- Director
- Kirsten Lepore
- Rating
- n/a
- Episodes
- 5
- Running Time
- 20 minutes
- Channel
- Disney Plus
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Who would have thought that a moving and talking tree who can only say “I am Groot” would be so popular? But that’s what happened following the first appearance of Groot in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Voiced by Vin Diesel, the CGI character is just so cute and full of personality in spite of his limited vocabulary. A consummate scene-stealer, it only makes sense to keep tapping into that cuteness and personality for another property. The aptly-titled I Am Groot, is a series of five animated shorts featuring Baby Groot (Diesel) being the absolute cutest as he embarks on a series of escapades. A different tone than the Guardians of the Galaxy films, the shorts take a more whimsical route while still keeping a lot of that Guardians edge. Told from the perspective of Baby Groot, the way he sees and understands the world and his pure sense of wonder is quite something to behold as those adventures are sure to make a lot of viewers feel a lot of things.
The sheer imagination on display here is impressive as the possibilities are endless as far as the character of Groot is concerned. For those wondering how I Am Groot fits within the MCU as a whole, it actually does, between the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and its first post-credit scene. The series of shorts basically amounts to a partial coming-of-age journey of sorts as Baby Groot is learning in the only way he can and one can’t help but connect with that and the many ups and downs along the way. The premise of each short was simple as they saw him on and off the Guardians ship. Though simple, they never wear our their welcome. Solely featuring Baby Groot, he let his actions do the talking which were more than enough to get by. In the end, this was merely a testament to the creativity and imagination behind the writing that knew what to do with the character.
When it comes to the individual shorts, some were of course better than others. Whether or not they are throwaways or will amount to something later remains to be seen but nevertheless they are each a blast to watch as their silliness are likely to put smiles on viewers’ faces. Despite their short running times, averaging around 4 minutes per short, they still have their fair share of moments. However, Baby Groot does not take part in all the moments alone as Bradley Cooper returns to voice Rocket for a brief appearance. While not necessarily a voice acting showcase, Diesel understands the assignment as Baby Groot and Cooper makes the most of his limited screen time.
One of the highlights of I Am Groot is the animation. Offering plenty of brightness and color, characters and environments are well-detailed as the animation plays with perspective in inventive ways as it reminds us that Baby Groot is only a small part in a bigger overarching world though he didn’t always see himself that way. Meanwhile, the score across all the shorts also plays into the whimsical angle nicely.
At the end of the day, I Am Groot is a quick and fun departure for the MCU as it looks to strengthen its animated wing. While it’s simple, it is effective and will leave viewers wanting more.
still courtesy of Marvel Studios
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
