The 2016 adult computer animated comedy film Sausage Party follows a group of anthropomorphic food products who live under the delusion that they will be taken to the “Great Beyond” once purchased by shoppers. However, after a returned jar of honey mustard tells them the horrifying truth about what actually happens when food leaves the store, the main protagonist hot dog named Frank leads a revolt against their human oppressors.
Throughout the film, the food products are given clever pun names that reference their real-world counterparts. This includes the tortilla characters, who make up a prominent faction in the diverse cast of characters. So what exactly are the names of the tortillas in Sausage Party?
Meet the Main Tortilla Characters
The leader of the tortilla group is named El Guaco. As his name suggests, El Guaco is meant to represent a soft taco shell or tortilla. He speaks with a Hispanic accent and acts as an authoritative father figure for the other tortillas.
El Guaco’s main sidekicks are a couple of hard taco shells named Hildago and Delgado. Their names reference the crunchy corn shells used for hard tacos. Hildago and Delgado have a close brotherly bond and support El Guaco’s leadership.
Another notable tortilla character is a female named Teresa del Taco. Her name combines the Spanish words for taco and saint, which befits her pure-hearted nature in the film. She is dating a bottle of hot sauce named Firewater and dreams of the two of them making it to the Great Beyond.
Lastly, there is a pita bread named Pita. While not technically a tortilla, he is lumped in with the other flatbreads and provides comic relief with his neurotic, high-strung personality. Together, these characters make up the core group of tortilla products in the supermarket world of Sausage Party.
Supporting and Minor Tortilla Roles
In addition to the main tortilla characters, the film features a number of minor tortilla roles. Though they have limited dialogue and screen time, their creative tortilla-inspired names help round out the diversity of the cast.
Some of these minor tortilla characters include:
- Chipolte – a chipotle-flavored tortilla chip
- Quesadilla – a grilled quesadilla wedge
- Juanito – another hard taco shell
- Flauta – a rolled flour tortilla
- Fajita – a tortilla wrap
- Chimi – a chimi tortilla
- Enchi – short for enchilada
- Taquito – a small rolled taco
- Totopos – a tortilla chip, derives from Spanish word for “toasted tortilla slices”
These minor roles help demonstrate the variety within the tortilla family while staying consistent with the film’s theme of punny food names. Even with limited screen time, the script makes sure to differentiate each tortilla character through their individual names.
The Tortillas’ Role in the Story
So why does Sausage Party put such emphasis on introducing so many different tortilla characters? What role do they play in the overarching plot?
As ethnic foods, the tortillas present a marginalized minority group within the diverse supermarket community. While the white bread and hot dog buns enjoy a privileged status, the tortillas are relegated to the ethnic food aisle. This reflects actual social divides between ethnic and mainstream American foods.
When Frank the hot dog first tries to reveal the truth about the Great Beyond, he turns to the ethnic foods for help spreading the message. The tortillas, along with a bagel and lavash, take up his cause with passion as oppressed foods wanting to take control of their own destiny.
El Guaco gives an impassioned speech about uniting against the humans and leading a rebellion. The tortillas then break out into a Spanish rap number titled “La Resistência.” This highlights both their fiery Latin spirit and solidarity as a community.
In the climax, the tortillas put up a valiant effort fighting against the human shoppers side-by-side with the other foods. Their camaraderie represents the idea that foods of all types must come together to overcome artificial divides.
So while the ethnic tortilla characters could have been relegated to background roles, the film uses them to make profound statements about social inequality and the need for mutual understanding. Their memorable names are befitting of such visionary flatbreads.
Conclusion
The cleverly punned names of the tortilla characters represent one of the many ways Sausage Party infuses diversity and social commentary into its raunchy premise. From leading man El Guaco to minor roles like Quesadilla and Taquito, the tortillas’ monikers draw from Mexican culture to establish their identities.
Beyond just adding ethnic flavor, the tortillas act as a metaphor for marginalized groups overcoming divisions to achieve justice. Their journey from repression to rebellion is central to the film’s narrative arc. So for both comedic and thematic purposes, the tortilla names enrich the zany world at the heart of this very adult animated comedy.