The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is about to expand, as the new show I Am Groot is set to premiere this week. The animated series of shorts is set to treat Disney+ subscription holders to some funny and sweet adventures starring the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s resident living tree. The production will also see Vin Diesel return to lend his voice to the fan-favorite character once more. At this point, Diesel has done quite a few recording sessions for Groot, as he’s appeared as the character in multiple films over the years. But the one he did for this project may have been his shortest, as he recorded all of his dialogue in a ridiculous amount of time.
Ahead of I Am Groot’s release, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kirsten Lepore – the show’s director, writer and EP. Lepore, a veteran animator who’s done plenty of work with short films, provided some keen insight into her work on the photorealistic series. Of course, during the chat, I had to ask her about what it was like directing the Groot actor. Lepore had nothing but praise for the MCU vet and she also confirmed just how quickly he finished his work on the project:
We had an hour. We honestly recorded all of it in an hour. So and it was just one record session. I mean, I honestly didn't even have to give [Vin Diesel] very much direction. Like for real, he just came in, and he just nailed it. Like, he was seeing [the shorts] for the first time, seeing them in a very rough form. So he would watch one, and then he would just step up to the mic and say, ‘Let's just go for it.’ And he would just run through the whole thing. And usually just, yeah, nail it the first time. We would go back and pick up a couple of things, but he's really good at what he does, and he knows this character well. … It was a great record. We were just cracking up. We were having a great time. It was awesome.
So yeah, the creatives wasted no time in getting the voiceover work out of the way. Voice acting is incredibly tedious and can require talent to remain in the booth for hours at a time. (And if a star is the lead of a TV show or movie, that session usually amounts to only a portion of the production.) It should be pointed out that in this case, the actor is saying variations of the same three words, so things aren’t too involved. Still, kudos to him for getting things done in such a quick manner.
Vin Diesel posted about a Groot recording session back in February and, while we can’t say it with absolute certainty, it’s possible that this could be the one. Kristen Lepore did say that they had a good time, and the video Diesel posted suggested that he was enjoying himself at the session he posted about. The Fast & Furious alum definitely seems to hold a soft spot for his lovable extraterrestrial, and he’s already pumped for what lies ahead for him in his next big-screen outing.
Over two years ago, Vin Diesel teased Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and said that the upcoming flick would feature a new iteration of his character. He suggested that after being a baby and an adolescent, the tree would become “Alpha Groot.” Writer and director James Gunn responded to those claims, admitting that he had “no idea” what his colleague was referring to. Gunn stated at the time that Diesel had yet to read the script, but the filmmaker did confirm that the tree would be a “different being” in his trilogy capper.
That flick doesn’t hit theaters until next year, so that gives you plenty of time to check out Baby Groot’s adventures in his new self-titled series. It may not have taken Vin Diesel long to complete his work but, as the trailer and clips suggest, the actor put in work to take the diminutive hero to some interesting places. And surely fans will appreciate his efforts and those of Kristen Lepore and co. when they finally feast their eyes on the show.
I Am Groot hits Disney+ on Wednesday, August 10th as part of the 2022 TV schedule. They should be a nice primer for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (debuting later this year) and Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 3., which opens in theaters on May 5, 2023 as part of the MCU’s Phase Five lineup.
