If you want a Marvel show that you can binge very, very quickly, look no further than “I Am Groot.” Disney+‘s animated “Guardians of the Galaxy” short-form spinoff, which follows the adventures of a young and mischievous Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) as he explores the galaxy, is an antidote to the bloated runtimes of many streaming titles. Instead of a multi-hour superhero adventure, the series offers MCU fans five cartoon shorts that all hover around the three-minute mark. In total, you can easily speed through the episodes in a 20-minute sitting.
Of course, it helps that the show gives you a reason to keep watching: All five of the episodes, which dropped Wednesday, are well animated, family-friendly and very, very cute. While some fans might be a little disappointed at the lack of stakes or important tie-ins to the overall arc of the MCU, viewers who approach it on its own terms will find that these tiny shorts have a lot to offer. Here’s all five of the currently released “I Am Groot” shorts, ranked from worst to best.
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"Groot Takes a Bath"
Image Credit: Marvel Studios Most of the time, “I Am Groot’s” lack of stakes is an asset, not a flaw. But even by the 3-minute shorts’ standards, “Groot Takes a Bath” is a bit too featherlight to have much impact. After wandering into a mud pit in the middle of an alien forest, Groot winds up growing a fabulous leafy costume on his body, only to encounter resistance from the local wildlife who find his parading around less than endearing. The scenes with Groot modeling his outfits — from ball gowns to a centaur’s lower half — are adorable, but the short flies through everything at too fast a pace to fully enjoy, and the technicolor squirrel alien he gets into a fight with is easily the least interesting alien created for the series.
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"Groot's Pursuit"
Image Credit: Marvel Studios “I am Groot” is firmly family-friendly, but the show gets the tiniest bit edgier with “Groot’s Pursuit,” which models its score and general tone after sci-fi horror classics such as “Alien.” Up late and wandering the dark hallways of the Guardians’ ship after hearing a strange sound, Groot stumbles upon what seems to be a perfect, water-like replica of himself. The real Groot decides to settle their differences the old-fashioned way: a dance-off. The short isn’t the funniest or sharpest of the series, but the spooky, fun vibes help set it apart from the rest.
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"The Little Guy"
Image Credit: Marvel Studios In “The Little Guy,” the usually tiny Groot gets to experience what it’s like to be gigantic. While wandering a desert planet, Groot stumbles upon an entire alien civilization of tiny blue blobs housed underneath a single rock — all of whom are deeply terrified of him. Although the humor of the short is even more juvenile than usual (Groot farts out a leaf at one point), the war-hungry little blobs are the most memorable new characters the show introduces, and the ending is a memorable bit of delicious dark comedy.
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"Groot's First Steps"
Image Credit: Marvel Studios “Groot’s First Steps” sees the alien meet his most personal foe yet: another teeny, tiny tree. The episode begins with Baby Groot, still rooted in soil, get taken off his perch on the Guardians’ ship in favor of an exotic bonsai-like plant. The jealous Groot wages war against the tree, only to cause both of their cups to crack, resulting in the growth of Groot’s legs. Beyond depicting an important milestone in Baby Groot’s young life, the episode features some of the funniest physical comedy of the series, complete with a surprisingly heartwarming ending.
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"Magnum Opus"
Image Credit: Marvel Studios For “Guardians of the Galaxy” fans, this short is easily the biggest must-see of the series. “Magnum Opus” sees Groot traversing the ship, gathering a strange assortment of supplies for a mysterious project. The episode has a ton of fun by contrasting Groot’s tiny stature with the Guardians, including a memorable scene where he crashes an unseen Drax’s shower and surfs on his bar of soap. But the episode rises to No. 1 thanks to a guest appearance from Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket Racoon, whose bond with Groot gets a welcome bit of exploration at the end of the short.