Dora the Explorer will return for its fifth season on Nick Jr. with new episodes debuting Monday, Sept. 15 through Thursday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. ET, network officials said Thursday.
The new season features a new voiceover cast, led by Caitlin Sanchez as Dora, and new adventures as Dora, Boots and Benny the Bull meet new friends from different cultures and learn special skills.
In its eighth year on the air, Nick Jr.’s Dora the Explorer continues to reign as the top-rated preschool series on all commercial television, network officials said. The four days of new episodes culminates with a five-hour marathon on Friday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. ET.
For the first time since Dora the Explorer premiered in 2000, the series will debut a new voiceover cast, with newcomer Caitlin Sanchez stepping into the coveted role of Dora. Born in New Jersey of Cuban-American parents, the acting bug bit early for the precocious and talented 12-year-old who has appeared in print and on local and national television. Rounding out the new cast is: Regan Mizrahi as Boots, Alexandria Suarez as Backpack, Jean Carlos Celi as Tico, Matthew Gumley as Benny and Lenique Vincent as Isa.
“Dora is an international icon and we are so excited to have fresh new talent to carry on her global legacy,” Brown Johnson, president of animation at Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, said in a statement. “It's our pleasure to welcome Caitlin and the new cast into the Nickelodeon family and we're confident that preschoolers will continue to play, explore and learn with Dora and her friends for years to come.”
On the season five premiere episode titled “The Backpack Parade,” Dora and her pals are traveling to a parade where everyone dresses up their backpacks in different costumes. Backpack is super excited because this year she gets to lead the parade with her signature song. Unfortunately, Backpack has a case of allergies and she can't stop sneezing. Every time she sneezes, stuff flies out of her and viewers have to make sure she doesn't lose anything along the way.
