Baloo (2016)

:This page is about the incarnation of Baloo from the 2016 movie. The mainstream version can be found here: Baloo (Disney).
 
Baloo is the tritagonist of the 2016 adaptation of The Jungle Book. In this version, he is depicted as a Cave Bear (though in the film he is clearly stated to be a Sloth Bear by Bagheera). Additionally, it is also possible he is a Himalayan brown bear.
He was voiced by Bill Murray, who also played Phil Connors in Groundhog Day, Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters, and Garfield.
==Biography==
Baloo first appears in the film as Mowgli is about to be devoured by Kaa. Baloo fights her off and carries Mowgli to safety. Baloo then tells him of how he saved Mowgli from Kaa before saying that he owes Baloo for saving him. He then persuades a reluctant Mowgli into gathering honey for him from the top of a cliff under the pretense of needing it for winter so he can hibernate and since he is afraid of heights too. As they spend time together, Mowgli and Baloo bond, and use their combined power (Mowgli's innovative tricks and Baloo's strength) to obtain things easily. Mowgli then decides to stay with Baloo until winter, especially when Baloo tells him that Mowgli can be himself and remain in the jungle after showing him a man village one night.
When Bagheera returns to find Mowgli, he is angry to find that Mowgli has decided to stay with Baloo and is using his inventions as opposed to living as the wolves who raised him do. A heated debate ensues with everyone agreeing to sleep on the subject of Mowgli returning to the Man-village for morning. During the night, Baloo and Bagheera witness Mowgli form a bond with the elephants, whom all the other jungle creatures avoid or bow to, after saving their calf. After, he and Bagheera converse about Mowgli's situation, the death of the wolf Akela (Mowgli's wolf leader) and that Shere Khan is hunting him. Thus, reluctantly, Baloo tries to send Mowgli away by telling him that they were never friends, which greatly hurts Baloo. Before Mowgli can decide on what he wants to do, monkeys, macaques, langurs, and gibbons commanded by King Louie kidnap him. Baloo and Bagheera give chase and climb to the monkey temple to rescue Mowgli, despite Baloo's fear of heights. Baloo then enters the temple and distracts King Louie while Bagheera and Mowgli try to sneak out. When they are discovered, Baloo and Bagheera fight the monkeys off while Mowgli hides from Louie. After Louie is seemingly killed by the collapsing temple, Mowgli asks on the fate of Akela, revealed to him by Louie, and angrily decides to run away and face Shere Khan when he finds out that it is true.
Baloo and Bagheera quickly give chase to find Mowgli returning to face Shere Khan with a burning torch, which accidentally starts a wildfire. When he throws the torch away and Shere Khan readies to attack, Baloo, Bagheera and Mowgli's wolf family led by his adoptive mother, Raksha, intervene and fight him. In the battle that follows, Baloo is the first to attack the tiger, and fights bravely and fiercely until he is injured too much to fight any longer. However, his actions and those of Bagheera and the wolves buy Mowgli enough time to set a trap and kill Shere Khan. After the fire is put out and Raksha assumes the mantle of Alpha wolf, Baloo is seen relaxing with Mowgli and Bagheera in a tree, content with Mowgli's choice to be a human and still live in the jungle.
==Trivia==
*Ironically, Bill Murray's older brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, provided the voice of Baloo in The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story.
==External Links==
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