Who provided the voice of Baloo in Disney’s 2016 film The Jungle Book?

Bill Murray provided the voice of Baloo in Disney’s 2016 film The Jungle Book.

Murray’s performance gives Baloo a relaxed, comic personality while retaining the bear’s role as Mowgli’s protective friend. The character first appeared in Kipling’s stories and became especially famous through Phil Harris’s performance in Disney’s 1967 animated film.

The 2016 production used digitally created animals, so voice performances were recorded separately from the final images. Murray’s Baloo appears alongside Ben Kingsley’s Bagheera, Idris Elba’s Shere Khan, and Scarlett Johansson’s Kaa.

The two Disney versions are often confused because they share songs, characters, and broad plot elements. However, Bill Murray belongs to the 2016 live-action and computer-generated adaptation, while Phil Harris voiced Baloo in the 1967 animated film.