Blogamole › Moises Arias

By Michael Lopez

Disney fans know all about the work of Moises Arias. The Colombian-American teen star rose to fame on shows like Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place. And now he's stepping behind the mic for the Mouse House, voicing Spiller in the animated film The Secret World of Arrietty. Moises took some time to speak with us exclusively about the project.

"I think Arrietty has a great message," he explained. "It shows how different species live together and it shows how you can overcome great obstacles. I actually identified with it a lot."

Translated from a 2010 Japanese anime film, Arrietty indeed blends two very different worlds together. The main Arrietty character is identified as a "Borrower," or a miniature human whose family lives beneath the floorboards of a posh mansion. Arias' character is also a "Borrower," but a bit more uncivilized than the rest.

"Spiller doesn’t say much," Moises went on to say. "But he's a very interesting character and he plays a pivotal role in the movie."

Spiller would also make the coolest action figure. With his warrior paint and tiny bow and arrow, he's a tough little "Borrower" with a heart of gold. As Arias explained, voicing Spiller turned out to be a blast, especially since he was joined by a fellow Disney Channel castmate.

"It was very interesting dubbing this Japanese film," he added. "I had a great time with the director and coincidentally, [Waverly Place star] David Henrie is in the movie too."

But fans hoping to hear Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus voicing "Borrowers" are going to be out of luck. Seeing how Moises worked so closely with both of them in the past, we had to ask him if he had any interesting stories.

"You know, both Miley and Selena are great beautiful women," he told us. "I've known Selena forever and I'm very happy for her success. Miley is also a great person. I have five years worth of stories I could share about those two."

As for right now, Arias is probably filling up his plate with a whole new batch of celebrity stories. He's currently got two huge projects in the works, including Ender’s Game with Harrison Ford and Despicable Me 2 with Steve Carell.

"I'm actually shooting Ender’s Game right now," Moises said. "But it's top secret. I'm absolutely ecstatic about this gig. Despicable Me 2 is great too. I'm learning to use my voice in a whole new way. Arrietty actually helped prep me for that."

And don't think Arias is stopping there. As he told us, he's got some very big ambitions for the years ahead.

"There is so much more I want to do in this business," he said. "I'd love to direct a film, I want to write. But for right now, acting is my main focus."

You can catch Moises' latest work in The Secret World of Arrietty, in theaters since Friday.

Are you a fan of anime cartoons? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Anime, Blogger: Michael Lopez, David Henrie, Despicable Me 2, Disney, Ender's Game, Exclusive Entrevistas, Miley Cyrus, Moises Arias, Movies & CineMás, Selena Gomez, The Secret World of Arrietty, Tr3s Exclusives

By Michael Lopez

We have to admit, in a world full of CGI and computerized Pixar movies, it's kind of nice to see some old fashioned 2D animation. And when it comes from a whole different culture of cartoonists, the experience becomes twice as fun. As is the case with this week's release, The Secret World of Arrietty.

Distributed by Walt Disney Studios, Arrietty actually hails from Japan and is nearly two years old. We're sure die-hard anime fans have already experienced it via dubbed copies and subtitles, but there's something about this latest re-release that makes it even more special.

Certainly the energetic American voice cast has something to do with it. Comedy stars Will Arnett and Amy Poehler get very lively with their roles as "little people" under the stairs. And legendary TV icon Carol Burnett has some great lines too, as the sneaky housekeeper Sadako. Even Tr3s fave Moises Arias gets some time as a miniature warrior named Spiller.

But it's the story of Arrietty that truly stands out. Based on a 1950's novel called The Borrowers, Arrietty follows the lives of tiny people (or "Borrowers") who exist underneath the floorboards of modern day homes. They're just like the rest of us, but instead of eating out of bowls, they eat out of thimbles. Forks are used for chairs, coat buttons are plates…you catch the drift.

One particular "Borrower" named Arrietty is a bit more curious than the rest. Voiced by Disney Channel alum Bridget Mendler, Arrietty yearns for a life above the surface and her adventurous spirit gets her spotted by Sho, a full-grown boy with a difficult home life. Rather than be frightened of each other, these two form a genuine friendship and wind up helping one another in a time of need.

Yes, Arrietty doesn't have time to show us too much of "The Borrowers" world, nor does it have any major conflict or animated super villains. But what it does have, is an important message about tolerance and friendship. Believe it or not, Arrietty has quite a lot of layers for an animated film and can easily be enjoyed by moviegoers of all ages.

Bottom line: Don't be afraid about the foreign angle of The Secret World of Arrietty. It comes from a different country, but trust us, hardly anything gets lost in the translation. In fact, American animation studios could learn quite a few lessons about storytelling from this film. There's a good reason it was Japan's highest grossing movie of 2010.

Are you planning on watching The Secret World of Arrietty? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Amy Poehler, Anime, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bridget Mendler, Carol Burnett, Disney, japan, Moises Arias, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, The Borrowers, The Secret World of Arrietty, Will Arnett

By Daniela Capistrano

It’s been two years since Disney stars Jake T. Austin and Moises Arias filmed ‘The Perfect Game.’

Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of a rag-tag group of Monterrey, Mexico youths in 1957 that discovered the joy of sandlot baseball under the guidance of Cesar, an aspiring Major League Coach thwarted by discrimination. The team overcame great adversity in order to compete in the 1957 Little League World Series where a miracle would cement their place in history and change their lives forever. (via Shine On Media)

Described by the L.A. Times as a film about "a rag-tag Mexican sandlot baseball team," 'The Perfect Game' was originally slated to be released in July 2008 by Lionsgate. After lying dormant for 18 months, this inspiring story of an underdog team who beat the odds will be released on April 16.

In addition to Austin and Arias, Cheech Marin co-stars as twinkly-eyed parish priest who serves as a guardian angel to the boys on the team. The film's storyline provides telling examples of poverty, racism and religious faith.

The L.A. Times also reports that the 'The Perfect Game' is being heavily marketed to three core audiences — families, Hispanic audiences and the faith community. The film is being released in 15 cities with the heaviest Hispanic population, including L.A., New York, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, Tucson and San Antonio.

Cast
Clifton Collins Jr., Cheech Marin, Moises Arias, Jake T. Austin, Gabriel Morales, Ryan Ochoa, Carlos Padilla, Jansen Panettiere, Mario Quinonez Jr., Anthony Quinonez

Tr3s Comunidad, we want to hear from you. Check out the trailer and then let us know what you think in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Cheech Marin, Jake T. Austin, Moises Arias, The Perfect Game