What To Expect From The LEGO Pharrell Williams Documentary “Piece by Piece”

If you’ve been following up with movies recently you know that one of the most off-the-wall music documentaries is about to be released. That documentary is the LEGO film about Pharrell Williams‘ career and life titled Piece by Piece. What is so striking about this movie isn’t the story, rather, it’s the animation. The entire movie is LEGO bricks! Pharrell, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dog, and the other cast of characters and surrounding settings will all be depicted in LEGO.

This is a first for both LEGO and documentary films. Never has there been a documentary entirely comprised of LEGO bricks nor has LEGO ever released a documentary. Before the project, LEGO made The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie, and numerous others. However, in this film, they are trekking through uncharted territory. So let’s see what there is to expect in LEGO’s debut documentary.

A ‘Piece by Piece’ Story of Pharrell Williams

In essence, the film is a straightforward story of the events of Williams’ illustrious career. In addition to shedding light on infamous collaborations with musicians like Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, and many more. The exposition of the film also tackles Williams’ early life in Virginia Beach and how he met Missy Elliot, Pusha T, and Timbaland at his grammar school.

Despite Piece by Piece being one of a kind in its animation, the documentary is pretty routine. Roger Ebert says the film “takes the usual rise-and-fall-and-rise format typical of music biopics,” and that “It’s all pretty ho-hum.” Even though the film reportedly falls short in its storytelling, that is still not going to prevent people from going to the theaters to see it. After all, who doesn’t want to see a LEGO version of some of their favorite musicians?

LEGO’s Appropriate Aesthetic

When one thinks of Williams and LEGO they might think of thoughts of joy, optimism, and carelessness. Given these attributes, filmmaker Morgan Neville saw an opportunity to package Williams’ positivity in LEGO form. Frankly, it makes sense, as both parties share a childish whimsy that evokes rays of happiness. Roger Ebert seems to agree, writing in their review, “the bright jubilation of “Happy”…would make his life story a perfect fit for the medium of animation.”

According to the Roger Ebert review, it seems what the movie lacks in substance makes up for in animation. That being so, depending on what you look for in a movie this might be for you, or the farthest thing from it. But it is a unique film that is the first of its kind, and depending on its success, could be the last. Piece by Piece is set to release on October 11 and be in theaters across the country.

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Urban One Honors