Piece By Piece Serves as an Inspirational Unveiling of a Genius.

Being ‘outside the box’ or ‘different’ is something I always identified with as I never looked at things from the same lens as others.  My view was always just a little more skewed.  As I grew older, I realized those things that made me ‘different’ made me unique in a way most could or would never comprehend…until now.  With Pharrell Williams, I found my spirit animal in creativity through his animated feature – ‘Piece By Piece.’

As we gaze upon a young Pharrell staring into speakers blasting Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish,’ Piece by Piece takes us on the journey of Williams’ rise to fame entirely with LEGO, for a bright, bouncy, and energetic treatment capturing the multi-hyphenate musician’s unyielding creative spirit.  This uniquely executed film introduces us to Pharrell’s spirited upbringing in Virginia, his first job at a record label, the start of the production duo the Neptunes with Chad Hugo, the formation of the band N.E.R.D., and beyond.

When nobody wants to give him a shot as a singer and performer, this artist pivoted to producing, giving him new fuel that blasted him into orbit, working with artists like Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg, all also presented in LEGO form and who talk about Pharrell’s unique vision and golden touch. But, as the film also shows, being in the stratosphere doesn’t come without a cost.

With Piece by Piece, Oscar-winning  filmmaker Morgan Neville represents Pharrell’s signature beats as little LEGO sculptures popping into life as his songs explode into hits familiar as some Williams’ tracks not necessarily being attributed to him. Brimming with charm and visual panache, Piece by Piece is a sensory delight in the form of the most exquisite piece of animated biopic yumminess.

The musical choices sans hit most notable hits are absolutely fabulous with one of my favorite moments being a church choir with a beat and groove complete with a sista’ catching the holy spirit take LEGO’s to a such a realistic level that you forget you aren’t watching humans.  The imagery is astounding as waves, oceans planes, and clouds are reincarnated as LEGO’s. The whole experience is like watching a concert LEGO version of an MTV special which drosp knowledge at every given turn.

Neville took Williams’ life and career, tore it apart brick by brick and put it back to together illustrating the mind of a musical genius who didn’t just aspire up, but left and right in order to deepen and vibrate our molecules on a much higher plane serving this thing we call life. Piece by Piece will not only have you bopping in your seats, but  serves as multigenerational, inspirational unveiling of a genius.