Maria (Little Heroes)

Maria is a character from the 1999 film Little Heroes. She is a housekeeper for the Burton family, and ends up being bound and gagged by thieves looking to snatch the family's son Charlie.

She was played by actress Mimi Planas, who never made another movie.

Maria is going to look after Charlie and his dogs Samson and Hercules over the weekend whilst his father and mother travel to Washington D.C. to testify against a tobacco company. As the board don't want him to testify, they come up with a scheme to kidnap Charlie and send two dim-witted guys to carry out the job. Whilst Maria is hoovering, they handgag her and tie her to the hoover and cover her mouth with duct tape. They lock her away in a large walk in closet, and subsequently kidnap Charlie.

Later when Charlie's parents arrive back to try and save their son, they find Maria tied up and gagged. The father removes her from the closet and unties her, and she reveals she doesn't know what happened to him as she was locked away.