Pharrell Williams recently dropped the trailer for his new LEGO-animated biopic, ‘Piece By Piece.’
Variety reports that the creative initially opposed the idea of a film about his life but quickly changed his mind when given free rein.
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Pharrell’s Decision to Make Animated Biopic
Focus Feature’s upcoming movie, which tells Pharrell’s life story, puts a spin on traditional biopics. Most films in this genre feature real-life actors portraying individuals, but this biopic uses animation.
Pharrell said:
“Everyone was doing [biopics] at the time, and I was like, ‘Hell no.” The rapper continued, “I never want to do what everybody else is going. Everybody’s taking the Lincoln Tunnel, then I want to take a plane …”
He continued, “But when he finally said the magic words, ‘You can do it any way you want,” I knew deep down inside that I wanted to do it through LEGO.”
Director Morgan Neville assisted the Grammy winner with his vision. “I enjoy stop-motion animation. But that’s not what this is,” Pharrell explained.
LEGO versions of A-list celebs also appear in the film. An animated Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, and Busta Rhymes pop up in the ‘Happy’ singer’s movie.
Pharrell said that the celebs’ animated characters truly capture each individual. “Everybody comes through so well. It’s so captivating when you see it,” Pharrell shared.
“What we made is not like any other movie,” the singer told Variety. “I don’t know what a [comparison] for it would be. People can try and label it—it’s just its own film. It’s mindblowing, in a way, the freedom that we were able to put together in the film, but that only works if you’re channeling your subject,” he continued.
He Created Music For The Film
Pharrell also created “two new compositions” for the movie. The ‘Freedom’ singer said:
“One is made for a specific scene. And the other one is made for a specific scene but tells the story; it’s like my thesis…”
He explained that it expresses “that God is the greatest, that awareness, just understanding that that’s the story.” ‘Piece by Piece’ will hit theatres on October 11.
