Dora And The Lost City Of Gold Behind The Scenes ((free)) May 2026

To create Swiper’s signature blue-and-black mask, the effects team designed a practical suit covered in subtle blue LEDs. Del Toro would creep through the jungle set, completely silent, while the actors had to react in fear. “He’s this Oscar-winning actor, and he’s full-on sneaking behind a fake bush in a spandex suit, whispering ‘Swiper, no swiping!’” recalls Merced. “It was surreal and amazing.” In one of the film’s most memorable sequences, Dora teaches her city-slicker cousin Diego how to escape quicksand. On screen, it looks terrifying. Behind the scenes? It was a giant pool of oatmeal.

As Merced puts it: “Dora doesn’t get sarcasm. She doesn’t get irony. And in a world full of cynical movies, that’s the most rebellious thing you can be.” dora and the lost city of gold behind the scenes

Director James Bobin ( The Muppets , Alice Through the Looking Glass ) knew he needed an actress who could handle physical comedy, dramatic moments, and action. Merced trained for weeks in stunt choreography, learning to swing on vines and slide down muddy slopes. But Bobin says her secret weapon was her sincerity. “Isabela never winks at the camera. She plays Dora completely straight. That’s why the jokes land.” While the film takes place in the lush, dangerous Peruvian Amazon, the majority was shot in Cairns, Australia, and on soundstages in Los Angeles. Production designer Mark Tildesley faced a unique puzzle: how to make a fake jungle look real enough for a high-stakes adventure, but vibrant enough to feel like Dora’s world. “It was surreal and amazing