Bingowings said:
I imagine the two mechanical men of Oz (Tic Toc and the Tin Woodsman) were also an inspiration as well as Tahei and Matashichi from The Hidden Fortress for the droids but I may be wrong...
Yes, GL was inspired by Hidden Fortress to tell the story from the point of view of two seemingly insignificant characters. This is also where he picked up the frame wipe transition technique.