore. Derbez will voice Guillermo, a restless spirit with a passion for music, in a special Día de los Muertos-themed episode for the series’ third season, which is set to debut next year.

Derbez was most recently seen in the remake of Overboard starring opposite Anna Farris. He’s also set to appear in the live-action Dora the Explorer movie, which is slated for a 2019 debut.

He’s known for his roles in films like Instructions Not Included, which he also directed and co-wrote, and How to Be a Latin Lover.

Derbez and his 3Pas Studios recently signed an overall deal with Lionsgate Television and previously signed a first-look feature-film deal with Lionsgate’s Pantelion Films.

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