Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, streaming, TV | Tagged: Brad Winderbaum, disney, guardians of the galaxy, i am groot, Kirsten Lepore, vin diesel

I Am Groot Creators on Shorts Inspiration, Baby Groot/Grogu Debate

Despite having a very limited vocabulary, Groot has become one of the most enduring characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with star Vin Diesel voicing the character since 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, 99 percent of the sentient tree alien's lines are "I am Groot," with the adult form's final line being "We are Groot" before his ultimate sacrifice. The character, which has appeared in every Guardians film, including the upcoming third and final Vol. 3 along with two Avengers films (Infinity War & Endgame) and Thor: Love and Thunder, has a new incarnation since in Baby Groot and is currently in adolescent form. The Disney+ shorts in I Am Groot follow his misadventures with minimal involvement from the Guardians crew.

"We knew we wanted to bring Baby Groot to the screen ever since we made 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,'" Brad Winderbaum, head of streaming for Marvel Studios, said. "Mid-credits, he's already a teenager, but there's a whole universe of stories to tell when he's a toddler. We wanted to go back to that early Disney animation short-form style of storytelling from those animated shorts of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Kirsten [Lepore] really excels in that in such an amazing way that we knew she'd be the perfect voice for the show."

Kirsten Lepore is the writer and director of I Am Groot. "We wanted continuity with the films, so we used our animation vendor, the VFX house Luma, that did work for the "Guardians" franchise. Kirsten worked hand-in-hand with them," Winderbaum said. "Technically, Groot has always animated, even in the 'Guardians' world. So I believe we're using the exact model that was in [that movie], so he should look identical to how we've been used to seeing him in 'Guardians 2,' Lepore added. As far as inspiration for the shorts, "There was definitely a little bit of 'Looney Tunes' in there for sure. One of the things we had conversations with Brad and Kevin [Feige, head of Marvel Studios] about was this idea of Buster Keaton-esque comedy, where it's mostly without dialogue; it's all very physical comedy, but it's very smart," Lepore said. "You can be very smart with the gags and how you attack them. So that was one of our biggest inspirations."

The only other Guardian that makes an appearance is Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon. "Part of the fun that we discovered, even in the early storyboard process, is we really just want to watch Baby Groot," Lepore said. "He's just so fun and so magnetic that we wanted to make sure that he was really the focus. Occasionally, you'll get Drax in the shower, you'll get some shadow on the wall, you'll get a little bit of Rocket to reinforce that we're in that world. And that particular scene is really fun, to see Rocket's relationship with Groot and that dynamic. But for the most part, we really enjoy having the focus being Groot and just getting to know his character better."

When asked about who'd win in a fight between Baby Groot against Star Wars' Grogu (aka Baby Yoda), "Oh, Baby Groot, for sure. He's a fighter," Lepore said. "And he'll fight dirty too," Winderbaum added. For more on the Baby Groot's behavior in the shorts, the creatures he interacts with, his epic fight with a bonsai tree, and more, you can check out the Variety interview here. I Am Groot is available to stream on Disney+.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!