Action star Dwayne Johnson is enjoying a formidable career in Hollywood. His films include Get Smart, The Rundown, and the recent hit Disney comedy, The Game Plan. Now, he headlines Walt Disney Pictures' exciting new fun-filled action adventure Race to Witch Mountain.
In the film, Johnson stars as Jack Bruno, a hard luck Las Vegas cab driver whose life is thrown into chaos when apparent ‘runaway' teenagers Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) jump into his taxi. He soon realizes his two fares are children with exceptional paranormal powers whom he must protect as they elude a collection of ruthless enemies. When they discover that the only chance to save the world lies in unraveling the secrets of Witch Mountain, the race begins, as the government, mobsters and even extraterrestrials try to stop them.
The versatile actor—a former professional wrestler known worldwide as The Rock—is equally at home in the arenas of comedy and drama. Needless to say, his forte is action and he is highly enthusiastic about his latest film.
"It is an action sci-fi adventure and that is what got me interested and excited," explains Johnson. "I have a real affinity for Disney and I was excited about the great, intense entertainment in the film. The first ten to fifteen minutes of the movie is like an amazing roller coaster and once you get on it, it never stops, but the action is merged with all the qualities that make up the Disney brand: heart and family and humor, along with a touch of magic."
Race to Witch Mountain reunites Johnson with his Game Plan director Andy Flickman, an occasion that the actor welcomes. "We developed a great relationship on The Game Plan," he says. "I loved working with Andy and I was thrilled about the chance to make another Disney family film. It was a very easy decision for me. Andy came to me with the idea of re-imagining the Disney classic Escape to Witch Mountain and I thought it was fantastic. I was a big fan of the original film growing up, and coincidentally, my little girl—who is seven—is a big fan, too. Before this film was in development, we had watched the older film together. She was so excited at the prospect of this film, so the pieces fell together really nicely, and it was not a difficult decision to take the role."
The film also afforded Johnson to exploit his passion for doing action scenes. "There is great action throughout the movie, starting with a fantastic initial car chase that sets off the race to Witch Mountain, with some incredible and intense driving sequences," shares Johnson. "From that point onwards, the action is non-stop. "
Reflecting on his success, Johnson concludes "Everything is non-stop for me just now and I am very happy. But I want to continue to work in different genres and have that ability to move from action to comedy and make good movies. I just love all aspects of making movies. It is all so enjoyable and I am very grateful."
Opening across the Philippines on March 13, Race to Witch Mountain is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.
