Magnum Opus (I Am Groot)
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''I Am Groot'' is an American series of animated shorts created by Kirsten Lepore for the streaming service
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, based on the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
featuring the character
Groot Groot () is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #13 (November 1960). An extraterrestrials in fiction, ex ...
. It features characters from the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU), following Baby Groot on various adventures that get him into trouble between the events of ''
Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...
'' (2014) and one of ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy (2008 team), Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios M ...
'' (2017) mid-credits scenes. The series is produced by
Marvel Studios Animation Marvel Studios Animation (also known as Marvel Animation) is a division of American production company Marvel Studios centered on development of its animated projects based on Marvel Comics. The division was created by Marvel Studios as a "min ...
, with Lepore serving as
head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio ...
and director.
Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor and film producer. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for portraying Dominic "Dom" Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' fra ...
reprises his role as the voice of Baby Groot from the MCU films.
Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
also stars, with
Jeffrey Wright Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. Wright began his career in theater, where he g ...
starring in the second season. ''I Am Groot'' was announced in December 2020, and
Luma Pictures Luma Pictures is a visual effects/ animation studio with facilities in Los Angeles, Melbourne and Vancouver. Founded in 2002 by Payam Shohadai and Jonathan R. Beutel, the company is best known for their creatures, environments, and effects. Lum ...
began work on the series'
photorealistic Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can b ...
animation by August 2021. The involvement of Lepore was revealed that November. ''I Am Groot'' premiered its first season with five shorts on Disney+ on August 10, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. A second season, also with five shorts, was released on September 6, 2023, as part of Phase Five.


Premise

Each short follows Baby Groot as he grows up in the galaxy, going on adventures with new and unusual characters that get him into trouble.


Cast and characters

*
Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor and film producer. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for portraying Dominic "Dom" Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' fra ...
as Baby Groot:
A member of the
Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...
who is a tree-like humanoid. Executive producer
Brad Winderbaum Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
called Baby Groot "imperfect" who "doesn't always make the right choices, but learns from his mistakes", adding it was "fun to watch him fail, and it's even more fun to watch him succeed". *
Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
as
Rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...
:
A member of the Guardians who is a genetically modified
raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...
bounty hunter and a master of weapons and
military tactics Military tactics encompasses the art of organizing and employing fighting forces on or near the battlefield. They involve the application of four battlefield functions which are closely related – kinetic or firepower, Mobility (military), mobil ...
. Director Kirsten Lepore described Rocket as "bit of a scolding parent" towards Groot, but still his friend "with a soft heart", with Winderbaum stating that Rocket feels responsible for Groot as "an unlikely parent". *
Jeffrey Wright Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. Wright began his career in theater, where he g ...
as the Watcher: A member of the alien Watcher race who observes the
multiverse The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...
. Wright reprises his role from the animated series '' What If...?''. Additionally,
James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1996). He then began working as a director, starting wi ...
voices a wrist watch and
Trevor Devall Trevor Devall (born November 10, 1972) is a Canadian voice actor. He worked for various other studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for years, before he relocated to Los Angeles, California in 2013. Early life Trevor Devall was born ...
voices Iwua, a shapeshifting alien who mimics Groot, in the first season.


Episodes


Season 1 (2022)


Season 2 (2023)


Production


Development

In December 2020,
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
president
Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
announced ''I Am Groot'', a series of short films starring Baby Groot. Around then, Marvel Studios' head of streaming, television and animation
Brad Winderbaum Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
chose Kirsten Lepore to direct the shorts, which would have "little-to-no dialogue". Marvel Studios was looking for a way to return to the Baby Groot character after his appearance in ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy (2008 team), Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios M ...
'' (2017) since they felt there was "a whole universe of stories to tell" with him as a toddler. They also were drawn to early
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
and
Donald Duck short films Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...
as a way to "go back to that early Disney animation short-form style of storytelling". Lepore was announced as director of the shorts during the
Disney+ Day Disney+ Day was a short-lived annual event hosted by the Walt Disney Company to promote its Disney+, Hulu, and Star+ streaming services, featuring announcements of new feature films and television series from those services and produced by the ...
event in November 2021; she is also the series'
head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio ...
. ''I Am Groot'' is produced by
Marvel Studios Animation Marvel Studios Animation (also known as Marvel Animation) is a division of American production company Marvel Studios centered on development of its animated projects based on Marvel Comics. The division was created by Marvel Studios as a "min ...
, with the first season consisting of five shorts totaling approximately 15 minutes. The shorts are executive produced by Lepore and Marvel Studios' Feige,
Louis D'Esposito Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
,
Victoria Alonso Victoria Alonso (born 22 December 1965) is an Argentine film producer who formerly served as the president of physical and post-production, visual effects, and animation at Marvel Studios. Early life and education Victoria Alonso was born on ...
, and Winderbaum, with
James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1996). He then began working as a director, starting wi ...
, the writer and director of the ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' films, serving as an executive producer on the first season. Production on five additional shorts was underway by July 2022, described as a second season. Lepore said this second collection of shorts would be "in the same spirit" as the first, and features ideas she had that did not make the first collection of shorts. For each season, 30 ideas for shorts were conceived that were then presented to Marvel Studios to choose from. Lepore felt if Marvel Studios wished to make more shorts, they had "no shortage of ideas".


Writing

Lepore drew inspiration from her son, and said the series uses science fiction elements to explore Groot's regular childhood moments. She met with Gunn throughout the process to ensure that she was accurately portraying Baby Groot, who Gunn described to her as a "bad baby". Lepore was also inspired by ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
'' as well as a
Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...
style of smart, physical comedy, which Feige and Winderbaum were also excited to explore. Marvel Studios was able to create
animatics A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process ...
more easily given ''I Am Groot'' is shorts, allowing them to "play with bits and... concepts" to see what worked and find the identity of the series. For the first short, "Groot's First Steps", Lepore wanted to explore Groot growing out of his pot, and was able to incorporate that with another idea of Groot, a sentient tree, going up against a non-sentient tree, which allowed her to explore Keaton physical comedy "in which the inanimate object always wins". "Groot's Pursuit" was conceived thinking about how children can mimic one another, resulting in one getting frustrated by it. Lepore was also interested in exploring Groot's physical abilities, which led to the short "Groot Takes a Bath". She described Groot as becoming a
Chia Pet Chia Pets are American styled terracotta figurines used to sprout chia, where the chia sprouts grow within a couple of weeks to resemble the animal's fur or hair. Moistened chia seeds (''Salvia hispanica'') are applied to a grooved terracotta ...
, which resulted in "a very fun arena to play in". For the second season, Lepore described the shorts as showing Groot "beginning to grow up", with the shorts having him learn about parenthood, the importance of cleanliness and hygiene, "how not to pilot a ship", and starting on "his path to becoming a hero". The first short was "very autobiographical" for Lepore, with Groot needing to show his parenting skills, believing the short "did a good job of capturing the whole 360 of that experience, the good with the bad and the fun and the exhausting". Lepore was "shocked" that Marvel Studios selected the short in which Groot gets a nose, calling it the "weirdest" one. That episode had included Groot realizing an ice cube did not have any smell, but was cut since it "didn't quite work". The fifth short in the second season sees the Watcher make an appearance. Lepore noted their idea for this short was one Marvel Studios chose, which she felt was "sort of giving us that blessing to go ahead and pursue it" and his appearance it allowed them to "write some pretty fun ridiculous things"; ''
Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...
'' served as a reference for this episode. Story editor
Ryan Little Ryan Little (born 28 March 1971) is a Canadian film director, cinematographer and producer. He is perhaps best known for his 2003 film '' Saints and Soldiers.'' His work has a broad range of genres. Little was born in Vancouver, British Columbia ...
served as the script coordinator on '' What If...?'' and was familiar with how the Watcher's character had been written in that series, with Lepore saying ''I Am Groot'' was still able to show a different side of the character that was able to "infuse a little bit of comedy" into the short. Gunn said the series was not necessarily connected to his ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' films, and described them as being "canon to themselves" in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU). Joshua Meyer from ''
/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''SlashFilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. The site's reviews appear on Rotten Tomatoes, and as of 2024, two of its leading film cr ...
'' likened this to the ''
Team Thor ''Team Thor'' is a series of American direct-to-video mockumentary short films produced by Marvel Studios, featuring characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Initially released from 2016 to 2018, they were included as special featur ...
'' mockumentary shorts which he called a "funny bit of apocrypha that isn't essential to MCU continuity". Winderbaum said the shorts were set between the end of ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' and that film's
mid-credits scene A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually i ...
which featured a teenage Groot, with Lepore adding that it also showed events between the end of ''
Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...
'' (2014) and the start of ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2''. Gunn later stated he found it hard to see how they were "canonically MCU" despite Marvel saying they were. Other members of the Guardians of the Galaxy do not appear in the series, outside of Rocket, as the creatives were interested in focusing on Groot and "getting to know his character better" while also exploring the fun of seeing "what he does when nobody's looking" since "that's where he gets into the most trouble".


Casting

Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor and film producer. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for portraying Dominic "Dom" Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' fra ...
was confirmed to be reprising his role as the voice of Baby Groot in June 2022. Diesel recorded new lines for the shorts, after it was initially discussed to reuse existing recordings of him saying "I am Groot" for the series. The next month,
Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
was revealed to be reprising his MCU role as the voice of
Rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...
, as well as Gunn voicing a wrist watch.
Trevor Devall Trevor Devall (born November 10, 1972) is a Canadian voice actor. He worked for various other studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for years, before he relocated to Los Angeles, California in 2013. Early life Trevor Devall was born ...
voices Iwua.
Bob Bergen Robert Berger (born March 8, 1964), known professionally as Bob Bergen, is an American voice actor. He voices Warner Bros. cartoon characters Porky Pig and Tweety and has voiced characters in the English dubs of various anime. He formerly hosted ...
, Terri Douglas,
Scott Menville Scott David Menville (born February 12, 1971) is an American actor and musician who is known for his voice work in animated films, television series and video games. He voices Robin in Cartoon Network's ''Teen Titans'' (2003–2006) and ''Teen ...
,
Kaitlyn Robrock Kaitlyn Robrock ( , born December 30, 1983) is an American voice actress best known for her role as the current voice of Minnie Mouse since 2019. She also voices Helm and Cinderella in the video game '' Goddess of Victory: Nikke''. Career Robro ...
,
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
,
Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American voice actress who has provided English-language roles for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as List of FLCL characters#Haruko Haruhara, Haruko H ...
, and Matthew Wood provide additional voices.
Jeffrey Wright Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. Wright began his career in theater, where he g ...
appears in the second season as the Watcher, reprising his role from the animated series '' What If...?'', with Cooper and Tatasciore returning for the season.
Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...
provides the voices of the various birds in the first short of the second season.


Design

Baby Groot is the same model designed by
Luma Pictures Luma Pictures is a visual effects/ animation studio with facilities in Los Angeles, Melbourne and Vancouver. Founded in 2002 by Payam Shohadai and Jonathan R. Beutel, the company is best known for their creatures, environments, and effects. Lum ...
for ''Vol. 2''. Lepore enjoyed designing the Grunds, seen in "Little Guys", and finding the way to make them be expressive with "just black dots and a mouth". Other original designs for the series included Iwua, the shapeshifting alien, and Snoot Pin Bongo, a squirrel-like creature inspired by the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' character
Salacious Crumb This incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt Di ...
. Color choices played a big role in the series, with respect to the already established color pallette and combinations in the MCU that "have certain connotations". In the second season, the short "Groot Noses Around" features a 16-bit fighting game, informally known as ''Beach Fighters'', that was created by pixel artist and animator Jon Davies.
Perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous syste ...
created the titles for ''I Am Groot''. The series presents the Marvel Studios opening and fanfare fast-forwarding. Lepore was looking to get "really irreverent" with the opening, with Winderbaum adding the studio was always looking for ways to shorten the opening. The creatives liked this since it helped balance the runtime of the shorts without having "a minute-and-a-half opening" along with "a five-minute credit sequence", with Lepore calling it the perfect design for Groot. For the second season, the opening was changed from the "standard television" fast-forwarding visual to a step-through style, more akin to how Disney+ handles fast-forward. This change was also retroactively applied to the first season episodes.


Animation and editing

Visual effects and animation for the series were created by Luma Pictures, which was joined by
Trixter Trixter is an American glam metal band formed in 1983 in Paramus, New Jersey. The band gained popularity in the early 1990s with hits like "Give It To Me Good" that peaked at sixty-five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990 and "One In A Million". ...
for the second season short "Groot's Snow Day". Work on the series'
photorealistic Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can b ...
animation style began by August 2021. Winderbaum explained that Marvel Studios wanted ''I Am Groot'' to feel "directly rooted in the language of the films", which is why they chose visual effects company Luma Pictures to animate the series since they previously designed and worked on Baby Groot for ''Vol. 2''. Winderbaum highlighted how Lepore's experience working with
stop motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...
animation translated to her directing computer-generated animation. When talking to Lepore, Gunn compared Baby Groot's poses and facial expressions to
emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis; , ) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram, or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of modern emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from type ...
s due the character's face just having eyes and a mouth. Initial conceptions of the episodes in the storyboard and animatic stages resulted in the shorts being about five minutes long. Lepore was aiming for each short to be approximately three minutes in length, and made refinements and "edited very carefully" to get them to that runtime.


Music

Daniele Luppi Daniele Luppi (born January 1, 1972, in Padua, Italy) is an Italian film and television composer and music producer. He has received two Emmy nominations and has collaborated with artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gnarls Barkley, Depe ...
served as the composer for ''I Am Groot''. Lepore chose Luppi to score the series given his past work with an electronic sound, which helped translate to the "strange" sound she was looking for. She added that his score "sounds like it came out of a
Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...
with the same kind of patina on it from that era". Luppi used old microphones, keyboards, and other analog instruments to give his score an "authentic, more organic sound". A
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
featuring the songs "Groot Bossa Nova" and "Groot Tuttifrutti" from the shorts was released digitally by
Marvel Music Marvel Music was a short-lived imprint of Marvel Comics, introduced in 1994 to publish comics developed in collaboration with musicians. The concept descended from previous Marvel collaborations with Kiss (which starred in a ''Marvel Comics S ...
and
Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...
on August 4, 2022. Lepore wanted to feature music from the 1960s and 1970s, and looked at music from around the world instead of just the United States, to differentiate it from the music featured in the ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' films. Licensed songs in the series include "In the Hall of the Mountain Queen" by
Raymond Scott Raymond Scott (born Harry Warnow; September 10, 1908 – February 8, 1994) was an American composer, band leader, pianist and record producer. Known best in his time as a composer of production music, Scott is today regarded as an early ...
in "Groot's First Steps", which Lepore noted instantly gives the short a "really weird flavor, this spacey, early electro feel", "Ran Kan Kan" by
Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...
in "Groot's Pursuit", and "
You Can Get It If You Really Want "You Can Get It If You Really Want" is a reggae song written and originally recorded by Jamaican singer songwriter Jimmy Cliff and released as a single in July 1970. Another version, recorded by Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker and released within a ...
" by
Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...
in "Magnum Opus". In the second season, "Groot's Sweet Treat" includes "
The Entertainer ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
" by
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
, a common song used by ice cream trucks, and is augmented into "a ridiculous '90s club banger", with the episode also featuring
Mikky Ekko John Stephen Sudduth, known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville. He co-wrote and was featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay (Rihanna song), Stay", which charted in multiple countries, becoming his fir ...
singing the end credits song. Luppi created a chip tune track for the video game Groot is playing in the "Groot Noses Around" short.


Marketing

Brief footage from the series was shown during Disney's
annual meeting of shareholders An annual general meeting (AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a meeting of the general membership of an organization. These organizations include membership associations and companies with shareholders. These meetings may be required ...
in March 2022 within a content highlight reel. The first poster for the series, announcing its release date, was revealed on June 5, which made the series "immediately
egin Egin may refer to: * ''Egin'' (newspaper), a defunct bilingual Basque-Spanish newspaper * Eğin, the name for the town of Kemaliye, Turkey, until about 1923 * Egin, Idaho, United States, an unincorporated community * Yuri Egin, an anime-only cha ...
trending online". According to ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' Trending TV chart, it amassed 231,000 user engagements, which measure the combination of tweets, retweets, likes, and hashtags, the second most for the week of May 30 to June 5, behind the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series ''
Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
''. Marvel Studios partnered with Wonderful Pistachios and
Framestore Framestore is a British visual effects and computer animation studio based on Chancery Lane in London, England. The company was founded in 1986. Framestore specializes in visual effects for film and prestige TV, advertising, rides, and immers ...
for a "Groot Gets Crackin'" marketing campaign, featuring Groot across television advertisements, digital and social media posts, and limited-edition packaging for their pistachios, as well as in-store displays until August 31. A 15-second television spot was released on June 6, as part of the campaign. Tickets to attend Marvel's Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. in Las Vegas were also set to be given out randomly to customers who bought their pistachios as part of the campaign. The short "Magnum Opus" debuted at the
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, appearing before select screenings of the MCU film '' Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022), from July 18 to 24. The short "Groot Takes a Bath" was shown during Marvel Studios' animation panel at
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on July 22, where Lepore discussed the series and a trailer for all of the shorts was also released. Posters for each short were released ahead of their premiere. A trailer for the second season was released on August 6, 2023, in honor of National Tree Day. Kieran Fisher from ''
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'' said the trailer "provide plenty of fun moments", calling it "an experience and then some". Fisher also noted the appearance of the Watcher in the trailer, believing the cameo indicated the new shorts would be "full of unexpected surprises".


Release

''I Am Groot'' premiered with five shorts on
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on August 10, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. The first season was made available on
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's
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channel on September 1, 2023. A second season, consisting of five additional shorts, was released on September 6, 2023, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.


Reception


Audience viewership

''I Am Groot'' was the third highest streaming series for viewers in the United States for the week ending August 14, 2022, according to
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's
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.


Critical response

The
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website
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reported an 87% approval rating, with an average score of 7.70/10, based on 15 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "He is Groot, and that novelty alone ought to give MCU fans a rooting interest in this slight but fun series of hijinks." Matt Fowler of ''
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'' gave ''I Am Groot'' 7 out of 10, finding the shorts "adorable as an animated offshoot of the MCU but also contain a quirky dark humor thanks to abyGroot's own temper and penchant for getting punchy." Fowler noted how Groot's prickliness was "a saving grace... as these types of shorts rarely showcase a brat." Andrew Webster of ''
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'' considered the series as one of the greatest animated shorts on Disney+, feeling the shorts were "fun and goofy". Webster also found that the short runtime "works well here — the gimmick doesn't last long enough to overstay its welcome." ''
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''s Wilson Chapman said ''I Am Groot'' was "charming, briskly paced and — in a rarity for a Marvel streaming TV show — completely self-contained, with no cameos or set-ups for another show to speak-of". Brett White from ''
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'' likened the series to ''Looney Tunes'' with "mayhem in the best way possible" and called ''I Am Groot'' "a damn from beginning to end", saying, "Each short zips along at a perfect pace, deploying sight gags that hit their mark every time." White was frustrated, however, with each short being their own entry on Disney+ rather than collected under one title. Nick Schager at ''
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'' was positive on the shorts, saying their "brevity prevents it from growing stale, and yet given that each chapter runs only four minutes, a little extra time might have let it playfully elaborate upon its conceits". He also enjoyed the animation, saying ''I Am Groot'' "boasts a handsome vibrancy and level of detail". Reviewing the second season, Luke Y. Thompson at ''
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'' gave it 5 out of 5 saying, "These shorts may not advance the grand Marvel sagas forward, but as snippets of a space kid's story, they're both remarkably photoreal and perfectly charming."


Accolades


References


External links

* at
Marvel.com Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz. ...
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