History Main / GentleGorilla

Mostly TruthInTelevision, as gorillas are among the least aggressive primates and will leave humans alone unless they feel directly threatened (though they do find proximity and eye contact threatening, so in RealLife it's better to treat them with caution). Friendlier examples of a KingKongCopy can qualify for this trope. Compare BigHeartedBigfoot, another example of a large but friendly hairy hominid, and EruditeOrangutan, a smart and usually friendly ape. Could dovetail with AbhorrentAdmirer, if it's a female who is ''very'' friendly, and the object of its affection isn't too keen on it, or even [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4933144/ a male of the gorilla species]]. For tropes about other large, gentle herbivores, see also GenialGiraffe and HonorableElephant.

Mostly TruthInTelevision, as gorillas are among the least aggressive primates and will leave humans alone unless they feel directly threatened. Friendlier examples of a KingKongCopy can qualify for this trope. Compare BigHeartedBigfoot, another example of a large but friendly hairy hominid, and EruditeOrangutan, a smart and usually friendly ape. Could dovetail with AbhorrentAdmirer, if it's a female who is ''very'' friendly, and the object of its affection isn't too keen on it, or even [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4933144/ a male of the gorilla species]]. For tropes about other large, gentle herbivores, see also GenialGiraffe and HonorableElephant.

* ''Mr. Go'', a South Korean movie, stars a friendly circus gorilla named Ling Ling with amazing bat-swinging skills who [[AnimalAthleteLoophole joins a baseball team]].

* A legendary moment in Creator/DavidAttenborough's career as a {{documentary}} maker was the sequence in one program which had him discussing mountain gorillas while sitting close to a gorilla family in Rwanda -- when [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeaAZ1On-w8 they drew him into their grooming activity.]] He always emphasizes tat they are indeed gentle creatures and the danger to him was low, but given their raw strength, and the fact that he was close to their young while their parents were present, Attenborough's calm was astonishing.
** Attenborough was accompanied by Dian Fossey, who had habituated this gorilla family for ten years. He always emphasizes that only her presence made it possible to approach the gorillas.

* The book ''Gorilla! Gorilla!'' ends with this plot twist [[spoiler: when it turns out its been trying to return the baby of the mouse protagonist all along.]]

* ''[[Series/TheElectricCompany1971 The Electric Company]]'': Paul the Gorilla, who helped Jennifer Of the Jungle in reading skits. Sometimes characters would (comically) faint at the sight of him but Paul was harmless and one to make a quick friend with many others.

* ''Film/MightyJoeYoung'': In both the 1949 and the 1998 versions, Joe is a gigantic, but friendly gorilla who shares a strong bond with a woman named Jill Young. Similarly to King Kong, he gets captured and exhibited to the public, then escapes and rampages through the city; while people are first terrified of him, he proves himself to be nice in the eyes of the public by rescuing a human child from mortal danger.

* PlayedForLaughs in WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}, where a seemingly aggresive gorilla shaking the bars of its circus cage accidentally pulls it out, and it drops its monstrous act and sheepishly puts it back.

** Attenborough was accompanied by Dian Fossey, who had habituated this gorilla family for ten years.
He always emphasizes that only her presence made it possible to approach the gorillas.

* ''WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla'' is a sapient, partly-dressed gorilla who's for sale in a pet store. He's generally friendly and well-meaning, though his comical bumbling causes a lot of annoyence for the pet store's owner, Mr. Peebles.