Piece by Piece has been marketed as the “life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams” as told through “the lens of LEGO animation,” and that’s exactly what this movie is. Produced by Pharrell himself and directed by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville, known for 20 Feet from Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, and Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, this animated autobiographical piece is not as adventurous as you would hope, given its vibrant look. Piece by Piece follows the traditional structure of a documentary, except every single person, interview, and clip of archival footage has been animated into LEGO, supplemented with other re-imaginings of events and fantastical flourishes.
The animated documentary opens with Pharrell insisting this is the best way to tell his life story, and that soon becomes apparent. Piece by Piece does not give the audience insight into Pharrell Williams’ mind but rather shows you the world through his eyes, and that world is bright and tender when recalling the past. Though Pharrell had little association with LEGOs before this project, it quickly becomes clear that, yeah, maybe LEGO animation is the best medium for this documentary. The imaginative visuals brought to life through LEGO create a new kind of texture and dimension to an otherwise standard celebrity documentary.
The autobiographical documentary is a tricky project to pull off because the subject often has too much control over their own depiction. It can either come off as brave and brutally honest or like an attempt to censor history. So many personal documentaries like this never reach the vulnerable depths needed to become truly compelling. And, to be quite frank, neither does Piece by Piece. It shares Williams’ missteps in the broadest of strokes, never zeroing in on the complexities of these actions to say anything meaningful about his struggles or wrangle the story of his life into a cohesive narrative. However, unlike other documentaries of this kind, it doesn’t need to do so to remain engaging, thanks to the LEGO format.
Courtesy of Focus Features
Pharrell Williams’ story is almost unbelievable. He was first discovered professionally, along with his producing partner Chad Hugo, by participating in his high school’s talent competition, where a prominent music producer was offering a music deal to its winner. That anecdote alone can be the plot of a teen film, and his world only grows from there. He grew up with rap stars like Timbaland and Missy Elliot as his contemporaries. He’s worked with music artists as high profile as Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, and Kendrick Lamar, all of whom are featured in Piece by Piece as their LEGO-selves. As a producer, his career is directly linked to all of these icons, and so his story naturally evolves into a web of stories. Pharrell’s career is so expansive that it’s impossible for this documentary to lose momentum.
Snoop Dogg, specifically, is hilariously rendered in the midst of an “aerosol” mist and brings his trademark easygoing and pleasant energy to Piece by Piece. Meanwhile, Gwen Stefani is true to her depiction as a rock and pop artist at the time, one of the few to cross over into hip-hop successfully by collaborating with Pharrell. Kendrick Lamar’s segment is shown in black-and-white to reflect on how Williams contributed to the aesthetics of his celebrated album To Pimp a Butterfly and lend a smidge more respectability to the subject matter.
In particular, the last act of Piece by Piece almost feels like whiplash. It pivots from one of the most difficult moments in Pharrell Williams’ life, to his return, to his and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” (one of the best songs of all time), to “Happy” (his incredibly successful and pervasive song for the Despicable Me franchise), to then an introduction of his involvement on Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” via discussion of police brutality protests. There has never really been a dull moment in Pharrell’s life — that much is made clear. However, this period of his life is so vaguely described and quickly skimmed over in the film when it should have been expanded upon. Perhaps this would have come at the cost of time dedicated to detailing his early years, but it would have given the documentary a compelling boost nonetheless.
Courtesy of Focus Features
The beautiful LEGO animation in Piece by Piece fills in narrative gaps with wonderful interludes, allowing the audience to empathize with sentiments that are more difficult for Williams to articulate. He is known first as a producer, his medium being the music and beats that support the lyrics in a song rather than the words themselves. In being unable to find the right words, director Morgan Neville still manages to find a way to convey what Williams needs to express through LEGO. This also allows for a number of visual gags that you would associate with LEGO animation rather than a documentary, only adding to the joyful tone of the film. Little pulsing LEGO creations represent beats, there’s a huge flying fish motif, and the Virginia Beach of Williams’ childhood is represented with such bright and careful care.
Despite its standard structure as a documentary, which lacks emotional vulnerability for its main subject, Piece by Piece is a good time. Pharrell Williams is extremely good at what he does. His original song for the film, “Piece by Piece,” is a bop and a half. It’s so catchy that it will have you bobbing along with the beat throughout the entire runtime. Truly, the breadth of his career cannot be overstated. Even during the film’s darkest moments, it is never bleak. Rather, it’s a lesson in perseverance and the importance of remaining true to yourself. But it’s difficult to triangulate the sort of audience this movie was made for. It’s a family-friendly, vibrant journey that also touches upon more mature topics via LEGO bricks. Nothing has quite been made like this before. Miraculously, Piece by Piece still works as a bonafide crowd-pleaser; it’s difficult to imagine anyone disliking it.
Though certainly a strange addition to the LEGO Animation universe, it somehow makes perfect sense. If you’re at all intrigued by the premise of a documentary told through LEGO or the evolution of Pharrell Williams’ life and music career, Piece by Piece is definitely worth the time.
Piece by Piece premiered at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival and also played at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film hits theaters on October 11!
Release Date: October 11, 2024.
Directed by Morgan Neville.
Produced by Pharrell Williams, Mimi Valdés, Caitrin Rogers, Morgan Neville, & Shani Saxon.
Executive Producers: Sanjee Gupta, David Lawrence, Keith Malone, Shani Saxon, & Jill Wilfert.
Main Cast: Pharrell Williams, Morgan Neville, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, N.O.R.E., & Daft Punk.
Music by Pharrell Williams (songs and themes) & Michael Andrews (score).
Production Companies: The Lego Group, Tremolo Productions, & I Am Other.
Distributor: Focus Features.
Runtime: 93 minutes.
Rated PG.
