Dr. Facilier

Doctor Facilier is the main antagonist of the Disney film The Princess and the Frog. He is an evil bokor who plans to rule New Orleans with help from his "Friends on the Other Side".

The Princess and the Frog
He is a voodoo witch doctor and palm reader from Louisiana who tricks Prince Naveen into a fake palm reading and turns him into a frog. He is then aided by Naveen's valet, Lawrence by turning him into a Naveen look-a-like in order to trick the people of New Orleans. Doctor Facilier plans to take over New Orleans and the shadow demons who gave him his powers will take the souls of the citizens. But in the end, his plans were backfired, when Tiana broke his talisman which caused his "friends" to turn on him and drag him to their world forever, leaving behind a tombstone with his name and his horrified face.

Powers
Doctor Facilier has the ability to give shadows a life of their own, and then give them orders. These shadows he can command can interact with the shadows of other people, and by doing so can control them, resulting in the nickname "The Shadow Man". He is also a master of the dark arts which allows him to cast curses or spells on both humans and objects, such as turning Prince Naveen into a frog.

He can also alter his appearance giving him more of a skeletal look. He claims that this is all possible because of his "friends on the other side". It is unknown exactly how he got such powers, but it is implied that he struck a deal with powerful voodoo spirits in order to obtain them, and has owed them a debt ever since. This is possibly the reason he is not in command of his own shadow; it has a life of its own.

Facilier's Shadow
Doctor Facilier's shadow is his own shadow. However, it could move away from Facillier and even interact with people (Ex: the shadow kicks Lawrence). In fact, it could be a seperate being given to Facilier by his friends on the other side. When these friends try to capture Facillier when he fails them, they manage to grab the shadow first, dragging them both to their doom since they are both linked.

Physical Appearance
Facilier bears many physical traits that are similar to Jafar, such as being tall, skinny, mustached; and dressed in very linear black-and-red clothing. Facilier has purple eyes, and a thin mustache, as well as a gap between his front teeth. He has long, boney fingers, and lanky arms and legs.

Dressed to resemble the infamous Baron Samedi, Doctor Facilier wears a top hat with a purple feather in it and a skull; the skull can be magically removed and change into a skull make-up as shown in "Friends on the other side". Under his top hat, Facilier has a huge hairdo to fit in his hat. Around his neck, he wears a necklace with two crocodile teeth. Facilier wears a dark maroon undertaker tailcoat and black pants, white spats over black shoes, a purple vest under his coat that doesn't entirely cover his midriff, and a red cummerbund. On the whole, he looks and performs like a showman.

He wields a cane with a purple globe on top, possibly a crystal ball, though it is never revealed. Facilier seems to use his cane for show performances, a tool, or a weapon. He carries a voodoo talisman, which is the fragile source of his powers. As shown, a person who wears the talisman, becomes whoever they want, provided it has that person's blood - but the transformation wears off quickly.

Facilier is accompanied by his sidekick shadow that actually has a life and personality of its own, being able to move of its own free will and move objects like the voodoo shadow spirits. It may be suggested that it may be a similar spirit given by Facilier's "friends," though it fears the same fate that he will if failed to pay back his debt, and it is perhaps a physical representation of Facilier's inner evil and seems to show how Facilier is feeling at certain points. (Kicking Lawrence to get him going, turning into a serpent when about to trick Naveen etc)

Disney Parks


Facilier has recently made his debut as a meetable character at The Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. He made debuted along with Prince Naveen, Louis and Tiana. Facilier has recently replace Judge Frollo in various shows.

Tiana's Showboat Jubiliee
Faciler appears in the temperar show in Disneyland and Walt Disney World's, Magic Kingdom. In the show Facilier sings his now famous song Friends On the Other Side.

Disney Villains Mix and Mingle
In the live castle stage show in Walt Disney World Resort, Facilier is summoned by Maleficent along with Jafar, Captain Hook, The Queen, Cruella De Vil and The Queen of Hearts.

Disney Villains Tonight
In the show featured onboard the Disney Cruise Line, Facilier helps Hades in reaching his goal to stay a true villain. The show also features the song Friends On the Other Side.

Trivia

 * Facillier is left-handed - appropriate since he practices bokor, left-handed (dark) voodoo sorcery.
 * Like most Disney Villains, Facillier wears mostly purple, red, and black in his clothing.
 * The Nostalgia Critic listed Facilier's song, "Friends On The Other Side", as Number 9 on his "Top 11 Villain Songs." He also mentions that he's ashamed that he couldn't put him on his "Top 11 Disney Villains" list since the list was made in 2008 and he appeared in 2009.
 * Facilier also shares many similarities to Ursula the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid, both being in Disney movies based on classic fairy tales and taking on the role of the one who transformed the titular character of those stories. Both, despite being powerful practioners, are outcasts who despise those that are more powerful than them (Big Daddy La Bouff, King Triton) and are driven by their desire to take that power for themselves throughout their respective films. Both operating a business where they claim to use their powers to help make the dreams of others come true, when in reality, they do what they do for their own benefit and enjoyment, ultimately double crossing their victims and ruining their lives. Both being known and feared by those they terrorize, and both singing songs ('Friends On The Other Side, 'Pour Unfortunate Souls') to entice the protagonist into accepting a deal with them (both, ironically, being royals i.e Prince Naveen and Princess Ariel), and their songs ending with the protagonist undergoing a magical transformation (Naveen turning into a frog, Ariel becoming human). Both using a mystical amulet as part of the transformation process of the protagonist which takes something from the protagonist (Naveen's blood, Ariel's voice), then said amulet is used again as a part of their master plan which involves another mystical transformation (this one being more of a disguise) and marriage, only for said plans falling apart when the amulet is destroyed (interestingly, in the Broadway version of The Little Mermaid, Ursula's shell served as the life source of her powers, much like Facilier's voodoo talisman, and like Facilier, met her demise when her talisman was smashed. What's more interesting is that in both cases, it was the female protagonist, both being a princess, that destroyed the talisman), and both having henchmen who are shown to be competent (Faciler's shadows, Flotsam and Jetsam).
 * Facilier's situation is similar to that of a non-Disney villain, Rasputin from Anastasia. They both sold their souls to gain the power of sorcery, and the source of their powers is also their life sources. One scene of the movies shows the minions throwing the villain's power sources, and the villains snatching them in time. In the climax of both films, it is the heroines that smash the magical objects, (Rasputin was sent to Hell and Dr. Facilier was sent to the Voodoo version). What's more, the screentime of both was at a minimum.

El Doctor Facilier