Perhaps the best part about the new Star Wars trailer was seeing BB-8, the adorable rolling ball robot in the new Star Wars movie, bounce and roll itself across the screen. It looked so familiar and so cute and so perfect as the new movieās answer to R2-D2. And the best thing about it? BB-8 is a real robot and not CGI.
Awesome, right? Just like how R2-D2 was created in our favorite Star Wars movies from the past, BB-8 is made with practical effects and not computer generated. CGI has its use and place but itās nice to see the throwback to using ārealā objects to fake special effects. I also love the idea of inventing an awesome rolling ball of a droid.
Mark Hamill reveals the tidbit in an interview with Yahoo Movies:
Iām sure he loved the new little droid thatās a rolling ball. Iām sure he wants it under the tree this Christmas. They never cease to amaze me with what theyāre able to come up with, you know? I said, āHow are you ever gonna top R2-D2, the most adorable droid in movie history?ā And then they have this new one. I canāt even tell you his name, but you saw it in the trailer. And when they were demonstrating how they did this thing, live on set ā because itās not CGI, thatās a live prop ā I was just amazed. They let me play around with it. I was running it all around at the creature shop up in Pinewood. Iām telling you, itās an absolute delight. And not having thought that Iād ever go back there, to go back into that world, is just ā I get the chills. Itās just so much fun.
