Tag Archives: Dora the Explorer

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

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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.

Eugenio Derbez

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.

Austin Lending His Voice to 3D Animated Film “Khumba”

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Jake T. Austin is about to get animated again…

The 18-year-old Latino actor of Puerto Rican, Argentine and Spanish descent, who served as the voice of Diego on the animated educational series Dora the Explorer and it’s spin-off Go, Diego, Go!, has joined the cast of Khumba.

Jake T. Austin

The South Africa-based 3D animated feature centers on a plucky half-striped zebra blamed for a drought by his superstitious herd who meets a wacky group of characters as he goes on a journey to earn his full stripes.

In addition to Austin, who will be starring opposite Cierra Ramirez in ABC Family’s new drama series The Fosters this summer,  the voice cast includes Laurence Fishburne, Liam Neeson, AnnaSophia Robb, Loretta Devine and Richard E. Grant.

Raffaella Delle Donne and Anthony Silverston wrote the story in consultation with Lion King co-writer Jonathan Roberts.

Silverston directed the film, which is in post-production. Khumba should be released in the U.S. later this year.

Thalia Lending Her Voice to Latest Dora the Explorer Special

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Call it Thalia’s big adventure…

The 40-year-old Mexican singer/actress will be lending her voice to an upcoming television special featuring characters from Dora the Explorer.

Thalia

Thalia will provide the voice of the mermaid’s mother in Nickelodeon’s Dora’s Rescue in Mermaid Kingdom, set to air Friday night.

The story centers on the efforts of Dora and Boots to help Maribel—a lost mermaid they encounter on the beach—get back to her mother in the Mermaid Kingdom.

“Dora is such an iconic and important Latina heroine, and I’m proud to now be a part of the show’s ever-growing legacy,” says Thalia, a mother of two. ““I was thrilled to play a role on Dora the Explorer, a show that has touched the lives of many children around the world including my own child.”

Dora, now voiced by 7-year-old Fatima Ptacek, is a 7-year-old bilingual Latina who explores an “imaginative, tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rainforests.”

In its more than 10 year history on the air, the Emmy-winning show has featured guests like John Leguizamo, Cheech Marin, Ricardo Montalban, Esai Morales and Chita Rivera.

Fatima Ptacek: The New Voice of Dora the Explorer

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There’s a brand new voice behind the beloved animated character Dora the Explorer… And, her name is Fatima Ptacek.

The 11-year-old half-Ecuadorian actress will be voicing the title character at the center of a $1-billion franchise and hit animated series, which celebrates its 12th season this year.

Fatima Ptacek

“[I’ve] been watching Dora for as long as I remember,” the sixth-grader recently told the Today show. “I’ve grown up with Dora.”

Ptacek, a highly successful child model, can speak both English and Spanish—just like the character she portrays.

“Most [of Dora’s dialogue] is spoken in English, but she speaks in Spanish when she sings. We get both on the shows,” says Ptacek, whose mother is from Ecuador, while her father, whose background is Norwegian, hails from Queens, N.Y., where the family still lives.

Ptacek, who has said in interviews she has no intention of finding a boyfriend until she’s at least 20, appears to be keeping a level head about her professional career.

“I can just imagine little kids sitting in front of their televisions and smiling the way I used to smile when I was little kid and watched Dora,” she told Today. “It’s really, really cool.”

Dora the Explorer airs on Nickelodeon, while a Spanish-dubbed version airs on Univision.

Go, Diego, Go!’s Matt Hunter Launches His Music Career…

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He’s given voice to Diego Marquez, Dora the Explorer’s 8-year-old cousin who helps animals in danger in the children’s animated television series Go, Diego, Go! But now Matt Hunter is ready to take the world by storm with his singing voice.

After replacing Jake T. Austin as the voice of the beloved Diego character for the past two years, the 13-year-old Latino actor/singer is ready to step out from behind-the-scenes and launch his solo music career.

Matt Hunter

And, he’s already showing signs of becoming the next Justin Bieber…

Hunter’s first single, “Mi amor,” and the music video that he created, have already created plenty of buzz. And, his Twitter following stands at close to 35,000 followers that he calls his #Hunters.

So how has Hunter’s transition from voicing Diego voice to solo making music been so far?

“I feel like it was very natural,” Hunter told Fox News Latino. “When I was younger, I did Diego and I still do Diego. I feel like it grew with me [and] it made me the artist I am today.”

Hunter, who has a demeanor similar to the Biebs, isn’t at all concerned about being compared with the tween sensation

“I’m a Latin artist,” says Hunter. “I have a Latin flavor to my music. The comparisons will always be there. But, I feel like my Latin heritage really sets me apart.”

Hunter, who admires Latin artists like Pitbull, Prince Royce, Juanes and Don Omar,” hopes to collaborate with big-name stars one day.

“I think Diego would go great with Don Omar,” says Hunter, laughing about the thought of a possible collaboration.