Marvel’s first attempt at very short shorts on Disney+ will leave you wondering why they grew this seed in the first place.
I’m going to keep this review short and to the point, simply because the “I am Groot” vignettes are short and to the point. When we first got a look at the trailer for this very, very short series for Disney+, it made waves with That Park Place staff. This looked fun and free of anything that might make it less than joyful. But now after having watched the series, there are some serious criticisms that I have.
Quite frankly, the “Official Trailer” for I Am Groot is far superior to the actual show and it’s nearly as long as well.
I was expecting something along the lines of the Doug shorts we had for Up. Instead, I Am Groot is just five episodes and those episodes are extraordinarily short. They’re not really worthwhile either. They might make small children laugh, but I can’t otherwise come up with any reason that they should exist. There’s no real meaningful, emotional hook… there’s no advancement of lore. The animation is less than it should be, specifically in terms of fluidity. It’s clear this was done on a budget. The models for Rocket and Groot are taken straight from the movie assets, so they look great — until the move. And the stuff that is all around them — the stuff made specifically for this series — looks like it belongs in a game from a decade ago.
If the story were worthwhile, maybe it would all be worth it. It isn’t. Magnum Opus is easily the best episode in the series. Groot Takes a Bath will make kids laugh maybe. The other episodes are both boring and weird. As much as the Baymax episodes were controversial, they were a universe away in terms of quality storytelling over this. Groot’s “adventure” just seems like churn for the sake of churn. Watch it or don’t watch it, I don’t think it will have any impact on your day, your life, etc.
I Am Groot needed more growth and a plenty more care.
Review Score: 3/10
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