An Interview With Maria Antonieta De Las Nieves About Her Role in ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ {Giveaway}

This past week we were invited to attend the magical Disney Animation Studios for the release of “Wreck-it Ralph” on 4-disc Blu-ray combo pack. “Wreck-it Ralph” tells the story of Ralph, a muscular, video game “bad guy” who stars in a video game of the same name. His sole purpose is to use his humongous hands to destroy buildings while other members of the game try to stop him from doing it.  After 30 years of playing a bad guy, Ralph decides he wants to change his image and become a video game hero. Ralph leaves his video game and ends up in the town of “Sugar Rush” where he meets Vanellope Von Schweetz.  In the Spanish version of the movie, Mario Filio is the voice of Ralph and Maria Antonieta De Las Nieves, of Chilindrina fame, is the adorable Vanellope Von Schweetz.

We had the opportunity to chat a moment with Maria Antonieta during our Disney Animation Studios visit. Maria Antonieta was lovely as always, incredibly friendly and very humble. She told us it had been a while since the last time she had done a voiceover. She confessed that at first, she was not so sure she would be able to do it, especially since she was lending her voice to breathe life and personality to a little girl in Spanish.  Maria Antonieta told us Disney contacted her for the role because, movie director Rich Moore, used to watch “El Chavo del 8,” where Maria Antonieta played “La Chilindrina” when he was a young man living near  the border of the United States and Mexico.  With Rich Moore’s guidance and a little update on new techniques, the character of Vanellope Von Schweetz came to life in Spanish.  Maria Antonieta said it was a pleasure working with Rich Moore, as soon as they started working everything fell into place and she did an amazing job.

We could not let this great icon go without asking her some questions about her life. One question many of us have on our minds is what her secret is to staying so young. Smiling, Maria Antonieta replied, her secret to maintaining youth and vitality is to be a “normal person.”  She said, “I do my work with love.  But when I’m not working, I rest and share moments with my family.”

We asked if there was a message she’d like to share with Latino families living in the U.S., to which she replied, “We live in a new culture and our children will adopt different traditions but it is important to maintain our roots.”

At the end of the chat she added, with humor, that despite the fact that she worked in “Wreck-it Ralph,” she encourages moms to moderate the amount of time their little ones spend playing video games. She suggested replacing video games with juegos de mesa to encourage family interaction or sitting down together to laugh along with “Wreck-it Ralph” DVD.

Maria Antonieta told us (in the voice of Vanellope) “Ralph taught me that I should not be frightened by people’s size or physical appearance, and I taught him he was not ugly or bad, that’s how we became friends.”

“Wreck-it Ralph” is an uplifting movie that provides fun and healthy entertainment for the entire familia and it is now available on combo pack at stores.

Check out the clip below which features the Spanish version of when Ralph and Venellope first meet! Then scroll down for the giveaway.

The Giveaway!

For a chance to win a copy of “Wreck-It Ralph” on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack just leave us a comment telling us why you’d like to share this movie with your kids. Then enter the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Carla Gutierrez was born in Lima, Peru. She is the founder of Notas De Mama a Spanish blog created for Hispanic moms living in the United States. At Notas de Mamá Carla shares her daily life, family outings, recipes, product reviews and DIY projects. She enjoys crafting and decorating her home, while challenging herself to do it on a budget. Carla loves being a wife and a mom, and raising her 3 year old son in sunny California. She loves teaching her son about the Peruvian and American cultures, and is proud that at age 3 he is fully bilingual. Connect with Carla @notasdemama .