Full of inspiration, emotion, music, and fun, Morgan Neville’s Piece by Piece is an inventive burst of cinematic energy. Chronicling the life and career of musician Pharrell Williams using the style of LEGO animation, Neville’s imaginative film is as creative and warm as its subject. Unconventional, to be sure, it is the film’s uniqueness that sets itself apart from the average “talking head” documentary, as the film morphs into something quite special and occasionally profound.

Morgan Neville has always been an adventurous documentarian. 2013’s 20 Feet From Stardom (which won him an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature) and 2018’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor? are exceptional docs that stand out for their individuality and inventive ways they tell their story. Neville doesn’t care for the linear, nor does he play by the rules. The director has vision, crafting each work with style and respect while possessing an innate ability to capture the spirit and get to the soul of his film’s subjects. With Piece by Piece, he gives us his most experimentally satisfying documentary to date.

The idea to do everything in LEGOs came from Williams, who insists this is the best manner in which to tell his story. As he tells it, we all make something out of the pre-existing pieces of our lives, like a puzzle, declaring, “You take it apart, then you put it back together.” Always a nonconformist with an individualist vibe, Pharrell wanted a fresh take on the documentary format. The artist has a neurological “disorder” called Synesthesia, which allows him to see the colors of music in vivid images. This insight into his world vibes with the Lego format (and vice versa), as Pharrell’s creative process comes to life in sometimes mesmerizing bouquets of light, color, and music. It is a fascinating concept that morphs into something special for audiences of all ages. While one may feel the Lego style to be a gimmick, this approach allows Piece by Piece to stand out from other documentaries by creating an intoxicating visual canvas.

Pharrell’s life story is something quite amazing. Growing up in the projects of Virginia Beach, music was always a part of his life. His grandmother found him making beats with kitchen utensils and gave him a drum set. Off the young man went on his musical journey. In high school, he and his best friend and producing partner Chad Hugo formed a band for the talent competition. The promise of a better future came in the form of musicians and producer Teddy Riley, who was there to present a music deal to the winner. Their collaboration led the young man to his destiny.

Beginning with the revelation that the young Pharrell wrote the rap (and encouraged Riley to perform it) for the Wreckx-n-Effect classic, “Rump Shaker”, Piece by Piece will hold fun surprises for everyone who spent their early 90s basking in that glorious time for Hip-Hop. Pharrell grew up with both Missy Elliot and Timbaland, he went on to produce works for Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar, Gwen Stefani, and Madonna. For his time with Snoop Dogg (the film’s funniest sequence), Williams crafted a seemingly simple beat into the 2004 cut, “Drop it Like it’s Hot”, making it the rapper’s first number one single. As Snoop Dogg states how Pharrell, “Saw the fun in me… He made me a good guy.”

The 51 year old has lived many lifetimes and accomplished more in the past 40 years than most artists do in their entire careers. Between producing, writing, performing, and his entrepreneurial endeavors (shoes, skateboards, sunglasses, and even face cream), Pharrell’s myriad of life tales and accomplishments don’t allow the film to take a breath. Even his father didn’t realize his son wrote the “Ba-Da-Ba-Ba-Ba” jingle for McDonald’s. 

Of course there were the dark times, when Pharrell fell victim to his own ego. Director Neville doesn’t dwell on these moments, as most bio-docs revel in “the fall”. Pharrell briefly discusses how he nearly lost it all due to his self-obsession, but the filmmaker is rightfully more interested in the audience experiencing how Pharrell pulled himself up by his bootstraps and righted his sinking ship. 

One of the film’s most moving sequences covers his Oscar-nominated song “Happy”, from Despicable Me 2. Williams gets emotional discussing how the song became a worldwide phenomenon, but was sadly followed by his examination of his place in the world after the George Floyd murder and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Again, Neville doesn’t dwell. He gives you just enough to help understand Williams and how he reshaped his worldview. This is a film about the joy of creation and the power of believing in yourself. Lingering too long on the bad wouldn’t have worked. 

In a post-screening Q&A, Williams stated he had no interest in doing a film about his life, as he had already lived it and didn’t feel the experience would be anything special for the audience. The artist is a humble man these days, sharing a peaceful life with his wife and children, but it was Pharrell’s undying quest to create that made him the perfect partner for director Neville. As creative partners, their desire to fill their audience (young and old) with hope is the bond that unites the two artists and endears them to their audience.

Documentary. Musical. Animated film for all ages. Piece by Piece earns all of these titles. This is a special film that is the definition of a cinematic experience. Pharrell Williams and Morgan Neville have given audiences a true gift; a film of music, inspiration, and joy. 

Piece by Piece

Written by Oscar Vasquez, Aaron Wickenden, & Morgan Neville

Directed by Morgan Neville

Featuring Pharrell Williams, Morgan Neville, Chad Hugo, Gwen Stefanini, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg

PG, 93 Minutes, Focus Features, The LEGO Group, Tremolo Productions