I Am Groot – I am Groot, I am Groot

I am Groot, I am Groot – I am Groot (I am Groot). I am Groot, Disney Plus, 10.8.2022, I am Groot.

I, am Groot, I am Groot . I am Groot, I am Groot. Groot! I am Groot? Groot, I am Groot.

I am Groot.

Sorry. I couldn’t help it.

I am Groot, the new bite-size Disney Plus animated series premiering today, is cute, harmless fun. It often mistakes the target audience, leading to some weird tonal shifts that don’t all land, but that’s really the worst of it.

But, it must be said, it’s also slight. Almost by design. The story is barebones – I doubt anyone said “gosh, I wonder how Groot grew up into a teenager between movies?” – and there’s very little at stake.

That is, until you realize you’re a thirty-something writing about how an animated series about a monosyllabic tree doesn’t have stakes. Perhaps the target audience, meaning the youngest members of the family who just love the sapling for what he is, will enjoy the heck out of it.

The animation work is gorgeous, as you’d expect from a Disney/Marvel property. At this point, it’s beyond expected. Animals, nature, and Groot himself are all beautifully realized. The action is clear to follow, and it’s all very pleasant at every turn.

And that really is it. It’s a snack to placate us until the next Marvel property, which is just around the corner. How much of that you can handle is entirely dependent on how much Marvel is too much Marvel. At this point, we are near the tipping point of every cup running over. It’s not quite there yet, but surely a Groot quasi-origin story is somewhere at the bottom of the proverbial barrel?

Then again, it makes the kids happy. It made me smile. Sometimes, that’s really all it takes.