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By Michael Lopez

Sometimes we like to ramble on about which films amaze us. And though our focus is oftentimes the celebs acting on the screen, there are also hundreds of behind-the-scenes people that make each moment come to life. One of this season's hottest "movie magicians" is Spain’s Carlos Zaragoza, an accomplished art director who's worked on Pan’s Labyrinth and The Tale Of Despereaux. Over the weekend, Carlos spoke exclusively to Tr3s about his creative process.

Originally an art director and set designer for live action films, Carlos has recently branched out into animation. For his most recent project, Gnomeo & Juliet, Zaragoza was responsible for sketching out the intricate details found in Mrs. Montague and Mr. Capulet's gardens.

"Gnomeo was a very interesting project," Carlos explained. "It was totally irreverent and I loved the idea. I originally came from Spain and I was unfamiliar with English garden gnomes, so I went to London and did a lot of research."

Anyone who's seen Gnomeo knows the attention to detail that was paid to the movie's lawn decorations. From the designs of the dolphin sprinklers, to the plastic crocodiles, Zaragoza had a hand in everything. And it's clear that his hard work paid off. Not long after his work on Gnomeo, Carlos was recruited to create ideas for 2012's Madagascar 3!

"Madagascar 3 will be released next June," Zaragoza said. "Unfortunately I’ve been sworn to secrecy about it. It’s a top secret project, but it will be a really funny movie."

One thing Carlos did open up about was his experience working with Guillermo del Toro on the acclaimed Pan’s Labyrinth. The Art Director's Guild honored Zaragoza with a well-deserved Excellence In Production Design Award for the project.

"I think Pan’s Labyrinth was one my favorite movie experiences. It was intense, but very rewarding."

Interestingly, since Pan's both Carlos and Guillermo have branched out into the animation world. Zaragoza mentioned how he recently encountered del Toro (who's now an advisor at DreamWorks) and got some interesting advice from the famed Mexican director.

"Guillermo is very interested in animation. He said it's the best business to be in because of the technology and the storytelling. Personally, I'm really happy to be working in animation. For me, it’s the right place to be. I’m learning tons of new things."

Of course speaking with a talented up-and-comer like Carlos, we had to ask for his advice for other young art directors looking to break into the field.

"My advice would be, don't just be inspired by movies. Get inspired by life and by real experiences. Traveling, art, living experiences are very important and helped me tremendously with my creativity."

You can see samples of Carlos' creativity by visiting his professional website. And if you're interested in checking out that intricate English garden again, look for the Gnomeo & Juliet DVD, in stores on May 24!

Have you ever thought about a career in art direction? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Animation, Carlos Zaragoza, Exclusive Entrevistas, Gnomeo & Juliet, Guillermo del Toro, Madagascar 3, Movies & CineMás, Pan's Labyrinth, Tr3s Exclusivdes

By Elis T. Ortiz

Let's face it, Latinos don't need much incentive to set off a good fiesta. But as of tomorrow, we'll have a very legitimate excuse para estar de escandalosos for the next month, as we honor our Hispanic Heritage from September 15 through October 15!

In addition to the many reasons we already have for celebrating our all-around wonderfulness, Warner Brothers is joining in on the merriment by offering a one-of-a-kind package of the best movies by Hispanic actors and filmmakers ever made! Whether you're a fan of Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth," can't get enough of watching Marc and JLo in "El Cantante," or perhaps seeing Javier Bardem in "The Sea Inside" is more your flavor, Warner Bros. te brinda todas estas películas y muchas más, available in a special Hispanic Heritage themed presentation via On Demand (Cable). For all you tech savvy consumers, all of the films will also be available for download via iTunes. We're predicting some "Stand and Deliver" viewing parties in the near future!

"Stand and Deliver" photo via Warner Bros.

Speaking of "Stand and Deliver," know who else is just as excited about this Warner Brothers presentation? Uno de los orgullos más grandes que tenemos en el cine norteamericano, our very own Mexican American sire of the cinemas, Edward James Olmos. He's convinced that Latinos are probably the biggest consumers of technological media, so he knows we'll be all over these flicks, both ordering and downloading, maybe at the same time. 

"Selena" photo via Warner Bros.

Part of this special Warner Bros. hook-up will be two of EJ's most famous films, "Selena" and, you guessed it, "Stand and Deliver." We spoke at length with Mr. Olmos about his amazing career, his love for the arts, and how he celebrates su herencia mexicana in an exclusive interview.

Check out some of our entrevista exclusiva with Edward James Olmos after the jump!

Read more...

Tags Edward James Olmos, El Cantante, Felipe Calderon, Guillermo del Toro, Hispanic Heritage Month, iTunes, Jaime Escalante, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Mexican Independence Day, Pan's Labyrinth, Selena, Stand and Deliver, The Sea Inside, Warner Brothers

By Michael Lopez

Don’t you hate it when people we love drop vague teases about their upcoming projects? C’mon…don’t leave us hanging like that!! Either spill the beans about everything or stay quiet, because once you throw out those hints, the whole web begins speculating.

Guillermo del Toro did just that last week, when he dropped tidbits to MTV News about an upcoming videogame collaboration he’s got in the works. No details on studios, genres, or concepts, just an angst-inducing tease!

As Guillermo put it, "One of the things we're announcing in the next few weeks is a big deal with a big company. We're going to do games that are going to be technically and narratively very interesting. It's not a development deal. We're going to do it. We're doing them. And we're going to announce it soon enough."

Soooo…what’s it going to be? Something to do with his new "Haunted Mansion" project? A viciously scary horror game in the vein of his past movies? Maybe an interactive journey back into "Pan’s Labyrinth"? The suspense is killing us!

Guillermo’s a visionary genius and we can only imagine the potential he would bring to the video game world. It just looks like we’ll have to wait another few excruciating days to find out what exactly he has in mind.

What would you like to see in Guillermo’s video game? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Guillermo del Toro, Movies & CineMás, Pan's Labyrinth, random cool, video games

We love cuddly, bearded and bear-like Mexican directors on Blogamole ...

So we were delighted to hear that MTV News caught up with the head honcho of hobbits last weekend at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Guillermo del Toro, the king of creepy (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II), is back with a new project.  In April 2008 del Toro signed on to direct the next Lord of the Rings installment: The Hobbit, a venture that prompted del Toro to move to New Zealand con su familia for four years.

Que más? Del Toro made a guest appearance at Sundance to support the premiere of Rudo Y Cursi (starring el guapísimo Gael Garcia Bernal).  MTV News' Rough Cut snagged a minute with the director to hear how he will prepare for hobbit world: [MTV News]

Photo via Getty Images

Tags Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy II, Lord of the Rings, MTV NEws, Pan's Labyrinth, Sundance

Academy Award nominated director Guillermo Del Toro has made a name for himself in Hollywood by helping us rekindle our imagination. Sure, movies like Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy might have creeped us out, but they helped us resurrect our childhood love of fantasy. This summer the Mexican native is back after a long awaited eight year break to bring us Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The movie. which chronicles the demon's teenage years, debuted at number one in theaters and pulled in a cool $35.9 million.

MTV News caught up with Del Toro to talk about the next phase of Hellboy, Barry Manilow, and when it's okay to sleep around. Take a look at all the wise advice we got from the Hobbit master himself:

Side note:  How much does Del Toro look like Michael Moore?

Photo via Universal Pictures

Tags Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Pan’s Labyrinth