Mama Odie

Context

Mama Odie is a fun mystic character in the 2009 Disney animated movie The Princess and the Frog.

She is the voodoo queen of the bayou. Such a figure is traditional in Louisiana créole folklore and beyond. The main example being of course Marie Laveau, the Witch-Queen of New Orleans  .

This article only covers Mama Odie’s appearance in this film. It does not cover her appearances in books or video games.

For those not familiar with this movie, this article should follow the Dr. Facilier writeup.

This profile’s got S P O I L E R S, chile.

Background

Powers & Abilities

As the Voodoo Queen of the bayou, Mama Odie has access to powerful magics.

She has a preternatural sense about people. She can “see” their past and futures based on decisions made today.

Mama Odie tries to guide individuals down paths they’ll be the happiest. Still, most demand what they think is best. What they think they want over what Mama Odie knows they need.

Other assets and limitations

All animals in the bayou are sentient, from the firefly to the gator. They all know of Mama Odie and respect her magic.

She may control and speak to them. They completely trust her. Her favorite is a huge boa constrictor named Juju.

(“Juju” is a term of art in some voodoo magic traditions — ed.).

Mama Odie is also blind. Although this hinders her very little if at all.

She is a decent singer and may have once been a good dancer. Slowed now with age but she keeps good rhythm.

Dig a Little Deeper

History

Tiana and Prince Naveen went in search of Mama Odie. A jazz-loving alligator had told them that Odie could transform them back to their human forms.

Mama Odie predicted that they would come. The blind woman thus used her magic to save the petitioners, blasting the shadows chasing them from the other side.

Mama knows best

Bayou animals then assembled at Odie’s boat-house. They and the Voodoo queen sung to convince the pair to ask for what they truly need. Namely each other, rather than money or a dream restaurant.

Tiana and Prince Naveen eventually realized they loved each other. Together in frog form they asked Mama Odie to marry them.

Mama Odie laughed as she performed the ceremony. She knew that once married, Tiana would officially be a princess. And the kiss to seal the marriage would also turn them both human.

Description

Mama Odie is quite old and a little overweight.

She wears jet-black rectangular eye-glasses denoting her blindness.

She goes bare-foot, presumably to feel her way better.

Other traits

She wears all white clothing and gold jewelry. On her left ring-finger she wears a blue-stoned ring.

Her appearance and voice were based off author and storyteller Coleen Salley  .

Mama Odie is voiced by Jenifer Lewis  .

Personality

Mama Odie is extremely happy with her life. Smiling and laughing with almost everything she says. She only seemed sad for a moment when those who come to her don’t heed her advice.

She loves to slip in some hint that she already knows what you will say before you tell her.

She doesn’t use her magic to grant wishes.

Gumbo is a dish she loves. She’s shown preparing it in a bathtub.

Quotes

“Y’all ain’t got the sense you was born with !”

“This gonna be good !” (laughs)

Louis the gator: “Voodoo ? Like the kind Mama Odie do ?”
Prince Naveen: “Mama… hoodee ?”
Louis the gator: “Mama Odie. She the voodoo queen of the bayou. She got magic and spells. All kind of hoodoo.”

“Want some candy ?”

“You want to be human. But, you’re blind to what you need.”

Marvel Universe Adaptation

(This section proposes ways of using this character in Marvel Universe stories).

Mama Odie could fit easily in the MU. She is a reclusive sort anyway. People seek her out.

The most obvious tie-ins are Brother Voodoo or Black Talon. Mama Odie may have given them advice about what they needed in their youth.

DC Heroes RPG

Tell me more about the game stats

Mama Odie

Dex: 02	Str: 02	Bod: 02
Int: 03	Wil: 05	Min: 04
Inf: 07	Aur: 03	Spi: 04
Init: 010		HP: 005

Powers:

Animal Control: 05, Animal Summoning: 10, Fabricate: 04, Postcognition: 28, Speak with Animals: 05, Teleportation: 01

Bonuses and Limitations:

• All powers are Mystic linked.
• Postcognition requires a reflective surface like a mirror or the surface of any liquid (-1 FC).

Skills:

Artist (Cooking, Singer): 03, Artist (Dancer): 01, Occultist: 06, Weaponry (Wands): 05

Advantages:

HQ (Confined), Scholar (Voodoo), Slowed Aging.

Connections:

None.

Drawbacks:

Age (Old), Minor Physical Restriction (Blind).

Motivation:

Thrill of Adventure.

Occupation:

Voodoo Queen.

Wealth:

000

Equipment:

Gourd-Wand [BODY 04, Enhance (EV): 01 (cap is 04), Flash: 05, Transform: 08; Descriptor: Bludgeoning].

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Mama Odie’s pet boa constrictor, Juju

Use stats for Anaconda in the Animals file with the following changes.
Int: 02, Will: 02.
Init: 05[07].

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Design notes

Being blind doesn’t seem to affect Mama Odie much at all. I gave her a Minor Physical Restriction for it. For instance: if she needed to read. She suffers no combat disability for it.

She uses Teleportation to bring her Gourd-Wand to her hand. I thought the Gourd-wand was a club to begin with. The stem is visible at various times.

The animals in the Disney-verse are sentient and most have human level intelligence. They trust Mama Odie and don’t resist her animal control power.

I used powers instead of Rituals for Mama Odie’s many magical effects. In her short appearance her most powerful effect was looking into Tiana’s past. The level of Postcognition needed would take too many APs of Occultist to reliably cast it as a Ritual.

I added Fabricate as a catch all for stuff like creating gold coins from nowhere.

By Ethan Roe.

Source of Character: The 2009 Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog.

Helper(s): IMDb, Wikipedia, Animals file on Worg.

Writeup completed on the 7^th of September, 2019.