I Am Groot: Where does the animated series fit in the MCU timeline?

I Am Groot will be available on August 10 on Disney +.

Image Credit: Marvel Studios

I Am Groot - animated series about the adventures of the hilarious little tree member of the Guardians of the Galaxy - will be available on Disney + starting August 10. The five shorts that make up the show will in fact tell the first days of Groot's life, committed to discovering his place in the world and making trouble. 

In recent months, Disney has already revealed some fundamental details of the series and has released some official photos, in addition to the trailer and the synopsis. One question, however, had not yet been answered: Is I Am Groot to be considered a "canonical" product within the MCU timeline?

I Am Groot - The temporal location of the series within the MCU has been revealed

The answer to the big question has finally come about a week after the release of I Am Groot. Brian Winderbaum - head of the streaming, television, and animation section of Marvel Studios - has in fact revealed (during an interview released exclusively to ComicBook.com) that the series is not only to be considered canonical but that it also has a precise and restricted temporal location within the MCU. Groot's adventures are therefore to be placed between the epilogue of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and the post-credits scene of the film itself, which portrays Groot as a teenager:

It actually takes place between the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and before the post-credits scene where we see him as a teenager. So, it is in this narrow window that Groot [is] in that kind of post-baby developmental stage. And it was something that really excited James [Gunn] who knew about [Kirsten Lepore ]'s work and was also excited to work with her.

I Am Groot boasts the participation of Kirsten Lepore as director and executive producer. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023, and - according to director James Gunn - will be "the end of the Guardians as we know them". Before returning to the big screen, however, the gang will be the protagonist of a Christmas special, available in December 2022 on Disney +.