Evan AthertonWanna know how to say "I love you" in Droid?
You guessed it: "Bleep bloop."
Star Wars' favorite miniature android R2-D2 falls in love...in San Francisco, as seen in a superbly produced short film titled Artoo in Love, created by fan Evan Atherton and more than a dozen other people.
The short, which is unaffiliated with studio Lucasfilm, was posted on YouTube this week and sees R2-D2 falling in love not once, but twice—first with a navy mailbox with a pink ribbon. Ever the ladies' man, he makes several romantic gestures guaranteed to ruffle her letters, such as bringing flowers and commissioning a caricature portrait of the two lovebirds.
Of course, love is not without its obstacles, and Artoo is challenged by a menacing opponent that resembles a certain iconic Star Wars villain.
But all is not lost for our hero, who is more of a lover, than a fighter. Because sometimes, we get a second chance at love and, like your mom may have told you, it has a habit of revealing itself unexpectedly.
The adorableness is strong in this one, as is the level of professionalism—the 3:30-minute clip contains several droids, gorgeous graphics and a dramatic, soaring and lively score, as well as part of a memorable Princess Leia-Han Solo scene from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
"A love for Star Wars, technology, and film making brought together a group of friends who wanted to create a film that brought joy to its viewers and showed their favorite character in the spotlight," read a message posted on the short's website. "San Francisco and Berkeley provide the perfect backdrop for this love story and are now officially Artoo's stomping grounds.
According to Gizmodo, Atherton, who served as writer, director and co-producer, worked on Artoo in Love for two years and used a 3D printer at the San Francisco offices of software company Autodesk, where he works as an engineer, to make the props.
"People have definitely been having real emotional reactions to it," he told Mashable. "I think that stems from what always made Artoo special: He was more than just a machine. So seeing that play out, and seeing Artoo really sad, tugs on some childhood heartstrings."
This isn't the first time R2-D2 has found romance. The loveable little droid was all "bleep bloop!" about a fire hydrant in a 1980 episode of Sesame Street.
"Love knows no bounds," read a 2013 Sesame Workshop blog post. "Or species or mechanics, it would seem."