Lacking the fanfare and widespread hype that accompanies many other Marvel Disney+ shows, I Am Groot launched yesterday, dropping every episode onto the streaming service at once.
There, the show joins the ranks of WandaVision, Ms. Marvel and the upcoming She Hulk: Attorney At Law, but unlike these other shows, I Am Groot isn’t exactly canon.
Let’s explain.
I Am Groot, Explained
I Am Groot is the latest Marvel show on Disney+, created by Kirsten Lepore. It follows Groot, or more accurately Baby Groot (as seen at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy and in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) as he learns about the universe, going on adventures and getting up to no good.
That’s really all the explanation the show needs. It’s not a superhero origin story, or part of a superhero team-up, or even a flashy montage of battles, fight scenes and snarky, Marvel humour. At its core, it’s Groot as a marketable, cute little dude, mischievously running around sci-fi settings and getting himself into cute situations.
Actually, take your brain away from Marvel for a second. The show may follow one of the main characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but it has more Pixar in its DNA than Marvel.
If you head on over to Disney+ and check out the “Pixar” tab, you’ll be greeted with mostly two things: Pixar’s terrific movies and collections of shorts. With I Am Groot episodes clocking in at about five minutes each, the show is in good company among Pixar’s Sparkshorts animations, Dug Days and Forky Asks a Question.
Will I Am Groot lead into Guardians of the Galaxy?
No, I Am Groot is not just independent from Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s independent from the entire MCU. Think of it as a pocket universe that’s perfect for distracting your kids with, where the stakes are never too high and the storylines are lightweight enough for casual viewing.
As spotted by Gamesradar, there’s some confusion about if it’s canon, according to Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn.
“Some folks at Marvel seem to think it’s canonically MCU,” Gunn said on Instagram.
“I find that hard to see myself.”
They are animated shorts so not necessarily part of the Guardians saga. https://t.co/NEHWcmAHtS
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 5, 2022
It’s best to think about I Am Groot as its own thing: a cute little show about a cute little guy.
That’s all it needs to be.
If you’re interested in watching I Am Groot, you can catch the entire series on Disney+.
Keep up to date with all of the TV shows and movies debuting on Disney+ in the coming months with our list of all things Marvel, Lucasfilm and Disney. We also rank the movies of the MCU over here and here you’ll find a handy guide on every major sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, horror and adventure flick hitting cinemas in 2022.