With the release of its second season, I Am Groot's meta episode intros have been officially changed for all of the show's episodes.
When I Am Groot first premiered, it was — and still is — the show with the shortest runtimes in the MCU. Episodes from both seasons ranged from four minutes at the shortest, and six minutes at the longest.
This meant that if Marvel Studios' standard fanfare opening sequence — which clocks in at about 40 seconds in length — was used for I Am Groot, it would take up a range from a sixth to a ninth of the episode's entire duration.
So, the show used a funny, meta sped-up intro - which fans have applauded on social media. Groot fast forwards through the sequence which lasts only about 16 seconds, before Groot himself appears, then proceeds to fall and give a little grunt.
What Changed in New "I Am Groot" Intro?
With the release of I Am Groot's second season, Disney+ retroactively altered the opening of every episode of the first season's opening intro sequence. These opening changes are now present in the openings of all the episodes of both seasons' episodes.
So, what were all the changes?
1.) The Fast-Forward Visuals
Both versions of the I Am Groot intro feature Groot fast-forwarding through the lengthy Marvel Cinematic Universe intro sequence.
However, whereas the original version has a more classic, standard television fast-forward logo (two white triangles) in the viewers' top right corner, the new version uses the Disney+ fast-forward visuals.
The new, Disney+-like fast-forward includes a mini thumbnail on top of a scrollbar, which sits on the bottom of the screen. There is also a duration bar that runs through the fast-forward, which stops 36 skipped seconds into the intro to still show the last four seconds of the Marvel logo.
2.) The Background
The original version of the intro, given its classic fast-forward visual style, shows the Marvel intro on the full screen, just sped up and with static glitches overtop.
For the update, the intro itself is only visible in the thumbnail, with the comic panel that displays four seconds into the normal sequence remaining paused on the big screen, until the final Marvel logo is shown.
3.) The Audio
For the original season one intro, the standard, heroic music that underlies the sequence in other projects is still played, just sped up (and as such at a higher pitch) while the fast forwarding happens.
In the new one, however, since the screen remains paused, the audio does not play while Groot is fast-forwarding. Instead, fans get to hear Groot's humming an "I am Groot"-ed iteration of the classic score until he presses play again.
4.) The Groot Grunt
In both intros, Groot pulls out a remote (which must be a tiny remote to fit so nicely into Baby Groot's hands).
Whereas the action is silent in the original intro sequence, in the updated one, it is accompanied by a frustrated Groot Grunt, seemingly at the length of the intro, or maybe at the effort needed in order to skip through it.
Meta Marvel
This updated intro, which features accurate effects that match the Disney+ platform, is not the first time a Marvel project has played around with the streaming system.
Notably, She-Hulk quite literally broke the fourth wall in her show's Season 1 finale, playing with the Marvel homepage on the website, and jumping around the platform.
With the coming introduction of Deadpool into the MCU — and with the existence of comics characters like Mojo and Gwenpool who poke fun at television and comics respectively — Marvel has several opportunities to continue this trend of poking fun at itself, taking advantage of the platform its projects are watched on for some unique and cool effects.
Both seasons of I Am Groot are currently streaming on Disney+, with the first season also available to watch on YouTube for free.
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