Piece by Piece is a biographical documentary telling the story of hip-hop legend, Pharrell Williams from his humble beginnings to superstardom. With the help of director, Morgan Neville, the film features interviews with Pharrell’s family, friends, and other recording artists. The catch is that this film was made entirely with animated Lego. This Lego-themed biopic is now showing in cinemas worldwide to illustrate the life of Pharrell Williams, Piece by Piece.

The film begins with Pharrell Williams speaking with documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and explaining that he wants to tell his story entirely in Lego form. 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. He had synesthesia, a condition that made him see colours in music and was captivated by artists like Stevie Wonder, which ignited his passion for music.

He struggled to fit in at school and wasn’t the best academically until someone suggested he should take music classes and that was where he found his calling. After befriending Chad Hugo and creating music together, they formed The Neptunes. While performing at their school’s talent show, they were discovered by a record producer and signed their first record deal, and this was the beginning of Pharrell Williams’ epic career in music.

Making a biopic entirely with animated Lego pieces is certainly an odd design choice, but it surprisingly works as it stands out and gets people talking. It’s more than just an alternative look, it takes full advantage of the Lego style by utilising familiar-looking pieces, as well as its bright and vibrant colours bringing a lot of charm and personality to the film. Everything is a familiar-looking Lego piece, from the school halls, recording studios, cars, props, furniture, streets, beaches, and more. When they say everything is in Lego form, they mean everything.

Technically the film doesn’t have voice actors as everyone voiced themselves in pre-recorded interviews. Pharrell’s family, friends, and other recording artists were all interviewed but only the audio was used, and the footage was recreated in Lego. Snippets of music videos, archive footage such as his interview with Oprah Winfrey and even famous historical events on TV were remade in Lego.

The other recording artists who were interviewed for this film include Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani, Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Nigo, Teddy Riley, and Buster Rhymes who all voice themselves. What’s funny about this is that none of them had any idea they were all going to be represented in Lego form, so everyone is being their authentic selves. A few voice actors were used for some minor characters and many more artists also appear throughout the film, but in non-speaking roles.

The way Pharrell’s story is illustrated is more lighthearted, colourful, and family-friendly. Even during a scene involving Snoop Dogg and his favourite pastime with a certain herb, a character randomly steps in with a spray bottle called PG Spray to fill the room with smoke. It’s silly but amusing and helps keep the film PG as stated on that bottle. It’s clear to see the vision Pharrell was going for when telling his story and now it’s hard to imagine it being told in any other format.

The Lego pieces add charm and personality to the overall style and presentation. Even with the Lego design, audiences will be able to see things and people through his eyes, such as seeing Snoop Dogg as a godlike mystical figure as the film exaggerates his presence on screen. The film also does an amazing job of conveying human feelings, especially during Pharrell’s more touching and emotional moments and it achieves that in a style that might feel limited.

Seeing familiar faces in Lego form never gets old and is fun to see how their defining features are presented in their Lego counterparts. The film goes the extra mile with Lego versions of Pharrell in different stages of his life and with slightly different hairstyles. Occasionally it can be difficult to tell who’s who when there are a lot of people on screen at once, but it’s still pleasing to the eyes, nonetheless.

In a movie full of famous singers and rappers, there is no shortage of music featured. It’s not limited to Pharrell Williams either, as other famous songs can be heard and are representative of who is featured on screen. Some of Pharrell’s most famous songs have their features too, most

specifically his 2013 hit single “Happy” and how much it meant to him to see people all over the world dancing to his song, even making him tear up. A brand-new single by Pharrell titled “Piece by Piece” makes its debut in the film and the music video is out now, also made entirely in Lego.

The story of Pharrell Williams will inspire and encourage you to work hard and take a chance on yourself to achieve your goals. Even if certain life events were left out, the film still provides a deep dive into the life of one of the greatest and most influential recording artists of this generation. It shows that even an awkward kid at school who barely had any friends can go on to be loved by millions worldwide.

The crazy idea of telling his story entirely in Lego is one that no one would ever consider, but somehow works incredibly well and gets people curious to see the movie. Piece by Piece is a film that will leave you happy and clapping along if you feel like a room without a roof, like happiness is the truth, if you know what happiness is to you and if you feel like that’s what you want to do.

Written by: Sammy Hanson