'Star Wars' Fan Explains Why R2-D2 Was A Huge Issue For 'The Phantom Menace'
Source: wallpapersafari
A web documentary titled ‘Bad Droid Karma’ that was originally released along with the DVD of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 2001 has resurfaced on YouTube, courtesy of Connor. The 5.27 min long video shows interviews and behind-the-scenes clips revealing the hassles that the filmmakers had to go through to make sure that a three-legged R2-D2 could move as intended on all terrains. The video explains that they had to arrange for a total of nine different R2-D2 units for all the different movements. Moreover, since a lot of The Phantom Menace scenes were shot in the Tunisian desert, the sand was wrecking Artoo’s machinery. Guess, Anakin is not the only one who doesn’t like sand!
George Lucas is seen lamenting on how he’s got ‘bad droid karma’ as the droids had worked perfectly on the sets of Return of the Jedi. Producer, Rick McCallum, further describes how their frustration led them to get two of their VFX teams to work independently on a design that would always work. While this addressed a lot of their issues, it does not seem like the design was perfect as the video ends with several clips of R2-D2 toppling over while an exasperated crew watches on. Now, who would’ve thought that R2-D2, one of the most sensible and dependable characters in the Star Wars universe could have been a source of so much trouble?
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Source (s): YouTube, DVD database