42/10
A vibrant journey through the life of Pharrell Williams, told through the lens of LEGO animation. Animal Logic, which animated the previous four Lego films, did not return to animate the film because it would be seen as a rip-off of Warner Bros. ., even though Lego and Warner Bros. both share the rights to the original franchise. Instead, the animation was done at Pure Imagination Studios in Los Angeles and Zebu Animation Studios in India. Both Pure Imagination and Zebu have previously recreated the style of the original film series through theme park attractions, PSAs, and the 1989 episode “Brick Like Me” (2014). The opening Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Tremolo Productions, and Lego Group studio logos are made of Lego bricks. Appeared on The Graham Norton Show: Billy Crystal/Emily Mortimer/Hugh Bonneville/Pharrell Williams/Michael Kiwanuka (2024). Written by Pharrell Williams and Shelly Berg Performed by Pharrell Williams Courtesy of Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment. I saw this at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. First of all, Pharrell Williams is not a musician I really like, but I have enjoyed some of his work growing up in the 2010s era. The direction of this documentary about his life and career, while standard in structure and presentation, and the use of Lego Animation as a storytelling medium to tell Williams’ story was interesting and definitely something that has never been done before. Packed with interesting interviews, sheet music, and conversations from the cast, it’s sweet and has a great feel to it listening to Williams describe his childhood and passions, and the Lego Animation style of presenting its settings, colorful backdrops, and environments was a very nice touch. I appreciate the filmmaker taking a different approach to presenting this documentary. While it’s nothing special, it’s cute. From Alien: Romulus to Road House, check out some of our favorite posters from 2024.