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Dora's Big Birthday Adventure

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Dora's Big Birthday Adventure
34CF46E2-A2B3-4F17-B430-E7F43F4CD574
Airdate Tuesday, August 3, 2010 (DVD)
Sunday, August 15, 2010 (Nickelodeon)
Sunday, August 22, 2010 (Nick Jr.)
U.S. Premiere Time (est.) {{{premiere}}}
Season 5
Episode 17 (aired)
20 (produced)
Written by Valerie Walsh Valdes
Storyboard by:
Bismarck "Butch" Datuin
Carol Delmindo Datuin
Enrico Vilbar Santana
Jose Silverio
Directed by George Chialtas
Allan Jacobsen
Previous Pirate Treasure Hunt (airing order)
Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure (production order)
Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom (chronologically)
Next First Day of School (airing order)
Dora's Pegaso Adventure (production order)
Go, Diego, Go!: Puffin Fish Adventure (production order in general)

Dora's Big Birthday Adventure! (or simply known as “Dora IX: The Big Birthday Adventure!”) is the 8th double-length episode Dora the Explorer TV special. It is also the 17th episode from Season 5, as well as the third and final episode of the Magic Storybook Trilogy. In production order, it's the 20th and final episode of Season 5.

It was released on August 15, 2010 to commemorate the show's 10th anniversary, which was on the day before this episode aired.

Characters[]

Summary[]

Today is Dora's 8th birthday and she and Boots need the viewer's help on an "epic" quest to get past a mean witch and find the Wishing Wizzle so they can wish themselves back home in time for Dora's big birthday party with her friends and family!

Plot[]

The episode starts with Dora and Boots in the magic story book after helping Allie saving the Crystal Kingdom from the wrath of the greedy king, where they've been on many exciting adventures. Boots tells the viewer that today is Dora's 8th birthday and it's time to go back home to their home in the rainforest so they can celebrate, They have been away in the magic storybook for a long time helping friends like the Snow Princess and Allie in the Crystal Kingdom, and Dora begins remembering all the adventures she and Boots had as the magic crystal necklace begins showing flashbacks of the entire show up to now; but before they jump out of the book they end up in a twisty wind cloud which carries them all the way to Wizzle World. The Wizzles remember Dora and Boots because they helped them before. Dora doesn't mind, as all they have to do is jump out of the book and get home, but when she and Boots try to do so, nothing happens. The Wizzles tell them they cannot jump out of the Magic Storybook from Wizzle World and the only way out of the book from there is to go see the Wishing Wizzle who lives on Wizzle Mountain, who can use his magic wishing crystal to wish them home, but he has since lost it. Dora shows the Wizzles her crystal necklace which she got from the Snow Princess, and the Wizzles recognize it as the wishing crystal and they must return it to the Wishing Wizzle right away. They also warn them that the mean witch La Bruja, who hates wishes, is the reason behind the wishing crystal disappearing, by stealing it and throwing it out of Wizzle World before it somehow ended up in the Snowy Forest. Despite their nervousness, the Wizzles have the utmost confidence in Dora and Boots and wish them luck on their journey. Map says they need to go over Sea Snake Lake, past the Dancing Forest, go over the Rainbow and go to Wizzle Mountain. Dora also gets a call from the Snow Princess through the crystal, who tells her if she ever needs help, then she should ask the crystal to remember her friends by saying "Recuerda a mis amigos".

Upon arrival at Sea Snake Lake, Dora and Boots encounter a mean sea snake who won't let them past, so they find a bubble they can use to fly right over him. La Bruja then appears and casts a spell on the bubble, which rips holes in it causing it to sink. Remembering the Snow Princess's advice, Dora and Boots tell the crystal, "Recuerda a mis amigos," for help; the crystal shows them the time they used sticky tape to fix a hole in Benny's hot air balloon before it fell into Crocodile Lake. This inspires Dora to do the same to fix the bubble. After getting the sticky tape out of Backpack, she and Boots count eleven holes in the bubble and tape them up, allowing them to safely land on the other side.

En route to the Dancing Forest, Boots' tail gets caught in a snapping flower; since the flower understands Spanish and requires a magic word, Dora teaches how to say "Abre, por favor" to let Boots free. They soon come to the Dancing Forest, where they meet the dancing trees who remember them from a while ago. Suddenly, El Bruja appears again and casts another spell on the trees, causing them to stop dancing and capture Dora and Boots, refusing to let them go on. Luckily, Dora remembers what the crystal does and she and Boots shout, "Recuerda a mis amigos" again. The crystal shows them the time they did the Coconut Conga with the Pirate Piggies to get past the coconut trees; Dora realizes they should do the same, and she and Boots dance the Coconut Conga, teaching the trees to dance again and let them go.

The rainbow is up ahead, but the path stopped -- in front of Dora and Boots was a Sunflower Field where a scarecrow stands. Upon meeting him and asking for help, Scarecrow says he's nervous and scared because there are crows in his field. Dora tells him he's a scarecrow and he should scare them away, as that's what scarecrows do. She and Boots teach him how to say "boo", and he shows them in the direction of the rainbow. The two hitch a ride on a nearby unicorn to have a ride over the rainbow; when they reach the top, they see Wizzle Mountain right below. Unfortunately, La Bruja arrives again and casts yet another spell, making it rain, causing the rainbow to disappear. Remembering the crystal, Dora and Boots shout, "Recuerda a mis amigos," and it shows them the time they sang "Rain, Rain, Go Away" to get rid of the Big Storm Cloud. Dora realizes they should do the same, and they sing the song, causing the rain to stop, and the rainbow reappears, and they finally reach the other side, landing on Wizzle Mountain.

Finally meeting up with the Wishing Wizzle, Dora tells him it's getting late and would like to go home for her birthday party. The Wishing Wizzle would love to help him, but he doesn't have his wishing crystal, Dora shows him the crystal she got from the Snow Princess, and he recognizes it as his crystal, and can finally grant wishes again. But just as he is about to use the crystal to send Dora and Boots home, La Bruja appears once more and cracks the crystal with her magic, so it can't do anymore magic. All hope seems lost until the Wishing Wizzle gets an idea and there may be another way to get the crystal working again; Dora needs help from all the friends she helped and helped her in return, because the love of friends is very powerful if she believes in it. Thinking of all her friends, Dora tells the crystal, "I wish to go back home", and it begins to reactivate and show all of her friends she helped, both in the storybook and forest, saying "I wish Dora back home!", but they still need one more friend. Dora then remembers the viewer who helped them on all their adventures and needs their help more than ever. Encouraging the viewer to shout, "I wish Dora back home!", the crystal generates enough magic which engulfs Dora and Boots in a tornado which lifts them out of the book and transports them back to the forest.

The wish worked, Dora and Boots have made it back home to Dora's house where the party is held, and now the party can start. Dora sings and dances with all her friends and thanks them for wishing her home, and Boots shows the magic storybook: the Wishing Wizzle has his crystal back, La Bruja lost her powers forever, and Wizzle World is safe once more. Everyone gives Dora a big group hug and Dora tells the viewer to hug someone they love. Dora is happy to be home, but can't wait to go exploring again some time.

Places in this episode[]

  1. Sea Snake Lake
  2. Dancing Forest
  3. Rainbow
  4. Wizzle Mountain

Sub Places[]

Items in Backpack (clockwise starting from the top right)[]

  • Sticky tape (correct item)
  • Crayon box
  • Thermos
  • Donut
  • Pair of scissors
  • Hula hoop

Songs[]

Older Episode Clips[]

Episodes used in the magic storybook recap, in order:[]

Episodes used during "We're Going Home", in order:[]

Episodes remembered during the first Travel Song, in order:[]

Episodes remembered during the second Travel Song, in order:[]

Episodes used to help Dora and Boots on their adventure, in order:[]

Trivia[]

  • This is one of the two episodes that aired in honor of the show's 10th anniversary, the other being Swiper the Explorer, which premiered on March 21, 2010.
    • However, this episode marks the official 10th anniversary of the series, as it features a few songs (and clips) from past episodes and some new ones.
  • The book "Happy Birthday, Dora!" is based on the final scenes of this episode.
  • This is the final episode of the Magic Storybook Trilogy, following "Dora Saves the Snow Princess" and "Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom".
  • This is the 9th double-length episode.
  • This episode premiered the day after the 10th anniversary of the show's first three episodes The Legend of the Big Red Chicken, Lost and Found, and Choo-Choo!.
  • This is the second episode where the tip of Boots' tail gets chomped, first being "Fish Out of Water".
  • During the "We're Going Home" song, the characters in the flashbacks appear to be lip-syncing to the song.
  • The only episodes that weren't used for flashbacks during "We're Going Home" are Journey to the Purple Planet, Star Mountain and Boots to the Rescue.
  • This is the first episode to use a newer, more upbeat version of the "We Did It" song. It will be used for the rest of the series starting with the next season.
  • The crystal Dora wears throughout the episode is the same one Dora wore in "Dora Saves the Snow Princess" and "Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom". It is revealed in this episode to be the Wishing Wizzle's wishing crystal, and when Dora says she got it in another story, she is referencing the events of the former episodes.
    • After this double-length special, it is never seen again because the Wishing Wizzle has it, as Dora gave it to him, and this is, of course, the final episode of the Magic Storybook Trilogy.
    • The Wishing Crystal will always be remembered.
  • There was no four picture pop-up sequence after going over the rainbow. There was no need to anyway because Dora and Boots are already at the fourth location (Wizzle Mountain).
  • This is the 117th episode of the series.
  • In some scenes of this episode, Dora has her Season 6 look.
  • In some frames during the we did it song, Boots has his Dora and Friends Look.
  • This is the second time the birthday balloon is shown after Whose Birthday is It?.
  • Map uses different animations and assets in his segment.
    • He also says the places twice before he zoom wipes.
    • After Map explains to the viewer about getting to the last place Dora and Boots got to go, he just says "Remember...", instead of the usual "So remember...".
  • This episode parodies The Wizard of Oz. Dora is Dorothy Gale, Boots is Toto, Sabrina is Glinda the Good Witch of the North, La Bruja is the Wicked Witch of the West, the Scarecrow is the scarecrow, and the Birthday Wizzle is the Wizard of Oz while the Wizzles are the munchkins and the Flying Monkeys are Nikko and the flying monkeys, the only characters who are missing from The Wizard of Oz is the Tin Man (which could be played by Roberto) and the Cowardly Lion (played by Leon).
    • Additionally, Allie from Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom could have played the part of Locasta, the Good Witch of the North due to her supporting Dora. And the witch from Dora Saves the Snow Princess could play the part of the Wicked Witch of the East due to eventually losing her powers in a natural disaster.
    • Coincidentally, The Wizard of Oz used to air several times in the 80s on Nickelodeon's sister channel CBS.
  • In the Nintendo DS game, Mr. Scarecrow briefly escapes from his stick to help Dora and Boots scare the crows.
  • Swiper is on his good side at Dora's birthday party. However, Dora and Boots stopped him from swiping twice in the flashbacks.
    • However, La Bruja takes his place as the antagonist.
      • Besides that, Perez voices Click.
  • This episode shows some clips from past episodes from Seasons 1-4, but Dora and Boots' dialogues from those episodes were re-recorded by the new cast instead of using the archive audio recordings of the show's original cast.
  • Map and Backpack were supposed to sing their full songs because it’s Dora birthday. However, they do not.
  • This is the only double-length episode of Dora the Explorer in which Dora wears her casual outfit throughout the entire length of the episode.
    • However, it was the second time in the franchise in general in which it happens, because Dora was seen in her casual outfit throughout the Go, Diego, Go! double-length episode "Diego's Great Dinosaur Rescue" from start to finish.
  • Dora and Boots don't sing the Travel Song in this episode. However, they technically do but they don't sing it in the original way and it's not played in the original version. They sing it in a different way and it's played in a different version, they actually sing a special variant.
  • Dora and Boots will never sing the original We Did It! from now on.
  • This is the last episode of Season 5 in production order.
  • Unlike Whose Birthday is It?, the entire cast doesn't sing the Happy Birthday song to Dora, nor do they sing Feliz Cumpleaños from Season 1 episode Surprise!, they instead sing Dora's Home.
  • The birthday balloon with a picture of Dora on it is magenta and pink, but in Whose Birthday is It?, the balloon with a picture of Swiper on it was yellow and orange. However, they both have the same design.
  • In later episodes, Dora's eyes will be larger, but her eyes may still look normal due to the size increase being insignificant.
  • The birthday party music that plays on the Birthday Balloon is recycled from Whose Birthday is It?.
  • This is the second episode using the Nickelodeon logo from 2009-present, with the first being Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom (Except on DVD and Amazon Prime)
  • "Recuerda a mis amigos" is the Spanish phrase for "Remember my friends".
  • This episode has the highest number of characters present in the entire series, being above 50 (counting the Wizzles as one character, the flying monkeys counting as two, and the Bugga Bugga Babies at Dora's birthday party counting as one).
  • Although this is a 2010 episode, Diego and Alicia are wearing their outfits from Season 4-5 (Dora), and Season 1-3 (Diego). While in the new Go, Diego, Go!, they are wearing their Season 4-present clothes.
    • However, it is possible that this episode was produced before Season 4 of Go, Diego, Go! with its new voice actors as well as the final credited appearance of Jake T. Austin (Diego), Thomas Sharkey (Baby Jaguar) and Serena Kerrigan (Alicia).
    • Alternately, it would have been the first time Diego, Alicia and Baby Jaguar made their debut in their new voice actors (Brandon Zambrano, Dylan Clark Marshall and Gabriella Aisenberg) before ¡Vacaciones!.
    • This is the only episode where Alicia was together with Swiper, Azul, Pirate Pig, Big Red Chicken, Baby Blue Bird and the rest of the characters in the show.
  • Treehouse used to air this special every Canada Day (July 1) from 2011 until 2022.
  • The Wishing Wizzle's Voice Actor, Héctor Elizondo, played Wan Shi Tong in Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
  • Unlike Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom, Sabrina's dialogue when calling Dora from the crystal (as well as the flashbacks the crystal shows to help Dora) are done in mono sound.
  • The same episode title was used as a video game for the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 2.
  • Backpack's dancing animation is recycled from Dora's Dance to the Rescue.

Goofs/Errors[]

  • Unlike the TV version, the DVD version uses a variation of the intro from "Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom".
  • During the Pirate Dance segment, the song and background is different than what it is in Dora's Dance to the Rescue and Dora and Boots had their pirate outfit from Dora's Pirate Adventure.
  • Dora forgets to properly defeat La Bruja, so it's possible that La Bruja is not giving up just yet.
  • The scene where the Pirate Piggies are sailing under the wishing star is actually from an unfinished episode that was later merged to this episode, then scrapped due to it not fitting the theme of this episode.
  • When Dora is teaching the viewer how to remember her friends, her right eye (viewer's left) is larger than usual.
  • A scene with Dora and Boots looking at all the stars and the wishing crystal in the night sky, Boots' original favorite part, followed by Dora showing the viewer their wishing star and telling them that it only works for good wishes was going to be included in this episode, as evidenced in a video behind-the-scenes look on Parents featuring voice actress Caitlin Sanchez, in which a snippet of the script of this episode is shown on camera.
  • When Dora said, "Look, it's Isa! We gotta turn the wheel!", her mouth is out of sync because the producers recycled the scene from Dora's Pirate Adventure.
  • Just like the rainbow in the season 2 episodes, "The Big Storm" and "The Missing Piece", the Season 5-6 Intro, and several other episodes, it did not have a red, indigo, and purple stripe, three colors that rainbows also have in real life.
    • However, when Boots said "The rainbow is back", an indigo stripe on the rainbow appears. After that, it somehow disappears.
    • This was corrected in the book adaptation of the episode, where the illustrations show the rainbow with all seven colors.
  • During the line, "Tico's drumming, and Benny plays his guitar!" in the Dora's Home song, the Grumpy Old Troll's beard is yellow instead of orange.
  • Before the We Did It! song, the Fiesta Trio play their fanfare music but without their instruments, their music just plays when they are flying on balloons.
  • It is unknown why there weren't any flashback of Dora in some episodes of Go, Diego, Go! that have her. It's possible that the producers wanted to concentrate/focus only on the main show.
  • It's unknown how Azul and the Gray Train arrived at the party.
  • It's unknown how the wishing crystal ended up in the Snowy Forest.
  • When everyone was shouting "Birthday hug for Dora!", Perrito can be seen lip-syncing to the line.
  • When reactivating the crystal, Backpack Map, Diego's Family, Grumpy Old Troll, and Azul are not wishing Dora home.
  • The Witch’s spell is broken.
  • During "The Big Storm" flashback, when singing "Rain, Rain, Go Away" to get rid of the Big Storm Cloud, Dora and Boots sing "Come again another day" instead of "Come again some other day."
  • Dora: We need to get the hiding Wizzles to come out and talk to us. To get them to come to us, we need to wave to them and say, “Wizzles.” But we have to be careful. La bruja and her monkeys are nearby. We don’t want them to see us.
  • Snow Princess: Hold the Wii Remote in one hand. Whenever you see a Wizzle, wave the Wii Remote back and forth over your head to wave, and say, “Wizzles.” To hide from La bruja or her monkeys, hold the Wii Remote away from your body with one hand, and then bring your arms in as your crouch down.
Dora the Explorer Season 5
The Backpack Parade | Benny's Big Race | Isa's Unicorn Flowers | Dora's Jack-in-the-Box | Dora Saves the Snow Princess | The Mayan Adventure | Bouncy Boots | The Big Red Chicken's Magic Show | Benny's Treasure | Dora Saves Three Kings Day | Dora Saves the Three Little Pigs | Bark, Bark to Play Park | Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom | Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure | The Super Babies Dream Adventure | Pirate Treasure Hunt | Dora's Big Birthday Adventure | First Day of School | Boots' Banana Wish | Dora Helps the Birthday Wizzle
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