Voice of Kid's Cartoon "Dora The Explorer" Sues Viacom

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The voice behind Nickelodeon's bilingual cartoon heroine "Dora The Explorer" filed a lawsuit against the cable channel and parent media company Viacom for allegedly cheating her out of millions of promised revenue from residuals and merchandising. Kaitlin Sanchez, who lent her voice to the famed pre-school character since 2007, recently lost the role owing to the teen's changed voice according to a statement from Nickelodeon.

"We are not suing because they claim her voice changed... She is suing because they paid her nothing for residuals," Sanchez's attorney John Balestriere said. He further stated that Sanchez spent most of her time promoting the brand uncompensated "rather than performing as a paid actress."

The counter from Nickelodeon: "She was well-compensated for her work and for personal appearances."

Prior to landing the role of Dora Marquez in the cartoon series, the voice behind Dora was played by Kathleen Herles. No statement has been made regarding a replacement for Sanchez. It is expected that Viacom will fight the claim and vigorously protect one of its bankable franchises. Read more about the story from the links below.

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