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Adam Savage Meets Imagineering's Star Wars BDX Droids!
2 min read4 May 2026Worth watching
TL;DR
Adam Savage visits the set of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu where Jon Favreau introduces him to Walt Disney Imagineering's new BDX droids — highly expressive, stable robots built for Disney parks that also appear in the film. The video explores the intersection of practical effects, robotics, and Star Wars world-building.
Key points
1
Walt Disney Imagineering's BDX droids are fully functional robots debuting in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu and at Disney parks, capable of interacting with guests all day long.
2
Jon Favreau emphasizes the droids continue Walt Disney's animatronics legacy, drawing a direct line from the Abraham Lincoln animatronic and the Tiki Room to today's robotics.
3
The droids are designed to be consumer-facing and park-immersive, not just film props — they can sustain continuous operation and real-time guest interaction.
4
Favreau explains that the best costume performers are often the people who built the costumes, because they understand the mechanics and can extract the most character from them.
5
The production uses a highly collaborative, nonlinear creative process where visual effects, editorial, and vendors all pitch ideas back to the director — 'best idea wins.'
6
Digital characters like Zeb and Rada appear in the film, but the production prioritizes practical puppets and suits, with digital augmentation used selectively for characters like Grogu.
Key takeaways
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For theme park innovation: Imagineering's BDX droids represent a new benchmark — robots that are expressive, durable enough for all-day park use, and capable of genuine guest interaction.
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For makers and effects artists: The best performers in complex costumes are often those who built them — understanding the mechanism unlocks the performance.
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For filmmakers: Favreau's 'best idea wins' collaborative model — where editors, VFX teams, and vendors all contribute creatively — is cited as a key reason the production can keep refining work over a long schedule.
Notable quotes
“It's usually the ones who are the best at are the ones who build it. And they love being in it.”
“You'll tell a story and then they'll see something that inspires them, or you'll see them and put them in the movie. There's a conversation that goes back and forth.”
“Having best idea wins and everybody pulling together and trying to plus the ideas — that's why having a long schedule helps you because you could keep refining and keep refining.”
Worth watching?
✅
Worth watching the full video?
Watch if you want to actually see the BDX droids in motion and hear Favreau speak candidly about the filmmaking process — the footage and behind-the-scenes context are the real draw here.
Saved you some time? The creator still deserves a like.
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