They grow up so fast, don’t they? Ever since Groot got baby-fied in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, he’s been maturing back into adult Groot again, via various stages of teenage tempestuousness. But if you missed him in tiny, adorable, toe-swiping mode, fear not – baby Groot is back in animated short series I Am Groot, coming to Disney+ very shortly. The five bite-size episodes are directed by Kirsten Lepore, picking up from James Gunn’s sequel and sending the tiny tree-kid on all kinds of mini-adventures.
With a rebellious streak and an appetite for destruction, get ready for pure, hell-raising baby Groot antics. “As much as it’s still Groot and he’s still cute, he’s also a little bad baby who’s very mischievous,” Lepore tells Empire in the House Of The Dragon issue. The series, she says, is a chance to “just go wild and make it weird and rude and sci-fi. It was a really fun sandbox to play in.” And just as the Guardians movies are frequent side-splitters, one of the key registers I Am Groot leans into is its humour. “There aren’t a lot of comedy shows on the Marvel animation roster, so even though they are shorts, we really got to play up how funny they are,” she says.
And if the brief appearance of the Guardians themselves in Thor: Love And Thunder left you desperate for their return, you might not have to wait until the Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special this Christmas to see them next. An I Am Groot cameo from Rocket Raccoon is confirmed, while Lepore teases an episode titled ‘Magnum Opus’, in which Groot gets crafty with items nabbed from his teammates. “I will say he maybe pilfers some things from some of his fellow Guardians who may or may not make an appearance, to create something really big and really wonderful,” says Lepore. Not only that, but keep an ear out for an appearance from James Gunn himself. “He may have a voice Easter egg in one of our episodes,” she teases. Any more clues from the title character himself? We tried asking, but all we got back was: “I am Groot.” Typical.
Read Empire’s full I Am Groot story in the upcoming House Of The Dragon issue – on sale Thursday 4 August and available to pre-order online here. I Am Groot streams on Disney+ from 10 August.