, the Lego-animated biopic/documentary about the life and career of Pharrell Williams is out now. Although its box office receipts don’t exactly reflect it, it’s one of the most innovative and interesting examples of the genre, even with a on the market. The new music video for its title track is a shining microcosm of the vibrancy of the film, including clips from the movie’s musical sequence highlighting the song and bits and pieces (heh) from throughout its colorful narrative.
The film knows it’s an unusual take on the genre, too, pointing out repeatedly that animating a story — with Lego pieces, no less — is a move most musicians wouldn’t take. Pharrell even went so far as from some of the interview subjects, like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, to ensure they’d give more naturalistic responses. The result is as visually stunning as Pharrell’s production catalog has been for audiences’ ears for the past 20 years — although it does take a few liberties with the facts of Pharrell’s development as an artist and a pitchman.
It’s still fun to see little animated details on the Lego avatars of his collaborators, like Lego Snoop Dogg’s little pocket bandana or Lego Gwen Stefani’s painted-on, -era abs. It’s worth checking it out, when you get some time. In the meantime, you can watch the “Piece By Piece” video above.
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