A vibrant journey through the life of Pharrell Williams told through the lens of LEGO animation.
Singer and songwriter Pharrell Williams shares his life story through this unique LEGO animated documentary. I know Williams is a musician, but I wouldn’t call myself a fan. I don’t follow his music closely. All I knew about him was that he wrote and sang the mega-hit “Happy.” Honestly, I was a bit perplexed that a film was being made about him, as most musicians get a biopic once they have passed. However, this film did serve its purpose of informing me of Williams’ life.
Morgan Neville directed this film. He is an Academy Award-winning documentarian and the director of my favorite movie in 2018, the Fred Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” I get why he wanted to direct this film as he gets to experiment with the LEGO animation format and interview famous musicians.
I found Williams’ story to be pretty standard. He grew up in Virginia but always had a special connection to music. He joined up with one of his friends, Chad Hugo, and formed a group called The Neptunes. They eventually got a record deal and started writing and producing songs for other famous musicians.
Some of those famous musicians who are interviewed through LEGO form are Timbaland, Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, and Kendrick Lamar. I didn’t know that Pharrell Williams was one of the writers of some of their most famous songs like “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “Hollaback Girl,” and “Senorita” in the ‘90s and early 2000s. And you do get to hear a snippet of each song, which is fun.
Another thing I will say is that in this film, it does not seem like Williams goes through many struggles. He has a few relatable ones, like his modest upbringing and family loss, but he has mostly been successful in life, which is not as interesting to watch.
There were a lot of kids in my screening, and while this is a PG movie, they seemed to like it. I think they just enjoyed watching LEGOs. I don’t see the purpose why LEGO animation was used for this documentary other than Williams wanting to use the form to stand out as a documentary and a reflection of his unique style. I think LEGO animation should be used to build and convey imagination. But in this film, it is just used for singing and talking. I will say the LEGO animation is very well done, though.
Overall, despite the unique LEGO animation, “Piece by Piece” is a conventional film. Pharrell Williams does have a cool story, but it does not really lend itself to film.
In Theaters Friday, October 11th