The Marvel Cinematic Universe has built its brand on communications: One movie introduces a character who is starring in a movie of their own; A streaming series is preparing a new star to appear on another show; A group of characters team up in a team movie and everything eventually leads to the conclusion of the current saga. And while the growing web of links across different Marvel Studios projects can be exciting for fans to unravel, for those who find it intimidating or stressful, the studio’s new animated series “I Am Groot” provides a welcome respite.
“I’m Groot” stars Vin Diesel as Groot himself, a strange tree-like alien who can only utter a noun phrase. Presented in the MCU via James John’s 2014 sci-fi comedy Guardians of the Galaxy, the original Groot sacrificed his life to save his best friend Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and the rest of the Ranger. But from his body, a new alien grows up as a seedling, which the team calls his “father” and adopts him as the two. Since then, this younger version of Groot has been a mainstay in the MCU, appearing in “Infinity War,” “Endgame,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” and the second “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie.
None of this really matters for “I’m Groot,” though: The one thing those unfamiliar with the MCU need to know to get into it is that Groot is a mischievous little twig alien, taken care of by a talking raccoon. .
The show traces Groot in the youngest stages of his development, as he takes mischief on different planets around the solar system, encountering alien aliens and strange animal life in low-stakes adventures outside of the usual battles of Guardians. The five episodes released on Wednesday are charming, fast-paced episodes — a rarity for a Marvel streaming show — completely self-contained, with no cameo or setting for another show.
Ahead of the premiere, writer-director Kirsten Lepore and Marvel Studios president of broadcasting Brad Winderbaum spoke to diverse About developing shorts, building the adventures of Baby Groot and how he compares to other famous kids in Disney+.
How about a Baby Groot character that felt like a perfect fit for the animated medium?
Brad Winderbaum: We’ve known we want to bring Baby Groot to screen since we made “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” Average credits, he’s already a teenager, but there’s a whole world of stories to tell when he’s a toddler. We wanted to go back to the early Disney cartoon short storytelling style of those early Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoon shorts. Kirsten really excels at it in such an amazing way that we knew she would be the perfect voice for the show.
Can you tell me about the CGI adaptation that brought the character to life in movies with animation?
Winderbaum: We wanted continuity with the movies, so we used our animator, VFX house Luma, who had already succeeded in the “Guardians” franchise. Kirsten worked hand and hand with them.
Kirsten Lebor: Technically, Groot has always done animation, even in the “Guardians” world. So I think we’re using the exact model it was in [that movie]so it should look identical to the way we used to see it in “Guardians 2.”
Kirsten, what inspiration did you get from comics and animation in short films?
LIBORkisa: There was definitely a little Looney Tunes in there for sure. One of the things we did with Brad and Kevin [Feige, head of Marvel Studios] The idea was for the Buster Keaton-esque comedy, where you are mostly without dialogue; It’s a very physical comedy, but very clever. You can be very smart with gags and how you attack them. So this was one of our biggest inspirations.
The shorts keep other guards off the screen or in the background. Why did you make this choice and is this something that could change in the future of the show?
LIBOR: Part of the fun is that we discovered, even in the early storyboard process, that we really wanted to watch Baby Groot. It’s so fun and engaging that we wanted to make sure it was really the focus. Every once in a while, you’ll get Drax in the bathroom, you’ll get some shade on the wall, and you’ll get a little Rocket to reinforce that we’re in this world. And that particular scene is really fun, to see Rocket’s relationship with Groot and that dynamic. But for the most part, we really enjoy focusing on being a Groot and just getting to know his character better.
Winderbaum: It’s fun to see what he does when no one is looking. Like a real child, this is where he gets the most problems – when he’s out of the parent’s eyes. This is a bit of shorts that you kind of know, or at least I do. You watch it and I remember what it felt like to be a kid, and the other side of me is, “Oh, that’s what it’s like to be a parent, watching a kid and worrying they’re going to do something horrible.”
How did they develop the new aliens we see in the series, like the little blue creatures that Groot finds under a rock? Do they all have names?
LIBOR: These were all super fun to develop. The little little blue creatures are called Grunds, and they are really near and dear to my heart because they are just my sense of natural design, where they are so simplistic. Pointed eyes and a mouth, basically, are very gentle and expressive although very simple. So designing it was very interesting. The water shape-shifting character’s name is Ewa, then we created this squirrel-like character named Snoot Pin Bongo. It was very inspired by Salacious Crumb from the Star Wars movie. And I loved how annoying and over the top it was.
Does the bonsai tree fight Groot in the first short clip have a name?
LIBOR: Yes, this is also personal, a good call. We didn’t give the bonsai a real name to the character, but now we might have to invent something. Maybe “Groot 2”.
Brad, this show is of course related to the MCU via the “Guardians” movies; Will other upcoming animated series have similar links?
Winderbaum: I think what’s amazing about the Multiverse saga in particular is that you can go in so many other ways. We’ve been experimenting in the studio for a long time about storytelling that takes place in a linear fashion, but also going back in time, and being able to show how the MCU could have thrived in the past. But what the multiverse does, allows us to look at alternate paths and take on the characters, which is, of course, what happens in the comic books when different artists, different writers, and different storytellers work with the characters. You see them expanding and growing in unexpected and unexpected ways. And this is something that is the light that guides us as we do more moving projects.
The last and most important question: Who would win a fight, Baby Groot or Baby Yoda?
LIBOR: Oh Baby Groot, sure. He is a fighter.
Winderbaumkisa: I will fight dirty too.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
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