Piece By Piece is a 2024 american biographical documentary comedy drama film, directed and co-produced by Morgan Neville, in his animated film debut. It follows the life and career of American musician Pharrell Williams, who stars in the film, through the lens of Lego animation. Produced by The Lego Group, Tremolo Productions and I Am Other, Piece by Piece marks the fifth theatrical Lego-based film and the first under the rights of Universal Pictures. Alongside Williams and Neville, the film stars the voices of Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.
Williams had considered creating a film about his life since 2013, though serious plans of a biopic in animated musical form started in 2019 following a discussion between the musician and Neville. Development officially began later that year; following the end of The Lego Group's partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures, the rights were transferred to Universal. Neville interviewed Williams's associates remotely during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and shot certain live-action scenes with Williams later. The Lego Group created minifigure pieces better representative of the African-American community and Williams's frequent collaborators, as well as new pieces for music equipment. Williams, who also produces, composed two original songs for the film.
Plot[]
The film starts with Pharrell Williams talking to documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville. Pharrell explains that he wants to tell his story in Lego form, as his view of the world is like that of a Lego set, which is building something from another pre-existing material.
Pharrell's story begins in Virginia Beach, where he lived in the Atlantis housing projects with his parents, Pharaoh and Carolyn. He had synesthesia, which made him see colors in music. Pharrell was captivated by artists like Stevie Wonder, which sparked his passion for music. While he struggled in school academically, he befriended Chad Hugo and created music with him, along with future artists like Missy Elliott, Pusha T, and Timbaland.
Pharrell and Chad ended up working together to form The Neptunes. They performed at their school's talent show for famed record producer Teddy Riley. Impressed, Teddy signed the guys on. Pharrell helped come up with some work for Teddy, like writing his verse on the song "Rump Shaker" for Teddy's group Wreckx-n-Effect, but working for Teddy meant Pharrell could not work on his own music.
Later on, Pharrell and Chad would work with rapper N.O.R.E. on his hit single "Superthug", before also working with Pusha T and fellow rapper Malice (with their duo Clipse) and later Mystikal on his song "Shake Ya Ass". This caught the attention of other major artists like Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Gwen Stefani, and Justin Timberlake. Jay-Z describes Pharrell as a "younger brother" that the other artists in the industry wanted to look out for, since he was opening doors for a lot of them.
Pharrell and Chad are later called to work with Snoop Dogg, famously known for his gangsta rap image. After a session involving 'PG Spray' (cannabis), the guys come up with "Drop It Like It's Hot". Snoop notes that this was his first number one single, and that he felt Pharrell brought out a fun side of him.
Pharrell eventually tried to become a solo artist, starting with the single "Frontin'" that he did with Jay-Z. One record producer notes that this should have propelled Pharrell to solo status. Pharrell persisted with trying to build his brand, expanding from music to other outlets, such as skateboarding or fashion. He created the Billionaire Boys Club brand and Ice Cream footwear. Others note that Pharrell was starting to spread himself too thin, taking away from the spark that usually drove him. Eventually, Pharell was able to make a comeback, collaborating with Daft Punk and Nile Rodgers on the single "Get Lucky", earning them all the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
Pharrell's wife Helen gives an interview discussing how they met. She went to one of his parties and noted that he was surrounded by other women, but he noticed her and went up to her, asking many questions until Helen said she had a boyfriend. Helen later broke up with that man and eventually dated and married Pharrell.
While stuck in a creative rut, Pharrell was tasked with writing music for the Despicable Me films. He spends time with his family, particularly his infant son, and he becomes inspired to create "Happy". It becomes a smash hit across the world, with people in various countries recreating the famous music video. Pharrell's interview with Oprah Winfrey where he begins crying is recreated.
Pharrell gets emotional talking to Neville about how his family and his friends have driven his success. However, he also discusses the political state of things, specifically in regard to police brutality against African Americans. Pharrell provided the hook for Kendrick Lamar's song "Alright", which became a popular phrase among groups like the Black Lives Matter movement.
As Pharrell and Neville come to the film's conclusion, Pharrell once again shares his outlook on life, and how one can take things and build it up to be something better, much like Lego. Pharrell then concludes with a concert featuring him performing his new song "Piece By Piece".
Videos[]
Trailers[]
