All five I Am Groot shorts premiere Wednesday, Aug. 10 on Disney+.
I Am Groot, from Kirsten Lepore (Adventure Time's stop-motion "Bad Jubies" episode), is a sweet series of dialogue-free detours featuring a Baby Groot letting his curiosity lead the way toward mirthful micro-adventures. These fun, mischievous morsels are adorable as an animated offshoot of the MCU but also contain a quirky dark humor thanks to Groot's own temper and penchant for getting punchy.
For those concerned with canon, no matter how superfluous the project, the events take place between Guardians Vols. 1 and 2, focusing on Groot's regrowth from sapling form, featuring the pint-size hero -- for the most part -- as he was seen in Vol. 2. He's feisty, but he lacks the towering presence to intimidate. He's silly, but still willing to start some s*** if he feels slighted.
Vin Diesel reprises his voice work here (along with one other Guardians actor, in one episode) for the most ridiculous and rambunctious version of Groot yet. I Am Groot may seem slight given how few episodes there are, and how quickly they go by, but there's a loveliness to these minisodes -- a warped beauty stemming (hah!) from Groot's weirdness and occasional lack of conscience. Just about every chapter gets capped off with a "twist" of sorts, wherein Groot's wild card pettiness wins out.
These Groot shorts aren't edgy, per se, but they're cut from a different cloth than, say, the Baymax! ones that debuted back in June, which had a soft lead and a soft heart. Groot is kind of a punk, but a delightful one who makes it a point to find thrills and/or revelry in the small parts of cosmic life. Whether he's on board the Eclector or exploring a forested alien world, Groot, like a restless child, longs to find amusement. It's really the only driving force here. Well, that and the need to express his displeasure.
You'll see Groot make himself over with mud, surf on some soap, battle a bonsai, duel in a dance-off, and genuinely creep around as an imperfect imp. Groot's prickliness is a saving grace here, as these types of shorts rarely showcase a brat. Sure, he learns and grows but there's always a fundamental temperamental quality resting underneath that opens these episodes up a bit, allowing for a bit of the unexpected.
The Verdict
I Am Groot is daft and devious, owning its non-essential existence and leaning into Baby Groot's own impetuous, unruly behavior. It's hard to separate I Am Groot from its "content"-ness sometimes, since these five shorts are so breezy and quick they barely warrant their assigned thumbnail in the Disney+ catalogue, but there's also a funky, spirited nature to the stories, which saddle up to the most monstrous Guardian during his most vulnerable, and vehement, state.
