In a nice break from the Multiverse currently collapsing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I Am Groot is a series of shorts about the titular Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy and the various mishaps and adventures he encounters – whether it’s on the Guardians’ ship The Milano, or on a random planet that you can only assume the Guardians are busy doing a mission on while Groot is wreaking havoc elsewhere. The best part of this show is that it takes place between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Avengers: Infinity War, as an excuse to have Groot in his baby form for the entire duration of the series. And, yes, it’s as adorable as it sounds.

These shorts have no real connection to one-another and especially don’t have any major consequence or large canonical ties, cameos, or easter eggs that most Marvel properties nowadays do. And it’s all for the better! I Am Groot is a perfectly enjoyable and highly amusing watch. One of the best parts of the show is that it feels very in-tone with the humor Groot has in the Guardians movies, and if you enjoyed Baby Groot’s antics in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, I have a hard time believing you won’t get a kick out of him doing his schtick here where he’s the sole focus for all of the episodes.

Some episodes are better than others, one in particular being Magnum Opus which has a fitting-title as it is just clearly the superior episode of the series. It has a very simple concept – Groot wants to make an arts and craft project to show the other Guardians, and he has to go about the Milano and wreak havoc for arts supplies – which obviously ends up in a huge mess. This episode really sums up the humor, heart, and value of the show as an entertaining divergence from the rest of the MCU and it’s large stakes at the moment. This isn’t to say the other episodes are bad, because I’d say they’re all fairly equal in quality. But Magnum Opus stands out among the rest as a really solid little short.

I’d also be remised to not talk about the animation in this show, which is absolutely stellar. From the actual visuals that feel photo-realistic in certain sequences to the way the animation helps with the visual-gags and comedic scenes where the only words spoke are usually “I Am Groot” – the animation department truly did an amazing job with this. All around, the show is as funny and visually delightful as you’d expect; I virtually have no gripes with it as it’s just a series of delightful shorts. An extremely easy binge that I can’t recommend enough to Guardians fans!

4/5