This year, Swiper has pushed things too far, and by trying to steal the star off Dora's Christmas tree, he finds himself on Santa Claus's naughty list. Santa gives him one last chance, however, by giving him a mission to find the true meaning of Christmas. In a rather interesting twist, the gang all has to time travel to Swiper's past and future to learn these lessons. It's not as much like that "other" Christmas Carol story as it sounds, though you can't help but notice the reference.
As always, there's a ton of songs and situations that encourage kids to participate with the show. To travel to the past, for example, Dora sings a catchy "shake, shake, shake your time travel cape!" song. To make their past baby selves stop crying, Dora leads a "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle" song to get them to laugh.
Speaking of singing, though it's not very long, there's a nice choir song version of the Dora the Explorer theme that plays at the beginning of this show. A special feature explores what went into creating this special song. A real (and quite talented) children's choir was put together to sing the opening theme. It's nice to see kids, some the age of Dora's audience, doing something great that will reach millions of other kids.
The DVD I reviewed also came with a CD titled Dora's Christmas. This contains the songs from the Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure movie, but also 9 other holiday song adaptations. Though the melodies are true to the originals, all the songs are tailored to the Dora world and characters. So if you're looking for something that will help you learn the words to "Jingle Bells" or "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," this CD won't really do that. You will be able to hum the melody though! Additionally, the DVD sleeve contains a Countdown Calender where kids can punch out the days of the month of December to see their favorite Dora characters, while counting down the days until Christmas.
Dora's a lighthearted, ever optimistic character. In this DVD, she sets out to make sure Swiper gets off Santa's naughty list. It's a lesson in believing in your friends, even when they make mistakes. For kids this age, it may very well be relevant. Dora's not one of those shows that can engage children and adults equally (unless you can really swallow your pride and "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle" with your kids), but it's easy to see why the friendly, bilingual Dora wins so many fans. Either way, it's a warm, cheery adventure that should please any Dora fan. And if you're looking to get a kid into the Dora world, this is probably a great place to start.
