By Kharisma McIlwaine
ROBOGOBO – “The Arcade Raid” (Disney)
WINGO, SHELLY, DAX, BOOSTER, ALLIE, HOPPER
Ja’Siah Young is a rising star.
Known best for his breakout role as Dion Warren in Netflix’s “Raising Dion,” Young’s ability to blend comedy with heartfelt moments has made him a standout. Despite his age, Young has already earned an Emmy nomination and a NAACP Image Award. In addition to his versatility, he possesses a natural charm that consistently resonates with audiences.
Young is currently showcasing his voice acting ability as he brings Dax to life in Disney Jr.’s animated series “Robogobo.” In the series, Dax is the brilliant, tech-savvy leader of his five adopted pets turned team of superheroes. He leads the pack as they rescue other pets in need and learn valuable life lessons along the way. Young spoke with the SUN about his love for acting, his joy in playing Dax in “Robogobo” and his desire to be a role model for other young people.
Born in Easton, Pa., Young got a very early start in the entertainment world, landing his first acting job when he was 3. He knew right away that he wanted to pursue acting and was able to do so through the support of his family.
“When I was 3 years old, I was doing pageants,” Young said. “After doing pageants for a while and watching TV, putting both of those together, I was, like, ‘You know what? I want to try acting.’ So, I went to my mom, and luckily, she actually realized I was serious. Now, 10 years later, here we are. My main first thoughts about it were excitement and determination, but at the same time, making sure not to do the wrong thing so I could stay focused.”
As an avid Disney watcher and self-proclaimed Disney kid, Young is thoroughly enjoying his experience working with Disney Jr.
“It’s so cool! I grew up on Disney,” Young said. “I watched a lot of stuff growing up like “Doc McStuffins.” I grew up on “Mickey Mouse Club House” and all kinds of older shows that were on Disney Jr. at the time. It’s so nice knowing I get to be part of that now and part of that group there. Maybe now some younger kids these days are going to grow up on “Robogobo.” It’s cool thinking that there’s a possibility that I can be that person that someone could look up to, someone is inspired by, or someone’s role model — it’s cool to me.”
Throughout “Robogobo,” Dax demonstrates strong leadership skills and responsibility, solving problems using intellect and creativity.
“Dax is a boy who, of course, is smart,” Young said. “He adopted these pets, and after a while, he made them these robosuits and gadgets.
He’s really tech savvy, so he built a bunch of stuff like their robo-suits and then he made a robo-arm. I think Dax is a kid who is a hero at heart, always looking out for others. Of course, he can feel panic sometimes or frustrated, but he’s always trying to keep calm and find the best solution rather than panicking or making rash decisions.”
“ Robogobo” also features a lot of the comedy that will have audiences laughing.
“It’s really funny so far, and I can’t wait for you guys to see all of it,” Young said. “There’s some amazing parts in there that are really funny. The team that helped me create this — my co-workers — they really put the work in. As I would work, we would be cracking jokes, and I got to put my input on lines sometimes. It’s really cool. There are some lines in the show that I totally created. Knowing that I put my own little piece in the show is nice to know.”
In addition to the show’s fun elements, Young fully embraces the challenges of voice acting.
“The difference for me is that voice acting is a bit more challenging,” he said. “In a live action film, you would be able to express yourself through your face, your body movement, and of course your voice. With voice acting, it’s just your voice. Of course, I still do the things I would do with live action. The key is to act like you’re in front of a camera even if you’re not. I still move my arms; I still make the faces. When you make the faces, it comes out in your voice. My mom taught me that.”
“I’m getting back into the swing of voice acting, because I haven’t had a voice acting job in a bit,” Young said. “It’s nice to get back into a voice acting role and get into the flow of it. The experience itself is, of course, really fun, but I also like the fact that it’s a challenge because I have to put my emotions in my voice. I like the challenge because it helps me work on myself and my own technique.”
In “Robogobo,” Dax is all about teamwork. His team includes Booster, a puppy (Brayden Morgan), Allie, a kitten (Azuri Hardy-Jones), Hopper, a bunny (Gracen Newton) , Wingo, a bird (Dee Bradley Baker) and Shelly, a turtle (Leili Ahmadyar).
“Allie, she’s a cat — her main thing is climbing, and ninja moves,” Young explained. “Wingo likes to fly. Shelly has robo-strength, so she can do the heavy lifting. Hopper likes to jump and dig. Booster has robospeed, so he does a lot of the speedy stuff.”
“Robogobo” is a light-hearted animated series about friendship and childhood adventures. It is also filled with some important life lessons, including what it means to be a role model. This theme and positive influence is echoed by Young, who speaks passionately about his desire to be a role model both on and off the screen.
“It’s really fun, if you ask me, because with my job I get to be a role model, [and] I get to inspire others,” he said. “At the same time, I also get to meet a lot of new people, I get to travel, and I get to do a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t get to normally do. I get to be a superhero again.”
“The reason I want to keep doing acting is because not only is it a job that I get to pursue throughout my entire life, [but] at the same time, it’s a job that I love,” Young said. “You know what they say — if you have fun while you’re working, it doesn’t feel like work. That’s really how it works for me. I’m always having fun, so it never feels like work.”
Young’s career promises exciting opportunities, including an upcoming show he’s eager to share more about soon. Young reflects on his favorite lessons from “Robogobo” and shares his hopes for the audience’s takeaway.
“There’s a lot of messages per episode,” he said. “One of them focuses on the fact that Dax has one arm, and Wingo has a smaller wing. That episode focuses on the fact that people are different, and that’s totally normal, and they find their own way to get things done. They might not be the same as you and me, but that doesn’t make them weird, or wrong, it just makes them special.”
Be sure to follow Ja’Siah Young on IG @jasiahyoungofficial. Check out Dax and his super pets on “Robogobo,” now available to stream on Disney Jr.
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