I Am Groot season 2: release date of Marvel shorts series, cast with Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper

Disney shorts animated series I Am Groot returns for a second season on streaming giant Disney+ today (6 September).

The Guardians of the Galaxy spin-off show retains two of the film’s stars and continues the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Other Disney+ MCU projects in the works include the second seasons of Loki and What If...?, and the long awaited Daredevil reboot Born Again.

Whilst I Am Groot is unlikely to receive as much hype as the aforementioned shows (the entire series is shorter than one episode of most of those projects), it is a nice treat for Marvel superfans ahead of bigger releases later in the year.

What is I Am Groot about?

The second season of I Am Groot follows the young tree creature on another series of five minute adventures.

I Am Groot follows the new young Groot as he begins to grow again from a sapling after his apparent demise in Guardians of the Galaxy. The first series saw Groot learn to walk, have his first bath, and paint a family portrait of himself and the Guardians.

In season two Groot adopts an egg and looks after the strange chick that emerges from it. He also builds a snowman-robot, attempts to buy an intergalactic ice cream, and finds himself in the heart of an ancient temple.

Is I Am Groot part of the MCU?

It’s unclear whether I Am Groot is a part of the MCU in the same way that longer form live action Disney+ shows like Loki and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are.

Guardians of the Galaxy director, James Gunn said: "Some folks at Marvel seem to think it’s canonically MCU. I find that hard to see myself."

I Am Groot features two of the same characters as Guardians of the Galaxy - Groot and Rocket Raccoon - and is set some time after the events of the first Guardians film.

Groot sacrificed himself at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, but grew back from a shoot - in Vol. 2 the new Groot is just a few months old, but by Vol. 3 he is back to the same size as he was in the first film. Therefore, if I Am Groot is part of the MCU, then it takes place before the events of Guardians 3.  

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 Marvel films and shows.

Who is in the cast of I Am Groot season 2??

There are just two main cast members in I Am Groot, both of whom are huge stars in their own right.

The main star of the series is, of course, Vin Diesel as Baby Groot, reprising his role from the MCU. He last played the role in Guardians 3 - in that film the character had regrown to adulthood, but in I Am Groot he remains a baby.

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 - the next instalment, Fast X Part 2 is due for release in April 2025. Diesel also played the titular hero in the Chronicles of Riddick films, and voiced the eponymous Iron Giant in the 1999 movie.

Bradley Cooper has a cameo appearance in both seasons of I Am Groot, appearing in just one episode in each series. Cooper reprises the role of Rocket Raccoon, another member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Groot’s closest friend.

Cooper is known for his roles as Phil in the Hangover trilogy, Jackson Maine in A Star is Born, and Chris Kyle in the war biopic American Sniper. His other film credits include Limitless, American Hustle, The A Team, and Silver Linings Playbook.

Cooper will also star as Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming Netflix biopic Maestro and has drawn heat for wearing a prosthetic nose for the role.

Fred Tatasciore will also feature in the new season - the prolific voice actor has more than 900 film, TV, and game credits to his name, among them Star Trek: Lower Decks, Archer, and Solar Opposites.

When is I Am Groot season 2 on Disney+?

I Am Groot season two comes to Disney+ on Wednesday 6 September. There are five episodes in the new season, all roughly five minutes long.