I remember hearing about I am Groot, a set of shorts coming to DIsney+. I then promptly forgot about them. Disney, and Marvel, did a terrible job of marketing or reminding people that they were going to put them out. I stumbled upon them after watching She-Hulk. I should watch those, I thought. Well, I did.
There is an official order to I am Groot. But after watching the shorts, I came to the opinion that they could be watched in any order. The first one, Groot’s First Step, is best served if watched first but doesn’t ruin them by not. So Groot’s First Steps, The Little Guy, Groot’s Pursuit, Groot Takes a Bath, and Magnum Opus is the official order. However, I decided to give them my own personal ranking.
Best to worst
The Little Guy
Everything about this episode clicks for me. Easily the funniest and most story-driven of the five episodes. I love the use of the time hopping, and the ending of Groot stepping in the hole he just played around in was perfect. 10/10 would watch it again.
Magnum Opus
Alf! Rocket! Star Lord’s boot! This one has it all! Groot was very creative with the duct tape. And once again, it almost ends in Groot murdering someone. This worked well as the last episode, which it is intended to be.
Groot’s Pursuit
This one was going places I did not expect. Bit of a horror opening; I dig it. Then it turned out to just be the search for a bathroom. The thought of Groot using a normal-sized toilet amuses me. And, of course, it would be Guardians without a dance-off of some sort. And the ending, with that little murder tree.
Groot Takes a Bath
This one is perhaps the most forgettable of the five. Thinking back on it a day later, I feel I’ve forgotten most of the plot. Even though the title says bath, I should have known it would be a mud bath. Was Groot just carrying around cucumbers? That crazy hairstyle fits the little guy. I was almost positive this one would end up with a Groot taking out that little alien squirrel.
Groot’s First Steps
Listed as the first episode, and I understand why. The title gives this one away. As the first episode, I thought it would be the one to establish what these would all be about. It’s fine, just fine. I want a bonsai tree that has ooze in it.
Some closing thoughts
I don’t come close to hating these shorts, but I’m still confused. Who are these meant for? They are way too short to just put on for children, you start one up, and three minutes later, it’s over. They also do not play back-to-back; you have to go back through the menu to play the next one. The humor is a little dark as well. Most end in Groot murdering or trying to murder something, an alien squirrel, a copy of himself, or nearly causing genocide.
So they aren’t for children, but are they aimed at adults? The humor was dark enough that I was entertained. Funny enough, I had a light chuckle at a few of them.
Putting all five out at once and not marketing them were the most significant mistakes with I Am Groot. I would have loved having a little something that carried over from one episode to another. As it was, these would have worked well as little intros before a Marvel movie and short enough not to upset anyone just wanting to see their feature.
