'I Am Groot' Creators On The Short Series' Connection To The MCU And Baby Groot vs. Baby Yoda Debate

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has built its mark on relationships: a movie features a character who transforms into their own movie; a streaming series introduces a new star who appears on another show; a host of characters team up in a group film and it all ultimately leads to the conclusion of the current saga. And while the growing web of connections between Marvel Studios' various projects can be exciting for fans to unpack, for those who find it daunting or exhausting, the studio's new animated series "I Am Groot" provides a welcome reprieve. /p >

"I Am Groot" stars Vin Diesel as Groot himself, a strange, tree-like alien who can only say the main line. Introduced to the MCU via James Gunn'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 Guardians. But from his body, a new alien grows like a sapling, with the team giving him his "father's" name and adopting him as their own. Since then, this younger version of Groot has been a mainstay of the MCU, appearing in 'Infinity War', 'Endgame', 'Thor: Love and Thunder' and the second film 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.

None of that really matters for "I Am Groot", though: the only thing those unfamiliar with the MCU need to know is that Groot is a tiny, mischievous alien, and that he is supported by a talking raccoon.

The show follows Groot at his youngest stage of development, as he does mischief on various planets in the solar system, encountering strange aliens and bizarre animal life in low-stakes adventures outside of the usual combat Guardians. The five episodes released Wednesday are charming, fast-paced, and - rare for a Marvel streaming TV show - completely self-contained, with no cameos or preps for another show to speak of.

Ahead of the premiere, Writer/Director Kirsten Lepore and Head of Streaming for Marvel Studios Brad Winderbaum spoke to Variety about developing the shorts, building the misadventures of Baby Groot and how he compares to other famous babies in the Disney+ world.

What about the Baby Groot character?

Brad Winderbaum: We knew we wanted to bring Baby Groot to the screen ever since we made 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.' Mid-credits he's already a teenager, but there's a whole universe stories to tell when he's a little kid. We wanted to go back to that short storytelling style of Disney animation from those Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck animated shorts. Kirsten really excels at that a so amazing 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 the animated films?

Winderbaum: We wanted continuity with the movies, so we brought in our animation supplier, visual effects house Luma, who worked for the Guardians franchise. Kirsten worked hand in hand with them.

Kirsten Lepore: Technically, Groot has always animated, even in the Guardians world. So I think we're using the exact model that was in [that movie], so it should look like we used to see it in "Guardians 2".

Kirsten, what inspirations did you draw for the comedy and animation of the shorts?

Lepore: There was definitely a bit of Looney Tunes in there. One of the things that we had conversations with Brad and Kevin [Feige, head of Marvel Studios] was this idea of ​​a Buster Keaton-esque comedy, where it's mostly dialogue-free; it's a very physical comedy, but it's very intelligent. You can be really smart with gags and how you attack them. So that was one of our biggest inspirations.

Shorts keep other Guardians off-screen or in the background most of the time. Why did you make this choice and is it something that might change in the future of the series?

Lepore: Part of the fun we found, even early in the storyboarding process, is that we really just want to watch Baby Groot. He's so fun and so magnetic that we wanted to make sure he was really the focus. Every once in a while you'll have Drax in the shower, you'll have shadow on the wall, you'll have a bit of 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're really enjoying having the focus on Groot and getting to know his character better...