Piece by Piece LEGO movie avoids potential controversy

The director of Pharrell Williams’ Piece by Piece documentary has revealed how the film navigated a controversial moment in the artist’s life.

Piece by Piece is currently available to watch on cinema screens around the world, with the animated LEGO movie retelling the story of Pharrell Williams’ life to date. The film features a number of famous guest stars from the music industry, including the likes of Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot and others.

However, while the movie primarily sticks with an upbeat tone, the director of Piece by Piece has revealed why one controversial moment in the artist’s career was ultimately left out of the finished film.

Morgan Neville spoke to the BBC regarding Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, which Williams co-wrote and features on the Piece by Piece soundtrack. The song was involved in a five-year plagiarism trial that resulted in Thicke having to pay $5 million to the estate of soul and R&B legend, Marvin Gaye.

Commenting on why the event wasn’t referenced directly in Piece by Piece, Morgan stated: “I definitely thought about it. I even interviewed Robin Thicke. And as a documentary filmmaker, I’m obsessed with copyright law. But every time I looked at trying to work it in, a scene about copyright law, it felt like it belonged in a different movie.”

The Blurred Lines trial has had significant ramifications for the music industry as a whole, as the jury’s verdict was that the musicians had imitated the ‘feel’ of Gay’s track Got To Give It Up rather than a certain melody, effectively closing any gap between influence and outright theft.

“My take on the Blurred Lines case is that it’s one of the worst judicial decisions about creativity in history,” Neville added. “I think Pharrell was in the right on it, and I think most creatives agree with him. It’s not like Pharrell learned a big lesson from the case. I don’t know if it actually changed him in any way, which is what I’m looking for, when I’m looking at a story.”

Piece by Piece is currently screening at cinemas worldwide and we’ve reviewed the accompanying LEGO Icons 10391 Over the Moon with Pharrell Williams right here.

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