| R2-D2: Beneath the Dome | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Don Bies (special sequences) Spencer Susser (special sequences) |
| Produced by | Anna Bies |
| Written by | Don Bies Mary Beth Bresolin Kim Bromley Paul Ens Nelson Hall Gary Leva George Lucas (R2-D2 character) (uncredited) |
| Starring | Bob Hesse Bitsie Tulloch Kenny Baker Robbie Edwards Jennifer Weil |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Distributed by | Lucasfilm Ltd. 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | November 25, 2001 |
| Running time | 20 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unknown |
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome is a 2001 American mockumentary short, directed by Don Bies and Spencer Susser, starring Kenny Baker as R2-D2 in a fictionalized life story of the robot from the Star Wars film series. The film, which was made as a fun project by the cast and crew of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, features celebrity interviews, fake archive photos, film clips, and behind the scenes footage.
Contents |
The film is narrated in a tongue-in-cheek E! True Hollywood Story style, giving the ups and downs of Artoo's life, from his humble upbringings in England to his successful life as an actor. The mockumentary achieves this by using interviews by those who "know" him, such as: George Lucas, Ewan McGregor, Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Dreyfuss (who believes Artoo to be "a schmuck"), Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Bitsie Tulloch and more.
It introduces his human "family," complete with a brother and a sister. His birth name, "Reginald Dillingham," was changed for show biz. Lucas met R2 attending college at the University of Arizona working as an ash can. As it is revealed, Star Wars wasn’t his first role, as he had had many leading parts in plays and movies throughout the 1960s. R2 was originally invisioned by Coppola to play Michael Corleone in the 1972 film The Godfather, however the studio didn't see it and the part went to Al Pacino. He is shown to be quite the ladies man, with plenty of bikini clad women riding in his limo. R2 is said to have a human girlfriend who fears she might be pregnant. After the success of Return of the Jedi, the shortage of new work sends him into a depression in the 1980s. He goes so far down the spiral, and in an attempt to prove his worthiness, he bungee jumps and is nearly killed when the cord breaks. In 1998, his career then is reinvigorated when asked by George Lucas to do Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
The idea for this mockumentary was originally proposed by Don Bies, ILM Modelmaker and lead of the R2 production unit. George Lucas later gave the project his OK, as he has many times proclaimed that R2 is his favorite character, and he knew the fans could appreciate the joke.
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome continues in the footsteps of Return of the Ewok, a similar fun film made by the cast and crew during the filming of Return of the Jedi in 1982.
| Actor | Role | Other notes |
| Bob Hesse | Narrator (voice) | |
| Kenny Baker | R2-D2 | Credited as himself |
| Robbie Edwards | Robbie Dillingham | |
| Jennifer Weil | Claudia Dillingham-West | |
| Bitsie Tulloch | Bitsie Tullock | Credited as herself |
| Dave Murphy | Artoo's Buddy (at age 45) | |
| Morgan Hamilton-Lee | Artoo's Buddy (at age 10) | |
| Bernie Hamilton-Lee | School Principal | |
| Mary Jo Hamilton-Lee | School Teacher | |
| Cecilia Hamilton-Lee | School Kid | |
| Phyllis Eblan | School Mom | |
| Brittany Eblan | School Kid | |
| Benjamin Bies | Cute Kid | |
| Anna Bies | Emergency Room Technician | |
| Kara Glieden | Emergency Room Technician | |
| Wendi Thomas | Emergency Room Technician | |
| Mark Havens | Emergency Room Technician | |
| Kathy Fischer | Emergency Room Technician | |
| Nelson Hall | Artoo's Trainer | |
| Grant Imahara | Artoo's Technician | |
| Fon Davis | Artoo's Technician | |
| Marilisa Lokna | R2's Girl | |
| Gina Rudometkin | R2's Babe | |
| Cheryl King | R2's Chick | |
| Zeynup Selcuk | Artoo's Bungee Assistant | |
| Justin Dix | Artoo's Bungee Assistant | |
| Trevor Tighe | Artoo's Bungee Assistant | |
| Barry Kite | Scrooge | |
| Brian Lockwood | Bob Cratchit | |
| Karen Kenepp | Mrs. Cratchit | |
| Alicia Peters | Cratchit's Daughter | |
| Steve Sansweet | The Mayor | |
| Lauren Vogt | The Mayor's Wife | |
| Bob Canning | City Official | |
| Les David | City Official | |
| Andrea Biklian | Artoo Fan Club Member | |
| Paula Nederman | Artoo Fan Club Member | |
| Sarah Peacock | Artoo Fan Club Member | |
| Billy Brooks | Coffee Shop Patron | |
| Steve Gawley | Coffee Shop Patron | |
| Salvatore Belleci | Cop #1 (Starsky) | |
| James Cotner | Cop #2 (Hutch) | |
| Michael Murnane | Bad Guy | Credited as Michael P. Murnane |
| Ahmed Best | Himself | Uncredited |
| Don Bies | Himself | Uncredited |
| Ben Burtt | Himself | Uncredited |
| Hayden Christensen | Himself | Uncredited |
| Candy Clark | Herself | Uncredited |
| Francis Ford Coppola | Himself | Uncredited |
| Anthony Daniels | Himself | Uncredited |
| Richard Dreyfuss | Himself | Uncredited |
| Carrie Fisher | Herself | Uncredited |
| Harrison Ford | Himself | Uncredited |
| Nick Gillard | Himself | Uncredited |
| Alec Guinness | Himself (Archive footage) | Uncredited |
| Robin Gurland | Herself | Uncredited |
| Mark Hamill | Himself (Archive footage) | Uncredited |
| Samuel L. Jackson | Himself | Uncredited |
| Christopher Lee | Himself | Uncredited |
| George Lucas | Himself | Uncredited |
| Rick McCallum | Himself (Archive footage) | Uncredited |
| Ewan McGregor | Himself | Uncredited |
| Dennis Muren | Himself | Uncredited |
| Natalie Portman | Herself | Uncredited |
| Steven Spielberg | Himself | Uncredited |
| Leeanna Walsman | Herself (Archive Footage) | Uncredited |
This mockumentary was originally made available, beginning on November 25, 2001 in the US on FOX. Internationally, it was released on the same day on starwars.com as three web featurettes as part of the lead up to the release of Episode II. It debuted first as a trailer accompanying the Thanksgiving television airing of Episode I, and then in three weekly installments on US TV and through the Internet. It is still currently available under the Episode II section on the website. A trailer was released for it on the FOX channel not long before its premier on US TV and on the site. This trailer was later put as a special feature on the Episode II DVD to in turn promote the low-profile release of the mockumentary itself on DVD.
The film was released as a Region 1 DVD on December 26, 2002, containing all three segments that were originally aired on US TV and on Starwars.com, plus the ending credits and an easter egg of photos of Artoo. The DVD was a low-profile, non-advertised release. It was made available exclusively at Best Buy and Musicland stores, which includes Suncoast Motion Picture Company, Media Play and Sam Goody outlets.
On the 2002 DVD, there is a hidden bonus that is easy to access on the main menu. On the main menu that looks like a newspaper about Artoo, moving to the top selection and pressing the right button on the DVD remote will illuminate a blue shape inside Artoo’s dome. This allows the viewer access to a gallery of R2-D2 Star Wars production photos.