This animated film from Focus Features will open at cinemas on October 11th, 2024.
Most will know of musical artist Pharrell Williams from his many hits, like the smash single “Happy”, that literally seemed to be everywhere in 2013. But of course, he’s done so much over the past 25 years that he has been asked to share his life story. These types of biographical documentaries can be overly familiar and the basic story arc here doesn’ t offer any shocking revelations. Yet Piece by Piece does manage to do something unique in relating Williams’ storied career. It tells the entire tale in animated form using Lego figures.
Indeed, after brief intros of Williams as a Lego figure being interviewed by a Lego version of director Morgan Neville (who also made the non-narrative titles Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), we jump into his story. He describes his childhood in Virginia Beach, Virginia and discusses his synesthesia, a condition in which one experiences colors and shapes while listening to music. Despite feeling like an outcast, Williams does find friends at school (many of whom would become famous in their own right), including a particularly tight bond with classmate Chad Hugo. After forming a band with Hugo called The Neptunes for a high school talent show, the pair encounter famous record producer Teddy Riley. After a few setbacks, they become highly-regarded producers working with major acts. But of course, Williams still wants to create material for himself and release it to the world.
Admittedly, the movie doesn’t delve too deeply into the figure’s life. Other than showing his humble beginnings and, later in the picture, a very quick description of how he first met his wife, the focus here is on his music, fun stories involving collaborations with famous artists and his production work on so many hit songs. It seems that Williams and Hugo were responsible for the unique beats that made these tunes stand out in the public consciousness and become instant successes. Many artists, including Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg and others are happy to share their experiences working with The Neptunes, as well as telling stories about their amusing eccentricities.
There is a brief period in which Willliams’ career seems to be faltering, with the artist suggesting that, after a string of hits, fame resulted in various distractions and second-guessing what audiences wanted to hear. It results in a series of commercial misfires and a period of self-doubt, but that’s as dark as the movie becomes. The artist soon rebounds and credits his family and belief system for setting him back on the right path.
Those hoping for information about personal conflicts that may have arisen along the way or detailed explorations into his creative process won’t find too many answers, but the film makes up for its lack of tension with visual style. The Lego figure animation actually serves the story well and is cleverly used. The representation of synesthesia is nicely handled with bright, multi-colored bricks moving around the character as he listens to music. It truly helps relay a sense of what one might experience. Additionally, the film is extremely entertaining when hip-hop videos and parties are recreated using the blocky Lego characters. This adds a layer of humor to material that, on its own, might not seem family-friendly. And as one might expect, tales of Interactions with artists like Snoop Dogg result in some great gags.
The film ends on a simple, sweet note as well, trying to deliver even more reasoning for using Lego blocks as a storytelling device. Pharrell Williams is an enormously talented man and it’s truly amazing to see just how many famous songs he is responsible for. Piece by Piece may not give viewers the entire story of the individual, but it presents his life in an original way and offers some insightful and humorous stories about his exploits in the music business that are remarkably fun to watch. If you’re curious about Pharrell Williams, this is an entertaining starting point.