It’s a must-see for the whole family!
Pharrell Williams recently released his highly anticipated animated documentary Piece by Piece, Deadline reports. A 13x Grammy-award-winning superproducer and the current men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton, Williams’ impact on the culture over the past two and a half decades is incalculable. In true Williams fashion, a simple biopic would’ve been just that – too simple. Instead, Williams partnered with The LEGO Group to tell his inspiring musical story through the fantastical world of LEGO bricks.
“I don’t want to make it all heavy, but [LEGO] said yes to a Black man’s story, from a marginalized community. When I was young, that’s my origin story, Williams said at a recent screening.
The film was directed by Oscar-award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom), the Los Angeles Times reports. The movie explores Williams’ humble beginnings with Neptunes’ partner Chad Hugo, his meteoric rise to the top, and the peaks and valleys he experienced throughout it all. Neville said the project stretched him in ways he couldn’t imagine, crediting the film to Williams’ genius.
“I never would’ve made this film this way – or made any film this way – if it wasn’t for him. In that sense, I feel like I had the experience of being produced by Pharrell,” said Neville.
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The legacy toy company made the leap into animated features just a decade ago, and Piece by Piece marks the fifth film for LEGO. Williams said he initially didn’t want to do a documentary, but the minute he agreed, he knew he needed LEGO. The film features cameos from several other artists, including Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, and Busta Rhymes. Many new LEGO pieces were created just for the film, and while it’s an out-of-the-box biopic for the entertainment mogul, it is perfectly on-brand for him.
“LEGO could have said no. I’m Black, in case you hadn’t figured that out. But they said yes. I’m not Batman. This is not Harry Potter intellectual property. It’s just me, from Virginia. But they said yes,” said Williams.
Piece by Piece is currently in theaters nationwide.
Cover photo: Pharrell’s New Biopic Tells His Inspiring Musical Story Through LEGOs/Photo credit: Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times