Andy Garcia, Placido Domingo to Guest Star on Nickelodeon's DORA THE EXPLORER

Nickelodeon invites kids on a knightly adventure with Dora and Boots to save Don Quixote in the brand-new hour-long special, "Dora's Royal Rescue," premiering Monday, Nov. 5, at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Based on the Miguel de Cervantes literary classic, the episode features guest voices from Andy Garcia and Placido Domingo as Don Quixote and Malambruno respectively.

"It was an honor to play the role of Malambruno on Dora the Explorer, a show that is beloved by so many children, including my grandchildren," says Domingo. "I am the cool grandfather for doing this part and that just fills my heart with joy."

In "Dora's Royal Rescue," Dora's a knight and Boots is her squire as they help the noble horse Rocinante, rescue Don Quixote (Garcia) who is imprisoned by Malambruno (Domingo), an evil wizard, in an abandoned library inside Story Castle. Dora and Boots ride on horse and donkey into the secret cave, past giant windmills and through the noble forest in order to rescue Don Quixote. In the final show-down with Malambruno, they chant "I want to read" breaking his spell and saving all the books.

At NickJr.com, Nickelodeon's award-winning website for parents and preschoolers, Dora the Explorer fans can watch a trailer of the episode and meet Dora's new friends from the special, print a Dora Royal Rescue Coloring Songbook, make a Storybook Castle Puppet Theater and find literacy activities based on the special. Plus, starting Oct. 17, Dora's newest online game, Dora's Royal Rescue Game, will be available for preschoolers to play at NickJr.com.

Dora the Explorer is a play-along, animated adventure series starring Dora, a seven-year-old bilingual Latina heroine whose adventures take place in an imaginative, tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rainforests. Dora explores her world just as preschoolers do every day, and the show is designed to actively engage its audience in an interactive quest using a variety of learning techniques.

In every episode, Dora and Boots invite the audience to participate in an adventure, where each step of their journey consists of a problem or puzzle that Dora and the audience must think their way through in order to solve the next problem. Dora is proudly bilingual and uses her knowledge of English and Spanish to communicate with her friends, overcome obstacles and reach her goals. In each episode, Dora teaches a Spanish word or phrase to the viewers and then asks them to use it to solve a problem and forge ahead. Dora the Explorer was created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).

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