The most inventive movie of 2024 is finally streaming on Netflix
Here is an extremely incomplete list of songs that were written, produced and/or performed by Pharrell Williams: “Alright” (Kendrick Lamar), “Hot in Herre” (Nelly), “Blurred Lines” (Robin Thicke), “Hollaback Girl” (Gwen Stefani), “Get Lucky” (Daft Punk), “Milkshake” (Kelis), “Shake Ya A–” (Mystikal), “Rock Your Body” (Justin Timberlake), “I’m a Slave 4 U” (Britney Spears), and “Happy” (Pharrell Williams).
Until I watched Piece by Piece (aka, the Pharrell documentary that’s animated entirely as LEGO), I was unaware of just how influential the Virginia-born artist really was. We all know “Happy,” of course, and most of us are probably aware that Pharrell was in the hip-hop group N.E.R.D. and produced a few hit songs. However, Piece by Piece makes a convincing case that he might just be the most influential musician of modern times. It’s also, even more surprisingly, a great documentary that uses its unique LEGO-focused format to push the entire genre in a smart new direction. This makes it a worthwhile watch for any documentary fans (even if they’re not into hip-hop).
After releasing in theaters in 2024, Piece by Piece makes its Netflix debut today (June 7). Here’s why it’s worth checking out a movie that may seem like a joke on the surface, but is way more creative than you might think.
Why LEGO, though?
Fair question. A LEGO Batman movie makes total sense. A LEGO biographical music documentary? Less so. For Pharrell, the reason seems to be simply: Why not?
Pharrell resisted requests to make this movie for years. When his agent said he could do it in any way he wanted, however, the pieces finally clicked into place. Speaking to NPR, the artist explained why his mind went to LEGO.
“My earliest memories were the LEGO sets that my parents would get me when I was really, really, really young,” he said. “Whether you actually really build what the set is all about or you’re just putting pieces together … it’s just magical.”
‘Putting pieces together’
That’s a sentiment lots of us can relate to. LEGO is a toy that encourages creativity, and it’s clear that both Pharrell and his director, Morgan Neville, took that concept to heart. Piece by Piece doesn’t just animate its interviews into LEGO blocks, it uses that technology to bring the entire story to life. While much of the film is depicted with the same sort of talking-head style as your typical documentary (we get LEGO versions of everyone from Missy Elliot to Jay-Z), this stylistic choice also lets Neville bring some of Pharrell’s best stories to life through animation. There might not be any archival footage of Snoop Dogg recording “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” but watching it happen through LEGO is just as entertaining.
It’s a clever workaround to a problem that many other documentaries face. How do you show something that already happened and wasn’t recorded on film? Normal reenactments often come across as tacky. And simple photos paired with voice-over narration can be boring. Maybe more documentarians should consider the LEGO approach.
Neville also uses LEGO animation to depict some of the movie’s more intangible concepts. Each new beat Pharrell creates is portrayed as a shining crystal block, for example. But there’s one striking way Piece by Piece uses its unique style to take us inside its subject’s mind.
Pharrell Williams and synesthesia
Pharrell Williams has talked about his synesthesia before. (If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it’s a neurological conduction where the senses intertwine. So, for example, you might see colors when you listen to music, or associate certain shapes with specific smells.) Speaking to NPR, Pharrell described his own experience with synesthesia.
“The shapes [I see] are hard for me to explain,” he said, “but it sort of zig zags. And those synth lines are yellow and brown for me. … And the yellow it goes from bright to mustard, marigold, and then there is just very stark brown.”
Piece by Piece does an impressive job of bringing this concept to life. Without breaking the basic premise of a LEGO documentary, the movie injects small visual accents that let the audience understand what Pharrell experiences when he listens to music. It’s perhaps the best visual depiction of synesthesia I’ve ever seen in a movie.
The highs and lows of an incredible career
Given Pharrell’s close involvement with all aspects of Piece by Piece, you might expect a movie that only focuses on a career of hits. Instead, the documentary doesn’t shy away from some of the low points, too. Even if it ultimately paints an overwhelmingly positive picture.
After establishing himself as a talented songwriter and producer, Pharrell’s initial efforts to go solo fell flat. His first big song, “Frontin,” wasn’t the hit he needed. Plus, his focus on clothing and sneaker brands detracted from his music. In 2013, Daft Punk offered a lifeline when the electronic duo asked him to write a song for their new album. That song was “Get Lucky,” and it rescued Pharrell’s career.
Pharrell stumbled again a few years later, only for his work on the Despicable Me movies, which ultimately led to his hit single “Happy,” to revive his career once again.
Piece by Piece leans into these low points, showing an artist with incredible talent who still struggles with self-doubt and writer’s block. It’s moments like that—along with the surprising choice to make a LEGO movie, and the even more surprising fact that it somehow works—that make this such a great film. And one that’s definitely worth watching now that it’s streaming on Netflix.
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