PIECE BY PIECE is an unparalleled motion picture experience that invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams. Told through the lens of LEGO® animation, turn up the volume on your imagination and witness the evolution of one of music’s most innovative minds. – Synopsis via Universal Studios
PIECE BY PIECE is directed by Morgan Neville. He is excellent with documentaries and this is a documentary itself but in a captivating way. It covers from his young life to the present-ish time.
Going into this, I knew nothing of Pharrell‘s past. I knew nothing about his early life, his early career, or even that he’s been making music as long as he has. Honestly, I thought he hit the scene when he did Happy. It’s a fun movie and having a look back at some of the music he and The Neptunes were involved with is wild. So many songs that I had no idea he was a part of like Hella Good by No Doubt.
Cast
Pharrell Williams as himself
Morgan Neville as himself
Gwen Stefani as herself
Kendrick Lamar as himself
Timbaland as himself
Justin Timberlake as himself
Busta Rhymes as himself
Jay-Z as himself
Snoop Dogg as himself
Pusha T as himself
Missy Elliott as herself
Nigo as himself
Teddy Riley as himself
Tyler, the Creator as Mr. Thoroughgood, Pharrell’s teacher
VIDEO QUALITY 4.5/5
The video is a 1080p AVC presentation that has the same quality as the theatrical LEGO movies before it. The details on the plastic and the realistic textures look incredible. They have a worn, played-with quality with the LEGO logo on the pegs in various directions as if they are pieced together rather than computer-generated. The printed images like clothing look like your average LEGO. The colors are bright and bold with a wonderful assortment of hues. There is no over-saturation, crushing, or banding that I could see. I have no real complaints at all.
AUDIO QUALITY 5/5
The audio is a Dolby True HD 7.1 mix. Being that is centered around the musical career of Pharrell, the music is insanely good on the track. The reproduction of the music is strong, powerful, and so clear in True HD. The sound fills the space properly with an overly of effects and voices. The LFEs are deep and give some power to the mix.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING 2/5
-Building the Story: This is with Pharrell and the director giving a quick rundown of reasons to make the movie.
Disc Details
1 Blu-ray Disc
Digital Copy
Slipcover included with the initial release
Running Time
93 mins
Edition Ratings
Rated PG
Region Coding
Region Free
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio Mixes
English Dolby TrueHD 7.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Audio descriptive
Subtitles
English SDH
French
Spanish
THE FINAL WORD 4/5
PIECE BY PIECE is a definite win for LEGO-based theatrical movies. Kids like it because of the LEGO and parents like it because he has been involved in the music that enjoy.
This is an ingenious way to tell a story about someone like Pharrell’s life. The feeling of experiencing this man’s journey from a normal dude to a household name easily holds your interest. He has worked with some incredible people and luckily most of them agreed to be in the movie.
The video is excellent and meets what is to be expected from animation in HD.
I will say that Pharrell’s chromesthesia is mesmerizing to see on a screen. Music in color is something to experience. As for the audio, It is amazing and with this mix, it is an immersive experience. I know it feels like I harp on about using Atmos to dts:X soundtracks but this is one where I feel like it would have been perfect. The way that the filmmaker wanted sound and objects to move around the sound field would greatly benefit from a mix with the overhead channels.
I am a little disappointed by the lack of bonus features because I would love to know more about the inception and design ideas for the movie. This is an easy recommendation to the LEGO fans, the music fans, or the people who love Pharrell Williams. Best of all, you don’t have to chase the kids out to enjoy it.
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