Baloo (/ˈbÉ'Ë luË /, from Hindi: à¤à¤¾à¤²à¥‚ bhÄ lÅ« "bear") is a
main fictional character featured in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book
from 1894 and The Second Jungle Book from 1895. Baloo, a sloth bear,
is the strict teacher of the cubs of the Seeonee wolf pack. His most
challenging pupil is the "man-cub" Mowgli. Baloo and Bagheera, a
panther, save Mowgli from Shere Khan the tiger, and endeavor to teach
Mowgli the Law of the Jungle in many of The Jungle Book stories.He is
described in Kipling's work as "the sleepy brown bear". Robert
Armitage Sterndale, from whom Kipling derived most of his knowledge of
Indian fauna, used the Hindi word "Bhalu" for several bear species,
though Daniel Karlin, who edited the Penguin reissue of The Jungle
Book in 1987, states that, with the exception of colour, Kipling's
descriptions of Baloo are consistent with the sloth bear, as brown
bears and Asian black bears do not occur in the Seoni area where the
novel takes place. Also, the name sloth can be used in the context of
sleepiness. Karlin states, however, that Baloo's diet of "only roots
and nuts and honey" is a trait more common to the Asian black bear
than to the sloth bear. Nevertheless, this may be single observation
only; according to the dietary habits of sloth bears, while sloth
bears prefer termites and ants (which is also described as Baloo's
special treat in The Jungle Book), their main sources of food are
honey and fruits most of the year. In the 1967 Walt Disney's The
Jungle Book, he's portrayed as a Sloth bear, meanwhile in the Russian
version, he's portrayed as an Asian black bear. In the 1994 remake of
The Jungle Book, Baloo is portrayed by a Cinnamon bear, while
live-action television shows and movies often have Baloo portrayed by
an American black bear. In the 2016 adaptation, Baloo is stated to be
a sloth bear by Bagheera, though his appearance is similar to that of
a Himalayan brown bear. Though this subspecies of the brown bear is
absent from historical records on Seoni, it might have ranged across
most of northern India.In the Author's Notes in the Jungle Book,
Kipling gives the pronunciation of the name as BAR-loo, with the
accent on "bar".Baloo, based on Kipling's creation, has appeared in
various Disney productions, starting with the company's 1967
feature-length animated film adaptation of The Jungle Book. In this
version, Baloo (voiced by Phil Harris) is portrayed as a friendly,
even-tempered character who lives a responsibility-free lifestyle,
seemingly far removed from the law teacher in Kipling's book. Like in
the novel, Baloo is one of Mowgli's mentors and friends. Baloo is also
patient and strong; his only apparent weakness is that he's ticklish.
Baloo is initially opposed to bringing Mowgli to the Man Village,
wanting to raise him as a son. However, when Bagheera explains that
Mowgli is easy prey for Shere Khan the tiger and that he's not safe in
the jungle, even with Baloo's diligent protection, Baloo realizes he
has a point and agrees to tell Mowgli the difficult truth. Mowgli
turns on Baloo and runs away, prompting him and Bagheera to split up
and search for the boy. Baloo isn't seen again until the climax of the
film, when he sees Mowgli preparing to battle Shere Khan. Baloo
attempts to stop the tiger, but almost gets killed in the process.
After Mowgli follows a girl named Shanti into the village and decides
to stay there, Baloo is slightly disappointed, but is ultimately
relieved that Mowgli is safe at last. He and Bagheera then return to
the jungle as they sing a reprise of "The Bare Necessities" together.
main fictional character featured in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book
from 1894 and The Second Jungle Book from 1895. Baloo, a sloth bear,
is the strict teacher of the cubs of the Seeonee wolf pack. His most
challenging pupil is the "man-cub" Mowgli. Baloo and Bagheera, a
panther, save Mowgli from Shere Khan the tiger, and endeavor to teach
Mowgli the Law of the Jungle in many of The Jungle Book stories.He is
described in Kipling's work as "the sleepy brown bear". Robert
Armitage Sterndale, from whom Kipling derived most of his knowledge of
Indian fauna, used the Hindi word "Bhalu" for several bear species,
though Daniel Karlin, who edited the Penguin reissue of The Jungle
Book in 1987, states that, with the exception of colour, Kipling's
descriptions of Baloo are consistent with the sloth bear, as brown
bears and Asian black bears do not occur in the Seoni area where the
novel takes place. Also, the name sloth can be used in the context of
sleepiness. Karlin states, however, that Baloo's diet of "only roots
and nuts and honey" is a trait more common to the Asian black bear
than to the sloth bear. Nevertheless, this may be single observation
only; according to the dietary habits of sloth bears, while sloth
bears prefer termites and ants (which is also described as Baloo's
special treat in The Jungle Book), their main sources of food are
honey and fruits most of the year. In the 1967 Walt Disney's The
Jungle Book, he's portrayed as a Sloth bear, meanwhile in the Russian
version, he's portrayed as an Asian black bear. In the 1994 remake of
The Jungle Book, Baloo is portrayed by a Cinnamon bear, while
live-action television shows and movies often have Baloo portrayed by
an American black bear. In the 2016 adaptation, Baloo is stated to be
a sloth bear by Bagheera, though his appearance is similar to that of
a Himalayan brown bear. Though this subspecies of the brown bear is
absent from historical records on Seoni, it might have ranged across
most of northern India.In the Author's Notes in the Jungle Book,
Kipling gives the pronunciation of the name as BAR-loo, with the
accent on "bar".Baloo, based on Kipling's creation, has appeared in
various Disney productions, starting with the company's 1967
feature-length animated film adaptation of The Jungle Book. In this
version, Baloo (voiced by Phil Harris) is portrayed as a friendly,
even-tempered character who lives a responsibility-free lifestyle,
seemingly far removed from the law teacher in Kipling's book. Like in
the novel, Baloo is one of Mowgli's mentors and friends. Baloo is also
patient and strong; his only apparent weakness is that he's ticklish.
Baloo is initially opposed to bringing Mowgli to the Man Village,
wanting to raise him as a son. However, when Bagheera explains that
Mowgli is easy prey for Shere Khan the tiger and that he's not safe in
the jungle, even with Baloo's diligent protection, Baloo realizes he
has a point and agrees to tell Mowgli the difficult truth. Mowgli
turns on Baloo and runs away, prompting him and Bagheera to split up
and search for the boy. Baloo isn't seen again until the climax of the
film, when he sees Mowgli preparing to battle Shere Khan. Baloo
attempts to stop the tiger, but almost gets killed in the process.
After Mowgli follows a girl named Shanti into the village and decides
to stay there, Baloo is slightly disappointed, but is ultimately
relieved that Mowgli is safe at last. He and Bagheera then return to
the jungle as they sing a reprise of "The Bare Necessities" together.
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