Yahoo Movies Meet Bill Murray's Baloo in Exclusive 'Jungle Book' Clip
Sadly there was no shot of Bill Murray posing with a bear last week when Disney released a cool series of shots placing its Jungle Book stars alongside the animals they voice.
But now we’ve got a full minute of Murray’s iconic sloth bear in action thanks to an exclusive clip from the upcoming family adventure, which you can watch above.
Related: Jon Favreau Breaks Down ‘Jungle Book’ Trailer
The scene shows the first face-to-face encounter between Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi) and Baloo, coming shortly after the bear has saved the man-cub from the “jaws of death” (likely meaning the attack of the tiger Shere Khan, voiced by Idris Elba). Now Baloo is bent on The Big Payback.
Directed by Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man) and adapted for the screen by Justin Marks (from Rudyard Kipling’s classic 1894 collection), The Jungle Book also features the voice work of Scarlett Johansson (as Indian python Kaa), Lupita Nyong'o (as mother wolf Raksha), Christopher Walken (as the giant primate King Louie), Giancarlo Esposito (as Indian wolf Akela), and Ben Kingsley (as black panther Bagheera).
Murray, as we can see from this clip, is perfectly cast as the mellow, cooler-than-a-Polar-bear’s-toenails Baloo, infusing him with that special brand of dry wit that’s made the Ghostbusters actor so beloved. The only question is, will Baloo’s big number “The Bear Necessities” take place in a jungle karaoke room?
The Jungle Book opens April 15.
