Doctor Facilier
Doctor Facilier was one of the original founding members of the Villain League and possably the first leader before Malefor managed to hijack the team for his own purposes. He's a half-nefpew of Maleficent and Jafar.
Personality [1]Edit
Facilier is a scheming bokor with "Friends on the Other Side". Much like Ursula and Hades, Facilier tricks his victims into making deals with him. He can read their past and present with his tarot cards; he then looks into their futures as well, and offers to "change it 'round some." However, the deals he makes usually backfire on the victim, though Facilier isn't exactly dishonest as he does give them exactly what he promised, even though it isn't what his victims had in mind. For example, he told Naveen that if he wanted a future with the freedom to "hop from place to place," he would need "green" (heavily implying green to mean money.) However, upon making the deal, Facilier transformed Naveen into a frog, giving him "green" in a more literal sense.
As Naveen says, Facilier is indeed charismatic, suave, smooth-talking and often charming, but also cruel, remorseless and sadistic. A charismatic performer, Facilier is a smooth-talker of drama and showmanship. A glutton for power, Facilier is a controlling, vindictive man who does whatever he can to get what he wants. Like other Disney villains, he is highly Machiavellian as shown by his manipulation of Naveen, Lawrence, and later Tiana into helping them under false pretenses. Unlike most Disney Villains, Facilier does not underestimate the powers of nature, and like Mama Odie, he also knows that animals can talk and that they have minds just like humans. As shown when Ray the firefly tries to take the villainous voodoo doctor's talisman away from him, Facilier seems to have understood his intentions, and tried to cease them. Also knowing that Ray's bioluminescent abdomen can destroy his voodoo shadow demons, Facilier, without hesitation, swats and crushes the firefly, ending Ray's interference.
Despite this complete lack of morals and a treacherous nature, Facilier's motivations are hinted at briefly. Facilier frequently sympathizes with the downtrodden or poor, implying that his own past may have been similar to Lawrence and Tiana.
Physical Appearance[2]Edit
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 as the infamous Loa of the dead, Baron Samedi, Doctor Facilier wears a top hat with a purple feather in it and a skull and crossbones on it; 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, instead of being bald or having a comb-over, Facilier has a huge hairdo to fit in his hat, also to many villians are seen to have hair like he does. 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. One might say he somewhat looks and performs like a showman. Like most Disney Villains, Facilier wears mostly purple, red, and black in his clothing.
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, only a person besides Facilier, who wears the talisman, becomes who ever they want, provided it has a particular person's blood.
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 is possible that his shadow is a similar spirit given to Facilier by his "Friends," though as it fears the same fate that will befall Facilier if he cannot pay back his debt, it is perhaps a more personal creation of the doctor; it is absolutely obedient to his wishes and seems to reflect his mood at several points.
Powers and Abilities [3]Edit
Facilier is a bokor that performs left-handed or Petro Voodoo (the evil and stereotypical voodoo magic). He is a conjurer and sorcerer of sorts, possessing powerful voodoo magic capable of accomplishing nearly anything. He can see into the past of a person and and see what people desire the most. He is proficient in sleight of hand, effortlessly shuffling, twisting and manipulating his deck of tarot cards. He is a skilled conjurer as well, being able to pull his staff and tarot deck out of nothing (although this may also be attributed to sleight of hand.) His tarot cards possess strange properties: the images on them seem to change, reflecting the desires of Facilier's victims (such as when Tiana's restaurant picture appeared on a card in the deck.) The cards usually show his victims their future in a positive light; however, they are unable to corrupt the truth entirely and usally include a clue as to the victim's real fate (for example, when Naveen sees his future filled with "green," he fails to see the lilypad made of money in the background). Facilier is also shown casting spells through use of a strange pink powder. The effects of this powder include the reversal of the frog spell on Tiana, a man spontaneously growing hair (then having it sprout all over him), producing puffs of smoke that display memories, and the creation of a full scale rendition of Tiana's dream restaurant (although it is possible that what he works with the powder are only illusions). His Voodoo Emporium is shown to be filled with strange objects and voodoo paraphenila (some of which he admits that he "aint even tried") including shrunken heads and voodoo dolls which seem to come alive, chant, and beat drums when Facilier is about to perform his biggest spells. The dolls also serve a practical application - he has a voodoo doll of 'Big Daddy' La Bouff primed and ready for the moment he can get his hands on the rich man's fortune.
Facilier's shadow acts as a familiar and is capable of moving on its own, being able to separate itself from him for a short while as well as changing its shape and size. Furthermore, his shadow can effect other things through their own shadows - such as when plucked Naveen and Lawerence's hats off their heads, or when it pushed the shadow of Facilier's chair up so Facilier could sit down. It also seems to reflect Facilier's current mood, such as when it was shown biting it's nails when Facilier was starting to worry about what would happen if Naveen wasn't found (although considering it would share Facilier's fate, it was probably showing its own concern). Later on, Facilier makes a bargain so he can call upon an army of fiendish shadow minions to do his bidding, with similar powers to his shadow. These shadows came in many shapes and forms which they can alter while moving. Being shadows, they are capable of squeezing through anything and travel along any surface, including water. Their only true weakness is light, as seen when Mama Odie destroyed a gang of them to save Naveen and when Ray used his light to inflict some damage on a few of them. However, in these cases, the light was shined directly at them, meaning they can probably withstand indirect light. When not serving Facilier, the shadow demons hide in other shadows until Faciler calls for their aid again.
Facilier's powers stem primarily from his "Friends" on the Other Side: these "friends" of his are in fact a multitude of dark voodoo spirits which appear in the forms of voodoo masks in his Voodoo Emporium. While he does call upon them for help, he is in actuality deeply indebted to them already (the nature of which is never explained), and secretly fears them. Facilier's powers seem to stem from a voodoo talisman - a gift from the Other Side, given to him by his "Friends." The amulet seems to be capable of transformation spells in two manners. It can pinch someone with its mouth-like compartment, inflicting a transformation spell on the victim while at the same time, being able to take a sample of their blood. After taking in a blood sample, the talisman allows its wearer (except Facilier) to take on the appearance of the blood doner. However, in order for this transformation to last, the talisman must be constantly refilled with the victim's blood, otherwise it will run out and the wearer will slowly revert back to his original appearance as the last of the blood is drained out. Furthermore, this talisman is also crucial to his magic; without it, he seems to be powerless. So much of his power is invested in this amulet, in fact, that should it be destroyed he would be unable to continue doing the bidding of his "Friends," making him unable to work off his debt to them - and prompting them to claim him as payment instead.
Curiously, despite having great power, the nature of his voodoo leaves Dr. Facilier unable to conjure a thing for himself. Instead, he must rely on trickery and guile to manipulate other people into doing what he wants. The nature of his power seems to stem around making deals; he only gains full access to his voodoo when fulfilling someone else's wishes (although he can usually twist them to suit his own ends) or tempting them. Luckily (for him), Facilier is a master of deceit, with charm and persuasion being second nature to him.
Backstage[4]Edit
Doctor Facilier is voiced by veteran voice actor, Keith David, known to many as Goliath from the Disney melodrama animated show, Gargoyles. His chief animator is Bruce Smith who chooses to animate Dr. Facilier because "for every lead character to shine, they must have an equally entertaining adversary." Bruce Smith even describes Facilier as the love child of the Disney Villains Captain Hook and Cruella De Vil.
"Friends on the Other Side" [5]Edit
Unlike many Disney Villains, who always have minions that do their every whim or suffer their masters' wrath, Dr. Facilier is the second villain to have minions that actually become the threat to him (the first is Scar from "The Lion King," who promises the hyenas the Pridelands, but he is later on killed by them after he betrays them.) His "Friends on the Other Side" are Petro Loa that seem to be the real villains of the movie, and are initially the ones responsible for the voodoo bokor acquiring his black magic. They are in the form of the Gris-Gris in his dark emporium, such as masks, voodoo dolls, shrunken heads, and shadows, and are planning to feast upon the wayward souls of New Orleans.
During Facilier's musical number Friends on the Other Side, the Loa sing a tiny bit in the beginning, and stay camouflaged until the end after Naveen and Lawrence shake Facilier's hands in agreement for their dreams to come true. The Masks chant, the Voodoo Dolls beat drums with their needles and dance as Facilier whips out a talisman given to him by what seems to be the 'Head' Mask Loa, a horned mask that is much larger than the other Loa. After nipping Naveen's finger, the prince turns into a frog, and Facilier makes Lawrence his partner-in-crime by disguising the envious manservant as Naveen.
Later on, when Facilier asks help from his "Friends" to retrieve Naveen when he escaped, the doctor proposes a deal with the incensed Loa that once he takes over New Orleans, he will hand over all the souls of the citizens to the gluttonous spirits. Enticed by the offer, the 'Head' Mask summons voodoo shadows to do Facilier's bidding, his first being to retrieve Naveen.
Finally, during the climax at the Lafayette Cemetery, after Tiana smashes Facilier's talisman, the sinister Petro Loa come out from hiding, reprising "Friends on the Other Side," and prepare to take the frightened bokor away to the spirit world. Despite his pleas, the Loa corner Facilier to a grave that takes the form of the 'Head' Mask, which as it turns out to also be the Hellmouth to the Voodoo Underworld. Dr. Facilier tries to escape, but his "Friends" snare his shadow, thus dragging him into the awaiting mouth of the Mask Loa. As the evil Facilier and his shadow disappear inside the Mask's mouth, the rest of the Loa get sucked back into their world, just as the 'Head' Mask closes its jaws, and too vanishes in a flash of light. This is the last time Dr. Facilier and his "Friends" are seen through the remainder of the film.
Songs[6]Edit
Dr. Facilier's most notable song is Friends on the Other Side. But in the music CD, Bayou Boogie, he has three more songs.[7]Doctor Faciler's GravestoneAdded by Prankman Hifly*Friends on the Other Side
Facilier's background in books[8]Edit
Facilier's situation is the one thing that does not make itself very clear in the book merchandise. Though his clues about his deals with his Friends on the Other Side is obvious, his revelation of his future consequences are not entirely mentioned. And finally, Facilier has a much different demise in books than in the movie. Tiana smashes the talisman during her dream restaurant, instead of doing it after being turned back into a frog after her first failed attempt. Once there, Tiana's hallucination disappears and she is turned back into a frog. While the talisman serves as a tool of Facilier's powers in the movie and novel, in some books it is what Facilier uses it as means of controlling the Shadows, thus he loses that control, and the evil spirits turn on him. Soon his Friends on the Other Side arrive and order the Shadows to remove the frightened Facilier. The Shadows immediately surround Facilier and spin rapidly around him until they finally disappear, along with the evil Loa, and Doctor Facilier as well. All that is left of him is his top hat.
How these differences existed in the books but not in the movie is unknown, though some believe these were the original plans, but were changed for the final film.
Role in the Villain League
After his demise, Facilier managed to drag himself out of the Other Side and decided to seek his vengeance upon the worlds. To that end, he recruited the Cheetahs and resurrected Scroop to form the original Villain League. before Malefor, the villain leage was nothing but a minor gang problem, since it only have 4 members, even though Facilier is pretty powerful cause of his "Friends on the other side". But after making up the team,
Dr. Facilier: "Me? I'm ALREADY a Seeker!"
Malefor contacted Facilier and forced him to do every little scheme he ordered him to do. Malefor was, at the time, serously obsessed with Dark Cynder serving him as his loyal lapdog/toady. So he ordered Facilier to re-recruit Cynder to the dark side, and to reorganize the Hellfire Club as the New Villain League. To this day, Facilier still serves the Villain League as Mirage's 2nd-in-command due to the demise of Dread, Scar's Pteranodon clone. An origenal origen in an alternate ending for Spongebob's adventures of Jungle Book had Facilier as a recent recrut that earn the villain leage's resecpt by bringing back Cobra, but this resulted to be altered to what it is now with the alternate ending for that project scrapped, following to the origen shown. Facilier has the secret ability to wield a keyblade of darkness, but prefers not to use it only when it is a major emergency. It has the unique ability to unlock the darkness in people's hearts and create Unversed from their darkness, which is how Facilier created his Dark Side powder for recruiting Villains from across the worlds. the Keyblade itself is not really seen in the series, and some villains are more easy to convince then others that Facilier hardly even needs it. Not only that, but he's also managed to use his voodoo magic to create monstrous henchmen for himself in the form of the Voodoo Zombie and the Phantom Shadow. In Spirited Away, when Facilier traps the louge in the Spirit realm, he reveals that he had been a great help to Master Xehanort years before during the events of KH BBS and how he told him of other worlds outside of New Orleans which lead to him working for Malefor. Later, when Master Xehanort is revived to help the Villain Leage and their Organization XIII, he reveals that he had Dr. Facilier turn Mang evil and help Malefor in his plans as payment for reviving him from his demise back in the Princess and the Frog after Tiana caused his doom and ruin his plans to take over New Orleans.