Pharrell Williams hit the red carpet Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival, accompanied by the star of his new animated biopic – a LEGO version of himself – as "Piece by Piece" made its international debut.
The animated film, voiced by Pharrell and pop stars Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z, takes viewers on an unconventional journey through the musical virtuoso’s upbringing and vibrant career, using LEGO pieces to represent the characters in his life story.
Pharrell, a renowned recording artist, producer, and songwriter, said the use of LEGO characters, popular with children worldwide, gave the film broad appeal and helped avoid clichés in telling his story.
"LEGO really helps to universalize the story so that it can be received by anyone from a marginalized community," Pharrell, a 13-time Grammy winner including three for Producer of the Year, told reporters on the red carpet.
"I didn't want to tell a story that's like poverty porn. That's a usual Hollywood trope, and that's not what this is."
Director Morgan Neville explained that his long-standing interest in music producers, who often have a larger vision, was a key reason for his involvement in the project.
"Pharrell is famous for seeing the world a little differently and approaching music differently," Neville said on the red carpet.
The film is not Neville's first focus on musical artists; his credits include the 2015 Keith Richards documentary and the 2023 film "Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman."
Neville said animation was the perfect medium for telling Pharrell's story.
"Pharrell has synesthesia, which means when he hears music, he sees color," Neville said. "The idea that you could see the color and make all this stuff come alive, taking the beats he was writing and turning them into physical objects."
Pharrell wrote an original song for the film, also titled "Piece by Piece," about building a dream from the ground up.
He told Reuters that diversifying the LEGO characters was part of his vision.
"There’s all kinds of people on this planet," he said. "All of this continues to be a gift."
