Teen voice of Dora The Explorer claims she was cheated out of millions by Nickelodeon

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

'Cheated': Caitlin Sanchez is the voice of Nickelodeon's hugely popular children's programme Dora the Explorer


A teenager who is the voice of the heroine of Nickelodeon's Dora The Explorer cartoon series claims the network has cheated her out of millions of dollars.

Caitlin Sanchez sued Nickelodeon and its corporate parents on Wednesday in a New York court.

The 14-year-old says she hasn't been paid fees she was due for reruns, recordings for DVDs and other Dora products. She also says she wasn't paid for hundreds of hours of promotional work.

'I've never seen as convoluted and inscrutable contract as I've seen here,' Caitlin's lawyer told New York's Daily News. John Balestriere added that Caitlin was cheated out of 'millions, perhaps tens of millions.'

Caitlin was initially promised $5,115 per episode and compensation in residuals and merchandising.

The suit also claims Caitlin was given a 'meager travel stipend of $40 a day' while jetting around the country promoting the show.

It also charges that Caitlin and her parents were pressured to sign an 'unconscionable' 14-page contract that they'd had just 22 minutes to review without a lawyer's help.


Dora's empire: The brand is estimated to be worth $11 billion


The suit claims: 'Defendants used Caitlin, unjustly enriching themselves of millions of dollars in profits from the series and branded products, which Caitlin preformed and promoted.'


Famous fan: Suri Cruise, pictured here carrying a Dora The Explorer umbrella in 2008, is among the many followers of the show


The Dora brand is estimated to be worth $11 billion.

DVDs, books, board games, dolls, apparel, backpacks and even childrens' wigs are among spin-off merchandise available to fans worldwide.

Born in Englewood, New Jersey, to Cuban-American parents, Caitlin was chosen from 600 hopefuls for the part of the bilingual voice of 7-year-old Dora in 2007.
She took over from actress Kathleen Herles, who previously held the role for eight years.

Caitlin began acting in commercials at the age of 8 and has made small appearances in Law & Order SVU, Lipstick Jungle and the feature film Phoebe in Wonderland.

The home-schooled teen, who is an avid piano player and jazz lover, previously described playing Dora as a 'great honour', adding: 'She’s a great role model for children.'

As the voice of Dora, she led the show's audiences on whimsical adventures that also help young viewers learn English and Spanish.

A spokesman for Nickelodeon has described her claim as 'baseless.'
David Bittler said in a statement yesterday: 'Unfortunately, Caitlin's voice changed and she was no longer able to portray the Dora character, as happened with the actress who originated the role.

'Caitlin's contract was extensively negotiated through her agent and in compliance with her union. She was well-compensated for her work and for personal appearances.
'We have enjoyed working with Caitlin on Dora the Explorer these past three years, and we did in fact offer her a contract for other work with us.'

Dora The Explorer is in its 10th year. It has been syndicated to TV broadcasters in 151 markets and translated into 30 languages.

Katie Holmes' daughter Suri Cruise and Jessica Alba's toddler Honor are among the many little fans of the show.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt even revealed they helped prepare their older children for the birth of Knox and Vivienne by showing them an episode of Dora the Explorer where Dora’s mother has twins.


source :dailymail