Race to Witch Mountain is Disney’s Remake of the 1975 film, Escape to Witch Mountain that tells the story of a Las Vegas cab driver (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and a discredited astrophysicist (Carla Gugino) who must protect and save two paranormal siblings (AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig) from the clutches of evil.

Johnson, Gugino, Robb and Ludwig talked about what it was like shooting in the city that never sleeps and how they became one big happy family on and off screen.

Q: Can you tell us about your characters on screen?

Robb: I play Sara and she is an alien. She has some awesome powers. I am telekinetic so I can move objects with my mind, and I am telepathic so I can read people’s minds. My character is really caring and in touch with the human soul. She is always reading people’s minds, and she is a lot about feeling. She is more trusting of Dwayne. And she definitely has hope for humanity and saving this planet and saving her planet.

Ludwig: My character, Seth, has the cooler powers. No. He can phase. He can control his molecular density, which means if you got really angry at me and threw that chair at me, I could make it go through me, or I could condense my molecules so I can withstand the greatest of impacts. And what I loved about my character, honestly, he is nothing like me. At the start of the movie, he is very reserved and very determined to get to where he needs to go. He doesn’t trust anyone except for his sister, and he just wants to get back home to save the two worlds alongside his sister. As opposed to his sister, as she (Robb) said, she is very trusting. There are great moments in this films and there are a lot of brother and sister moments. What I love about this film is it’s an action-packed adventure completely pumped up; a roller coaster ride. But there is some great comedy and some great heart, which I really like about it.

Gugino: She is brainy. She is smart. But she also has this belief that alien life is possible, and it is here. She has been discredited from her universities because they think she is kind of a cook. And then she is asked to speak at a UFO conference in Vegas, and those people are definitely not like her. And I think that when Dwayne’s character Jack shows up with these two kids and says they are aliens, she thinks he is making fun of her. And then finds out that they are, in fact, and it’s basically the best moment of her entire life.

Johnson: I loved the idea about playing a guy who struggled to stay on the right path for a long time. He has squandered a lot of opportunities in life and doesn’t have anything to show for it, and he is in his 30’s. But yet, of all the people on Earth, he is given one opportunity to touch greatness. He is given an opportunity to do something really special and he steps up to the plate, shows his integrity and accomplishes it, which I think is a great thing.

Q: Do you believe in aliens?

Gugino: I did a television show called "Threshold," where I played a contingency analyst [and] alien life had come to earth. Andy Fickman (the director) was a big fan of that show. And at that point, I think with all that research you kind of can’t deny that there is some sort of alien life out there. I am a believer. I certainly haven’t had firsthand experience, but I think it’s probably very possible.

Q: Were you a fan of the original movie?

Gugino: Yes, I am a fan of the originals. As a kid I didn’t catch them in the theaters, I watched them on video. But I was a huge fan. And also as a kid, I lived in a motor home. And I loved that motor home, which we used in this movie as well. What I loved is that this one retains the spirit of the first one, and has these great little homages for those of us who are big fans, but also takes it to the next level, which is cool.

Johnson: I was a big fan of the original. When I was a kid I loved it, and I loved watching it. I was also very impressed with the powers that the kids had. That was always something as a kid you dream about having special powers. It was really cool.

Q: What was it like working with Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson?

Ludwig: He is absolutely phenomenal, such a professional.

Robb: Dwayne was amazing to work with. He was so professional, respectful and kind to everyone on set. He is a really dedicated actor. He will run lines and change lines, he is really committed. It was really a pleasure to work with him and an honor. And he is a great role model for young kids, adults, for everyone.

Ludwig: He has honestly been such a mentor. And has acted like our older brother. He has just been incredible. We have really become one big family, on and off screen. And it’s just been the ride of a lifetime; I hope it continues because it’s been amazing.

Gugino: It was fantastic. He is always in really good spirits and it was a really natural connection for us. We had a really good time working together. He is an extremely charming, charismatic and talented person who loves what he does and puts himself 100 percent into whatever he is doing. I think that is why he is so successful. He is also incredibly appreciative of that success, which I think that’s something I really appreciate, because we know often times in this business that is not the case.

Q: What was it like working with the kids?

Johnson: The kids were fantastic. I think that child actors always impress me to begin with. I think these kids were nothing sort of exceptional, and I loved everyday working with them especially at that age, 15 and 16. They are coming into their own not only as actors, but as adults. I am very impressed with them.

Q: What was it like shooting in Las Vegas?

Robb: It was amazing. It had such energy, and it’s so visually so appealing. There is so much eye candy to look at and all the energy of the film is in Vegas. Could you imagine being an alien and the first place you go was Las Vegas? It’s crazy.

Ludwig: Honestly, props to the crew for actually being able to control everyone because it was nuts. Some of the scenes were so difficult to film with all these people going crazy. The second you got Dwayne stepping on the set, alone that’s just one thing, and then you have cameras and people who won’t leave their slot machines. So it just absolutely ridiculous. But I loved the city, and I loved the people here.

Gugino: Shooting inside Planet Hollywood was wild. I decided to gamble very briefly and then lost all my money quickly, which was probably the best thing. But just being in that environment, where you have people who are playing these slot machines; they didn’t close the casino for us, so we are shooting in an active casino. It was really funny, and it was really great for the kids to get a taste of that. It really formed the movie in a lot of ways. I am so glad we got to shoot here.

Johnson: First of all, the city of Las Vegas is always alive. There is always something happening. There is a lot of different energies that come out of Las Vegas at any given time. Specifically on the set we are shooting from 2 to 5 a.m., and it was a bit changeling only because people were going nuts. But it helped with the tone of the movie because of the energy. And because it was a race, essentially, to get to Witch Mountain, and the city is so alive, it helped and made that transition very seamless.

Q: Was this movie as much fun to make as it is to watch?

Gugino: Yes, it really it is. I had just come from doing Watchmen and Righteous Kill which were both quite dark pieces of material, which I loved doing; but it was so great to come and just laugh our heads off on this movie. And have such a great time and do it with a lot of care and a lot of joy. I hope that does come across in the movie.