The canine cuties of Beverly Hills are back for another adorable adventure! Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 follows Chloe and Papi's [voiced by George Lopez] litter of pups as they navigate the ups and downs of "puppyhood". When Chloe and Papi move with their owners to the fabulous Langham Hotel, the lavish environment brings the fun and trouble in a big way!
Q & A with actor George Lopez [the voice of "Papi"]
Q: THIS IS YOUR THIRD “BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA” FILM. TELL US HOW YOU BECAME INVOLVED IN THE FRANCHISE.
George Lopez: I’ve never been part of a trilogy before. I didn't make the cut on “Twilight.” But “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is a passion for me now. I’d never done ADR before the first one and the first part wasn't really that big. Raja Gosnell (director) gave me some lines and I ad-libbed a few more lines and then the part began to grow and grow and then it became the drive of the movie. And now these other characters have come in, but Papi is the Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Chloe is Chloe, but Papi drives the franchise, which is nice. I really enjoy it. I'm happy to be associated with it, that's why I'm back for the third one. I love it.
Q. WOULD YOU PLEASE GIVE US A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE STORY FROM PAPI’S POINT OF VIEW?
George Lopez: He started out single, and then he married Chloe and became a dad. He’s trying to be a good parent to his puppies, who are very modern and his ways are kind of old ways but they still work for him—in theory. But the kids go to a private school and they learn things in a very safe way and he's trying to teach them precautionary lessons—and lessons about staying focused and centered and the history and the ancestry of a Chihuahua, which I think any parent would want to instill in their kids. His kids don't want to hear it, but it's still not a bad lesson to teach.
Q. PAPI IS SUCH A GOOD DAD. WOULD YOU TELL US WHY THAT IS, ESPECIALLY HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ROSA.
George Lopez: He's a very passionate individual. In the first movie when he fell in love, he was as romantic as anybody had ever been, human or canine. People would ask me, are you really that romantic? When I saw the movie the first time I couldn't believe that I was that romantic. He's passionate about his kids. He loves, loves, loves his kids. Rosa is the smallest one, the youngest one, the baby, so you could see that there's obviously a connection with the baby. She hasn't progressed as much, is not as mature as the others who can go out on their own, so he guards Rosa and shelters her and they share some very nice moments.
Q. WOULD YOU PLEASE DESCRIBE PAPI’S PERSONALITY AND HOW HE HAS EVOLVED OVER THE THREE FILMS?
George Lopez: Papi started out very loyal to Sam. He’d do anything for Sam. He says, “Come on Sam, let's do this and let's go here and let's do that.” Then, when Chloe got lost he was like, “I’ve got to find Chloe!” He was in love and passionate. And then he had the kids, and wanted to make sure that he didn’t overprotect them. But you have to let them grow and like any journey that any father would go through about getting married and having children and being passionate about the kids is they have to stand on their own. And I think sometimes parents have a hard time letting go at different levels of a child's life. They eventually have to stand on their own four paws.
Q: WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT PEFORMING THE VOICE OF PAPI
George Lopez: I just like his personality. I hear Papi a lot in my normal conversations. I love the voice. It allows me to be very passionate and over the top and funny and connected and wild in a dog form. I think it's almost like what kids feel when they play videogames and they get to hide behind a character. I've been able to navigate and negotiate this dog through three movies and it has never been boring. I was finding my way as Papi in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” and in the second one. But for the third movie I really get to hear the voice mature and become very strong in this movie.
Q. IS IT MORE OF A CHALLENGE TO DO VOICE-OVER WORK THAN YOUR ON-CAMERA CHARACTERS?
George Lopez: Yeah, you have to capture the character entirely in the voice. I like the fact that they tape the performance when you're doing it. They tape it so they can get a little bit of your mannerisms and try to give the dog a little bit of flavor. When I saw the dog for the first time, the dog that plays Papi, he was a rescue. They showed me a picture of him and he stood so regal. He thinks he's a big dog. And the way he stood, I understood him. I saw in that dog someone strong and forward and passionate and loving. Being around him was nice.
Q: TELL US ABOUT WORKING WITH ERNIE HUDSON.
George Lopez: I love Ernie. Ernie is a fantastic actor and so funny and can be dramatic. I’ve been friends with him for a long time. I’m a huge fan of his work and we got to ad-lib together in this movie. He’s such a big part of the last two films as my brother. It’s nice to get to work with him again.
Q: ALTHOUGH THIS IS YOUR THIRD “BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA” FILM, IS IT STILL FUN FOR YOU TO SEE THE FINAL PRODUCT AND TO HEAR YOUR VOICE COMING THROUGH PAPI?
George Lopez: I'm more excited. I'm excited about every one of them, but this one really has a great story. There are so many new characters and there's the little mini Doberman and mariachis, which I think are hilarious every time I see them. It has a more constant flow comedically, and a great story through the whole film. So I think when you make movies like this, the kids love the movie and they've loved the other two, but the parents do too. People say they forget that they're watching dogs. They’re looking at them like actors. You're rooting for a dog that makes you feel they’re actors.
Q: THANKS TO THE ACTORS LIKE YOURSELF, THE VOICES ARE HUMAN
AND THE DOGS MOVE THEIR MOUTHS IN A WAY THAT’S NOT CARTOONISH.
George Lopez: The technology and what they've been able to do is very amazing. Also the dogs
are very well trained and they move in human form. They don't look like they're being lead to a certain mark or they don't look unnatural. So I think that smoothness helps the illusion. They do most of that stuff on their own.
Q: WHY DO YOU THINK THIS FRANCHISE IS SO POPULAR WITH AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES?
George Lopez: Well, first of all, it has the greatest name—“Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”
Everybody loves dogs. They're way over the top about dogs. They dress dogs.
They take pictures of their dogs. They have dog screensavers and wallpaper and lock screens and they're on Christmas cards and they sleep in your bed and they're everywhere you go. People travel with them. They fly first class. I waited my whole life to fly first class and there are dogs in first class! And not in a kennel, just loose. They’re in their chair, but also half in mine. I'm like, hey man, I waited all these years to fly first class, get on your own side!
Q: TELL US HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING PART OF MOVIES THAT THE WHOLE FAMILY CAN WATCH.
George Lopez: It’s absolutely an honor. Disney gave me an opportunity to be in the first one and
then invited me to come back on the second and now the third. So I love the fact that kids now recognize my voice. They say, “Are you Papi?” And I say, “Yeah, you know, I am Papi.”
Q: PLEASE TELL US HOW STARRING AS PAPI IN THE “BEVERLY HILLS
CHIHUAHUA” FILMS HAS CHANGED YOUR LIFE.
George Lopez: Since I started this franchise I've met every Chihuahua owner and
held every Chihuahua on the planet. So I've seen different shades and colors and ages from calm ones to super hyper ones. I'm Papi. If you have a Chihuahua, you'll bring it over to me and let me hold it. I take it as a mark of a job well done.
Film Synopsis:
Everyone’s favorite talking Chihuahuas Papi (voice of George Lopez) and Chloe (voice of Odette Annable) are back, joined by their five playful pups in an all-new family comedy. It’s canine chaos as Papi’s family (dog and human) move into the posh Langham Hotel, complete with a luxurious doggy spa. But there’s trouble in puppy paradise when Rosa, the littlest member of the pack, feels smaller and less special than ever. Now it’s up to Papi to help Rosa find – and celebrate – her inner strength, which turns out to be bigger than she ever dreamed and reminds humans and canines alike of the importance of family, friends and teamwork.
Papi and Chloe’s pack of five pups include the voices of Kay Panabaker (“Little Birds”) as Rosa, Emily Osment (TV’s “Hannah Montana”) as Pep, Madison Pettis (Disney Junior’s “Jake and the Never Land Pirates,” “Game Plan”) as Lala, Logan Grove (TV’s “Young Justice”) as Papi, Jr., and Delany Jones as Ali.
The canine cast features the voice talents of2Miguel Ferrer (“Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” “Traffic”) as Delgado, Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo (“Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” Hispanic National Radio Morning Show DJ) as Humberto and Tom Kenny (“SpongeBob Square Pants”) as Sebastian.
The film’s human stars include Marcus Coloma (TV’s “Make It or Break It,” South Beach”) and Erin Cahill (“Fast Track: No Limits”, “Boogeyman 3”) who reprise their roles from “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2” as the dog’s masters, Sam and Rachel Cortez, plus Frances Fisher (“The Lincoln Lawyer” and TV’s “Torchwood”) as travel writer Amelia James.
Bonus features on the disc include the featurette “Hanging with Papi,” a playful look at a typical day on-set for Papi and both his human and canine costars, and the English and Spanish versions of “Living Your Dreams” an all-new music video performed by Raini Rodriguez, star of Disney Channel’s popular series “Austin and Ally.”
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 is the perfect pick for your next family movie night!
You can find Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 on Blu ray, DVD, and Digital Download at retailer's nationwide and online at : http://disney.go.com/beverly-hills-chihuahua/
