R2-D2 finally joins cast of Star Wars characters roaming around Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge
Ronan Chavez, 1, from Arizona, stares at R2D2 as the droid roams around Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
It’s taken seven months for Artoo to begin making the rounds through Black Spire Outpost on the Star Wars planet of Batuu, the setting for the new Galaxy’s Edgethemed land that debuted in May at Disneyland.
Previously, R2-D2 had been confined to the droid-building workshop where well-heeled visitors could purchase the remote-controlled astromech unit for a whopping $25,000.
Artoo doesn’t have a set appearance schedule or an official meet-and-greet location in Galaxy’s Edge. You’ll have to just stumble upon the R2-unit much like the seemingly serendipitous encounters with Kylo Ren, Rey, Chewbacca, Vi Moradi and the stormtroopers that populate the land. Disneyland cast members walk alongside Artoo as the droid makes his way around Galaxy’s Edge.
R2-D2 isn’t the first droid to roll around the Anaheim theme park. An orange and white maintenance droid named Jake wowed Disneyland visitors in 2017 as he roamed freely around Tomorrowland posing for photos with curious onlookers and pausing for hugs from adoring kids.
The J4-K3 Tomorrowland play test at Disneyland was independent of any work being done on Galaxy’s Edge, according to Walt Disney Imagineering officials. Imagineering has no current plans to use the J4-K3 autonomous character technology in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or with any particular character or type of character.
See the full story here: https://www.ocregister.com/2020/01/08/r2-d2-finally-joins-cast-of-star-wars-characters-roaming-around-disneylands-galaxys-edge/