Frameless: An Unexpected Disney & Lucasfilm Adventure with R2-D2

It all started with a message from Lee Towersey:

“Hi Andy, are you available for a Disney+/Lucasfilm event with R2-D2 on the 7th of October in London?”

My immediate response was:

“Wow! Yes, Lee, no problem.”

Then reality kicked in. What if R2 decided to play up? What if something failed? What would I do if he broke down in front of everyone? Still, R2 has always been very reliable, so I decided there was no point worrying about things that hadn’t happened. I’d give him a thorough check-over before the event and make sure he was ready to go. The amusing part was that all of this happened while I was sitting on a beach in Zante, enjoying the sunshine with a cold beer. Somehow the holiday suddenly got even better.

A couple of weeks later, on 6th October, it was time to check R2 over. I’d dropped the wife off at a friend’s house. “I’ll iron your new black clothes later this evening when I get home,” she said. Perfect. A whole day to myself to get R2 prepared.

1. The drive systems were working perfectly.
2. The electrics were all good.
3. Found the dome lazy Susan had a couple of loose screws, but they were quickly tightened.
4. Bubbles topped up.
5. Bad motivator smoke fluid replenished.

Everything was looking promising. By about 12:30pm I decided it was time for lunch and a cup of tea. While scrolling through my phone, I noticed an email from the Disney events team:

“Andy, can you ring us ASAP?”

Oh no! My first thought was that the event had been cancelled. At least I knew R2 was ready. How wrong I was. When I called them, they explained there had been a mix-up with the dates. The event wasn’t tomorrow. The event was today. Somewhere along the line the dates had been crossed, but the timings remained exactly the same.

Could I still get to London for 5pm?

“Er… yes, I think so!”

Panic stations immediately commenced. Thankfully, I’d charged all the batteries the night before. Shower, shave, loaded R2 into the van, by 2pm I was packed and ready to go. Then I remembered something important, I still had to iron my clothes! At around 3pm we set off for London.

Then came the dreaded motorway warning:

Vehicle fire on the M1.

Here we go, was I actually going to make it? Thankfully, yes, at approximately 5:15pm we arrived at Frameless in London. I haven’t driven in central London for a very long time, so that was an adventure in itself. The team directed me to the parking area, and I displayed the approved parking notice in the windscreen. We’d made it, time to relax. The events team were there waiting for us. R2 was ushered into the building hidden under a blanket so nobody would spot him, and we were taken to a dressing room. That was pretty much it until 8pm, when I was scheduled to appear alongside C-3PO.

I have to say, there are worse places to spend a few hours. Free drinks, Buffet food, Comfortable surroundings. Lovely.

People kept asking me:

“What are you here for?”

Not just once either.

Keeping quiet was incredibly difficult, but the whole point was that it was a surprise appearance, so my mouth stayed firmly zipped. The events team were brilliant throughout, constantly checking whether I needed anything and telling me that guests were already asking:

“Where are the droids?”

Eventually, it was time.

“Right R2, time to power up and not play up.”

Thankfully everything worked perfectly. We waited in the corridor while an orchestra performed Star Wars music for the guests. They sounded fantastic. Then we got an update, the event was running behind schedule. Originally, we were supposed to appear twice, once at 8pm and again at 9pm. Now we’d only be making one appearance at around 8:40pm. No problem.

For anyone wondering, R2 is controlled using an Xbox controller, making it relatively easy to hide the fact that I’m driving him around. Exactly what the events team wanted. C-3PO stood behind R2 while I positioned myself in front. The team opened the doors as the orchestra finished playing. I walked backwards into the room, appearing to guide the droids through the entrance.

Then I noticed the threshold, it was slightly raised. Immediately I thought:

“Will R2 actually get over that?”

Thankfully, he did. Just.

I looked like I was simply guiding them through the doorway while secretly steering R2 with the concealed controller. The moment we entered the room there was a huge cheer from the crowd. Lots of smiling faces, lots of excited guests. Exactly the reaction we were hoping for.

Then came the photo opportunities. Guests queued to have pictures taken with R2-D2 and C-3PO, and judging by the smiles, everybody was having a fantastic time. Once all the guests had been through, there was just enough time for the events team to have their photographs taken as well. Of course, R2 couldn’t leave without showing off a few tricks. Everything worked perfectly and was met with enthusiastic applause.

I have to say, considering the event had effectively been brought forward by twenty-four hours due to a date mix-up, the Disney events team did a fantastic job pulling everything together. Very impressive.

Before long it was time to pack up and head home. By 9:45pm we were loaded and ready to leave. Google Maps was showing around an hour and a half back to Northampton. Brilliant, I thought, home before midnight. Nope, that didn’t happen. The M1 had other ideas. Closures and diversions turned the journey into a much longer adventure than expected, and home before midnight quickly became home at around 1am.

And just when I thought the day couldn’t throw one final surprise at me… There was a parking ticket sitting neatly under my windscreen wiper. Perfect.

Despite the panic, the rushing around, the motorway drama, and the late-night drive home, it was an absolutely brilliant experience and one I’ll remember for a very long time.

A huge thank you to Lee Towersey, Lucasfilm, and Disney for the opportunity.

It’s not every day you receive a message while sitting on a beach in Zante, only to find yourself a few weeks later driving R2-D2 into a Disney event in London.

Just another normal day in the world of droids.

Andy Love

Andy Love, R2-D2 & Simon Wilkie as C-3PO