Pharrell Williams is revisiting the building blocks of his life—literally. And it might be another level of creative genius.
His biography is set to be captured in a unique feature film, “Piece by Piece,” directed by Academy Award-winner Morgan Neville. The film employs LEGO animation to tell Williams’ life story, with a cast of familiar faces also transformed into LEGO characters, including Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, and Snoop Dogg.
Billed as an “unparalleled motion picture experience,” the animated biopic stars Williams as a LEGO version of himself. Williams announced the project on Instagram in January 2024, sharing his excitement: “Who would’ve thought that playing with Legos as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life. It’s proof that anyone else can do it too… #PieceByPiece.”
“Piece by Piece” has been in development since early 2019, when Williams first reached out to Neville with the concept. “When I had this crazy vision to tell this story through LEGO bricks, I couldn’t have imagined a better partner than Morgan. He is a legend,” Williams said. “Grateful that Focus wanted to collaborate with us and I’m honored to share this with the world and bring people into my universe. Building with LEGO bricks encourages us to follow our imagination… who would’ve thought that playing with these toys as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life. It’s proof that anyone else can do it too.”
Neville, known for his Grammy-nominated films and the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet From Stardom,” explained the unique storytelling method in an interview with Variety. “I think of myself as a little bit of a method director, in that whoever I’m making a film about, I’m trying to channel them into the storytelling as much as I can,” Neville said. “LEGO was Pharrell’s idea, but it’s not just a gimmick. It’s the metaphor. It’s part of the way he sees the world—which is in groundbreaking and deeply creative ways. That was something that it just gave us such license to create in the film, too.”
Produced by Neville, Williams, Mimi Valdés, Caitrin Rogers, and Shani Saxon, with executive producers Jill Wilfert and Keith Malone, “Piece by Piece” promises to be a vibrant journey through Williams’ life. The film combines traditional documentary elements with LEGO-based animation, capturing the magic and brilliance of Williams’ creative genius, one LEGO brick at a time.
The first trailer for “Piece by Piece” features LEGO depictions of Williams and his collaborators, including Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Timbaland, and Busta Rhymes, as well as director Morgan Neville. The trailer highlights the film’s charm and creativity, promising appearances from other notable figures, including Daft Punk.
“Piece by Piece” marks the first LEGO film under Universal’s new exclusive licensing agreement, following a series of popular LEGO films released by Warner Bros. The movie features a different animation style, handled by Animal Logic, now owned by Netflix.
Pharrell Williams, the Grammy-winning and Academy Award-nominated musician, is set to bring his life story to the big screen in a way that only he could imagine—via LEGO. “Piece by Piece” opens in theaters on October 11, 2024. Watch the trailer and get ready to witness the evolution of one of music’s most innovative minds through the lens of LEGO animation.