Baloo Bear[1] is a bear from the 1967 Disney animated feature film The Jungle Book, based loosely on the book of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. In contrast to the serious, old bear seen in Kipling's stories, Disney's version of the character is an easygoing and fun-loving character who often shirks responsibility. After the release of the movie, Disney would feature Baloo in many later productions, such as his role as a cargo pilot in the animated television series TaleSpin.
Appearances in Christmas specials
A Magic Kingdom Yuletide Special
The first Christmas special to feature an appearance by Baloo was the 1985 live-action special A Magic Kingdom Yuletide Special. He appears at Santa Claus' workshop, where he, along with Br'er Bear from Song of the South and Liver Lips McGrowl of the Country Bears, performs the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies from The Nutcracker.
TaleSpin
"Jolly Molly Christmas", the Christmas episode of TaleSpin, marks Baloo's most prominent role in a Christmas special. When Molly Cunningham begins to think that Santa doesn't really exist, Baloo says he can prove Santa's existence to her. In order to do this, he has Louie dress up as Santa and decorate his tavern as Santa's workshop. However, when Molly tells "Santa" that she wants him to grant her mother Rebecca's wish to see it snow, Baloo tries to pull this off using a shipment of soap flakes that he and Kit were supposed to deliver today. Unfortunately, an attack by Don Karnage and his air pirates ruins this plan, but things turn out all right when Baloo and the others find Molly after she actually sees the real Santa flying overhead.
Baloo, along with Kit, Rebecca, and Molly, also appeared in a Christmas-themed promotional spot for the Disney Afternoon, which aired in commercial breaks during the block's second season, in which they appear to be spending Christmas Eve at Scrooge McDuck's mansion. (The presence of the TaleSpin characters alongside the DuckTales and Darkwing Duck characters would suggest that the promo is not actually canon to the shows, as a later crossover comic would officially state that TaleSpin takes place several decades before the other two shows.)
House of Mouse
In the 2001 direct-to-video compilation film Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, spun off from Disney's House of Mouse, Baloo makes cameos in the crowd shots, and later, along with his Jungle Book co-star Mowgli, takes part in singing "The Best Christmas of All". He and Bagheera also make cameos in the series' first regular Christmas episode, "Pete's Christmas Caper".
References
- ↑ Last name given in the TaleSpin episode "A Bad Reflection on You, Part 1".