Celebrate Worldwide Groot Trends with International Jams
We are potato. Marvelous Untrue Believers, Twitter went wild over a potato yesterday, but it wasn’t just any potato, it was Mr. Potato Groot. Although Twitter can be an awful place that’s devoid of magic, this potato’s flora colossus-vibes are spot on. Move over Deadpool, there’s another fourth-wall breaking hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
I can't be the only one that sees groot pic.twitter.com/c4h3HQxNg4
— Lanrae (@Lanrrae) April 17, 2021
At Marvel Blog, the international Groot fun reminded us of the genius marketing ploys the lovable sapling has participated in over the years, so please read on for some of our favorite flora colossus moments in the extended Marvel Multiverse!
Peter Quill Explains Walkman
Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) was first introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy. After meeting Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), the adorable Groot learns to love music. However, it’s not until after he sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Guardians that Baby Groot is reborn with a passion for dance!
As one of the young tree’s caregivers, Star-Lord gives Baby Groot a walkman so that he can groove; however, not being a Terran, Groot doesn’t know how to use the music device. Luckily, in the mighty Marvel-style, Star-Lord is prepared with a video lesson. All Terrans under the age of 12, you might want to check this out too!
The Guardians Song – Marvel India
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) begins with the team facing off against an inter-dimensional Abilisk. As the Guardians face-off against the monster, Baby Groot busies himself with some killer dance moves (the motion-capture was performed by director James Gunn) – moves which made a huge splash on the Internet!
In India, Marvel released one of the GoG2 trailers with a different version of The Guardians Song in Hindi: Jhoom Jhoom Baba by Salma Agha. The song was originally performed by Bappi Lahiri in the 1980s film Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki. According to AnimationXpress, Marvel India felt the retro dance song fit the fun spirit of the Guardians.
Les Gardiens de la Galaxie Vol.2
In France, comics are serious business. In 2019, The New York Times spoke to Stéphane Beaujean, Director of Angoulême International Comics Festival in France, about the comic book industry in France, and he said, “The market has risen from 700 books per year in the 1990s to 5,000 this year. I don’t know any cultural industry which has had that kind of increase.”
While their are only subtle changes to the GoG2 trailer, each one reflects the mood of the international market. In France, sequential art is considered the “ninth art” form, and thus, the comic book industry is respected and booming. Is that why Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel is outside of Disneyland Paris?
Baby Groot Dance – Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, Marvelous Baby Groot fans could dance along with the flora colossus himself.
Diesel Says: “Yo Soy Groot.”
Diesel learned to say “I am Groot” in 15 languages for Guardians of the Galaxy. According to Time, Marvel Studios had Diesel learn the line in different languages rather than hiring fluent voice actors, “to uniquely customize the movie-going experience for international audiences,” because his voice is so distinctive.
On The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, the actor demonstrated saying “I am Groot” in multiple languages. Hear the polyglot for yourself in the video below!
Ping Pong Drax
Before GoG2 was released in theaters, behind-the-scenes images were leaked online of the Drax (Dave Bautista) and Yondu (Michael Rooker) playing ping pong on the film’s set. As we could see in the photos at the time, there were cameras there to record the match. Now, we know why! Yondu and Bautista were filming a promotional campaign for Marvel Russia leading up to GoG2‘s opening in the international market.
https://youtu.be/DpPuEgGZ1uU
In addition, Marvel Entertainment released special edition Stormbreaker tickets for 2019’s Avengers: Endgame in the Russian market, forged from the flora colossus himself and a jolt of Thor’s lightening.
https://youtu.be/Ye6yyaKJQms
GoG2: The First WandaVision Commercial
Marvel Entertainment is known for its imaginative marketing campaigns and collaborations – think the M&M’S® in a Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Adventure by Ivan Cohen, a galactic adventure that pairs the Marvel multiverse with the M&M’S® universe to introduce a new flavor of the chocolate covered candies: caramel.
Sometimes Marvel brings the concept of innovative marketing into the cinematic universe itself, but before there were the WandaVision commercials, there was the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 release. To learn more, head to www.GOTGJams.com – and for a special message, call 844-552-GOTG!
Groot: Ruler of Planet X
In these Groot auditions for the Guardians of the Galaxy film by Marvel Employees, one staffer makes an excellent suggestion: a crossover series! In Marvel Comics, Groot hails from Branch Worlds’ Planet X, which has also appeared in the Star Trek franchise. Notably, the 1998 novel Planet X by Michael Jan Friedman is a crossover between the X-Men comic book series and the characters of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Mission: BREAKOUT!
For some time now, the Walt Disney Company has been integrating the stories told through its Parks, Experiences, and Products division with its more popular onscreen franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. For example, in 2019, both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World opened up their Space Ports to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, an immersive, in-continuity land that allows guests to trade at Black Spire Outpost on the remote planet of Batuu.
Next up, the Disneyland Resort is opening Avengers Campus this summer, a new land which will encompass Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! as well as new attractions. On Campus, your inner-Baby Groot will be able to dance with the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy OR team-up with some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!
Guardians’ Inferno
Gunn and the Guardians movies are known for being a lot of fun, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was no different. For the film, Gunn and GoG2 composer Tyler Bates wrote “Guardians’ Inferno,” a dance anthem inspired by Meco’s disco-infused version of John Williams‘ iconic Star Wars theme, that the cast filmed during post-production.
David Hasselhoff sings the title track. He’s backed up by Gunn’s fake band, The Sneeples, which is composed of Gunn on drums and Bautista (with angel wings) on guitar. Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Zoe Saldana, and Sean Gunn all dance in the background. The late Stan Lee also makes an appearance so it’s definitely worth a re-watch!
What is your favorite Groot? Let Marvel Blog know in the comments section!
