I Am Groot: release date of Marvel series on Disney Plus, trailer, and who is in cast with Vin Diesel?

I Am Groot is a series of shorts produced by Kirsten Lepore and produced by Keivn Feige, the man behind most of the Marvel films.

The Disney Plus series follows Groot and Rocket Raccoon on short adventures across the universe.

James Gunn, director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films which introduced Groot and Rocket to the MCU, also produced one episode in the series.

What is I Am Groot about?

I Am Groot is a series of five minute shorts which are set some time after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy, which saw Groot sacrifice himself to save his friends.

At the end of the film, the Guardians took a cutting from Groot and replanted him, and he began to grow into a sapling.

I Am Groot follows the new young Groot as he begins to grow again - the first short sees Groot learning to walk.

Other shorts in the series see Groot discover a miniature civilisation, investigate a strange noise coming from the ship, have his first bath, and paint a family portrait of himself and the Guardians.

Is I Am Groot part of the MCU?

The characters in I Am Groot are Marvel creations, and the series is set between Marvel films, but the show is not necessarily part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

There is disagreement between James Gunn and Marvel studios as to whether the shows are part of MCU canon.

Gunn said: "Some folks at Marvel seem to think it’s canonically MCU. I find that hard to see myself."

I Am Groot is entirely animated, whereas the Marvel films are live action, albeit with copious amounts of CGI, so there are clearly major stylistic differences between the series and the MCU.

Ultimately it doesn’t matter too much whether I Am Groot is part of the MCU canon, because the stories are all self-contained and unlikely to have ramifications for other films.

Who is in the cast?

There are just two main cast members in I Am Groot, but they are both big names.

Vin Diesel stars as Baby Groot, reprising his role from the Marvel movies. Groot was last seen in the Marvel film Thor: Love and Thunder, where he had the personality of a teenager, having regrown following his near death in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Groot is a flora colossus, a species of plant-like organisms native to the planet X. These creatures can heal rapidly and are almost indestructible.

Vin Diesel is best known for his role as Dominic Toretto in the never ending Fast and Furious franchise, he also played the titular hero in the Chronicles of Riddick films.

Another iconic voice acting role for Diesel was as the Iron Giant.

Bradley Cooper will also be back as Rocket Raccoon, a genetically enhanced animal who joined the Guardians of the Galaxy alongside Groot. Rocket joins Groot on his adventures in each of the shorts in the series.

Cooper is known for his role as Phil in the Hangover trilogy, and for playing Chris Kyle in the war biopic American Sniper.

His other film credits include Limitless, American Hustle, The A Team, and Silver Linings Playbook.

When is I Am Groot on Disney Plus?

The full season of I Am Groot shorts landed on Disney Plus on 10 August.

There are five episodes in the season and each episode is five minutes long, although without credits, each episode is around three and half minutes.

Is there a trailer?

Yes there is, and you can watch it right here: