Mini Espías: The Purposeful Latinx Representation In Robert Rodriguez’s 2001 ‘Spy Kids’

Thinking back to the 1990s and early 2000s, films with Latinx actors or directors were few and far between. Those that existed and were successful, however, were aimed towards adults and fulfilled one or few of a particular criteria: displays of poverty Stand and Deliver (1988; Ramón Menéndez), overt displays of sexuality From Dusk Till Dawn (1996; Robert Rodriguez), heavy violence (Pan’s Labyrinth) (2006; Guillermo del Toro), and drug use; Jordi Mollà, a Spanish actor, was typecast and has played a drug lord in Blow (2001; Ted Demme), Bad Boys II (2003; Michael Bay), and Columbiana (2011; Olivier Megaton).

Not only was the representation severely lacking, but it also forced Latinx people into a box — an undeniably negative one. Thankfully, within the last ten years, the Latinx community has seen an increase in positive representation in animated family movies such as The Book of Life (2014; Jorge R. Gutiérrez), Coco (2017; Adrian Molina; Lee Unkrich), and Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (2018; Peter Ramsey; Rodney Rothman; Bob Persichetti), all of which have received critical acclaim. However, one family film often overlooked for having normalized a Latinx cast is Robert Rodriguez’s 2001 Spy Kids.

The (Real) Cortez Family Of Spies In Spy Kids

If you’re unfamiliar with the early-millennium box office hit, Spy Kids follows a brother-sister duo, Carmen and Junie Cortez (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara), as they are unknowingly forced into their parents’, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino), world of spyhood. The two siblings set off on a mission to save their captured parents from Floop (Alan Cumming), a children’s TV host who is transforming secret agents into creations for his show. Along the way, Carmen and Junie discover the extent of their parents’ history with espionage and meet their estranged uncle, Isador “Machete” Cortez (Danny Trejo), who runs a spy gadget shop.

The duo gears up to fight Floop’s minions, showcasing their recently acquired high-tech gadgets, much to the delight of the film’s young audience. The family comes together in the end and defeats the threat, with lessons learned by both the children and adults: the importance of family, power in numbers, and having confidence in your own abilities. By the late 1990s, Robert Rodriguez had directed eight films and was eager to create something based on his real Latin American family. Rodriguez was born in San Antonio, Texas, to Mexican-American parents and had a large family; as it turns out, many of the characters in the film Spy Kids were based on his own family.

For instance, he based Gregorio’s character on his uncle of the same name, who worked as a special agent for the FBI. While his family was the basis for the characters themselves, he felt like a movie just about his family wouldn’t be interesting enough, so he decided to make them spies instead. Rodriguez felt an obligation to keep the characters Latin American not only because of their real-life counterparts but because of the lack of representation and parts for Latinx actors in 1999. He wanted to prove to Latinx children that they could become and do anything they wanted and that the future was their own to take, even amidst a sea of negative stereotypes.

Latinx Spy Family Movie ≠ Latinx-Only Audience

Rodriguez stated that the executives pushed back on his decision to make the characters in his film be Latinx; they brought up concerns about the relatability of a Latinx family to the general audience. Executives concluded that having a film centered around a Latinx family would only draw in a Latinx audience and they feared ostracizing other groups of people. To this, Rodriguez cited the James Bond films, of which he loosely based Spy Kids on, and asked if they could only be enjoyed by British people. The executives also asked why the family couldn’t be American instead. Much to his merit, Rodriguez educated them and explained that someone could be Latinx while also being American, just like his family.

But you kind of had to put your flag in and set it in and say, ‘This is how it’s gonna be done’ to make any change, ’cause there was no roles being written for Latins at that time, back in 1999, nor were they being cast. And if I wasn’t Latin, I would’ve given up the fight

Rodriguez continued to fight against the pushback his Latinx characters received, and eventually, Spy Kids was released in 2001. To the surprise of some, the film did remarkably well and stayed in the box office number one spot for three weeks. As of late, the film has a ninety-three percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Thus, a lasting audience favorite and well-received by critics.

Every Child Deserves A Hero

For its time, when Latinx representation was nearly nonexistent or chalked full of negative stereotypes, Spy Kids provided Latinx children a positive reflection of their own identity — one that didn’t include gangs or drugs. Even more, the film portrays the Latinx family as a normal (espionage, aside) family rather than focusing on any possible struggles they might have with being Latinx. The one nod to conformity to fit in is when Carmen is forced to use her name. At first, she replies with “Carmen,” and when asked to give her full name, she disregards the request with the offhand comment that her full name is too long.

Reluctantly, she finally discloses her full name, this time with a Latinx accent: Carmen Elizabeth Juanita Echo Sky Bravo Cortez. When asked who she is by Machete later in the film, she responds with her full name this time. A lengthy name is not a foreign concept to members of Latinx communities, and this tidbit of information about Carmen gives the audience subtle insight into her heritage. Spy Kids opened the doors for further representation of Latinx characters on-screen and Latinx contributors behind the scenes with its success. The Spy Kids franchise alone includes three more sequels, a television show, and a spin-off of Danny Trejo’s character, Machete (2010; Robert Rodriguez). In recent years, media representation of minorities and marginalized groups of people has finally been a topic of discussion.

Studies show that the media representation of a group of people, whether it be negative or nonexistent, affects how others view this group of people as well as how they view themselves. Latinx children went into the theater in 2001, and some, for the first time, saw their last names in the credits. Spy Kids was and remains a fun, much-needed family film that showcases Latinx talent and proves to Latinx children that they can be more than drug dealers and cartel members when little media proves otherwise.