Dr. Facilier also known as The Shadow Man is a character who makes appearances in many of the Disney theme parks.
History[]
Background[]
Origins[]
Doctor Facilier was a suave and charismatic Voodoo practitioner in New Orleans during the 1920s known as "The Shadow Man". Facilier had an envy for the wealthy and high-status of the city, with aspirations of becoming wealthy himself. While in pursuit of magical powers, Facilier accumulated a life debt with otherworldly entities known as his "Friends on the Other Side".
As a result of Facilier's voodoo powers, he had a sentient and freely moving shadow. While operating out of his base "Doctor Facilier's Voodoo Emporium", Facilier would make bargains with people to offer them their desires at a twisted cost, while unable to conjure up anything for himself.
The Princess and the Frog[]
In 1926, Prince Naveen of Maldonia travelled to New Orleans with his manservant Lawrence after Naveen was financially cut-off by his parents. Doctor Facilier learned of Naveen's plans to marry the wealthy heiress Charlotte La Bouff, daughter of Eli La Bouff. While Naveen and Lawrence were out on the town, Doctor Facilier met them and persuaded Naveen into entering his Voodoo Emporium to have his tarot cards read and "Dreams made real"
In the emporium, Doctor Facilier revealed he knew of Naveen's situation and offered him a future with "The green" and to be "Free" and "Hop from place to place". Meanwhile, Facilier chastised Lawrence for having been pushed around his entire life and covertly offered Lawrence a future in which he had wealth and could push around Naveen. Both men agreed to Doctor Facilier's bargain, resulting in Facilier binding Naveen while manifesting a talisman from his Friends on the Other Side which would allow Lawrence to shape-shift into Naveen's body as long as it was supplied with Naveen's blood, meanwhile Naveen was turned into a frog and kept in a jar to be extracted of blood.
Doctor Facilier and Lawrence attended a party at the La Bouff estate where Lawrence posed as Naveen to woo Charlotte. He and Lawrence developed the plan of having Lawrence marry Charlotte after-which Facilier would kill her father with a Voodoo doll so they could then split the inheritance 60/40. However, Lawrence also loosened the lid on Naveen's jar causing Naveen to escape. Naveen kissed a woman dressed as a princess named Tiana, hoping she would break the spell, only for her to turn into a frog as-well. After this, both got lost in the bayou outside of New Orleans.
When the talisman began to lose Naveen's blood necessary for Lawrence's shape-shifting, Facilier talked his Friends on the Other Side into loaning him various shadow henchmen to search the city for the frogs. On the night of Mardi Gras, the shadows got Naveen allowing Lawrence to try to marry Charlotte during the parade. However, Naveen's firefly friend Ray from the bayou took the talisman and brought it to Tiana who ran off with it in a cemetery. Ray used his light abilities to fight off several shadows before getting swatted down by Facilier and crushed under his shoe.
When Doctor Facilier found Tiana, she threatened to destroy the talisman leading to him offering her a deal to open the restaurant which she and her father had always dreamed of. However, Tiana overcame the persuasion and destroyed the talisman resulting in Doctor Facilier's "Friends" to appear and drag him into their realm, leaving a tombstone behind with his name and wailing face as a statue.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom[]
When the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, attempted to take over the various realms of "The Magic Kingdom" by assembling the shards of the Crystal of the Magic Kingdom across the different lands, Hades brought Doctor Facilier back from the Other Side. Louis and Mama Odie assisted the sorcerer Merlin as well as his apprentices in retrieving the Crystal shard and stopping Hades' plan.
Doctor Facilier had the shadows from the other side travel across "Frontierland" while also breaking Lawrence out of prison. Doctor Facilier tried kidnapping Tiana and poisoning the food at Tiana's Palace to mind-control her patrons, only for Tiana to be freed by the apprentices. The heroes stopped Facilier who was then dragged back to the Other Side.
Appearances[]
Doctor Facilier is a fairly common Disney Villain to appear in the parks.
Mark Twain Riverboat[]
Doctor Facilier has appeared on the riverboat and for Tiana's Showboat Jubilee.
Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou[]
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom[]
Doctor Facilier was one antagonist in one of the Frontierland missions.
Trivia[]
- The cemetery where Facilier is spirited away in the film also had the tombstone of Madame Leota from the Haunted Mansion. Considering the New Orleans setting of the film, this has lead to the fan-theory that Facilier's tomb is located in the cemetery behind the Haunted Mansion.
- Leading up to the opening of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, it was highly anticipated amongst fans for Doctor Facilier and his Friends on the Other Side to appear on the final lift-hill, accompanied by the song "Friends on the Other Side", similar to how it was presented as a dark moment of suspense in the attraction's predecessor Splash Mountain. Ultimately, the attraction used Mama Odie and a reprise of Dig a Little Deeper instead. Incorporating the Friends on the Other Side sequence would have addressed the main story criticism of Tiana's Bayou Adventure lacking much conflict or stakes for greater build-up, impact and incorporating popular elements of the original film not featured in the attraction.