Unconventional Music Biopics Debut, Animating Pharrell and Robbie Williams’ Lives

Many of the anticipated conventions of music biopics are present in “Piece by Piece,” a film about producer-turned-pop star Pharrell Williams, and “Better Man,” which chronicles the life of British singer Robbie Williams. Both movies explore the young artist’s ambition to break through, the inevitable creative slumps, and the regrettable periods of fame-induced excess.

However, there are distinct differences in these films. In “Piece by Piece,” Pharrell is depicted as a Lego figure, while in “Better Man,” Williams is portrayed by a CGI monkey.

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Music biopics can sometimes feel formulaic, but these two movies, premiering this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, offer novel twists. Both Pharrell and Robbie Williams narrate their life stories in their respective films, but instead of actors who painstakingly studied to capture their personas, computer-generated animations bring their superstar fantasies to life.

Although Pharrell and Robbie Williams have little in common musically, neither has had a conventional career. Their films reflect their individuality and perhaps carve out a unique place in the crowded landscape of music biopics like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman.”

“This is about being who you are, even if it’s not something that can be put in a box,” Pharrell remarked in an interview Tuesday alongside director Morgan Neville. Seated next to Pharrell was a two-foot-tall Lego sculpture of himself, which was later brought to the film’s premiere and given its own seat in the audience.

The experience of watching the crowd-pleasing “Piece by Piece,” which Focus Features will release on October 11, is pleasantly disorienting. A myriad of unexpected elements are animated in Lego form, from Pharrell’s hometown of Virginia Beach to an album of Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life,” and even Jay-Z.

“I’m just so grateful that everybody said yes,” Pharrell said. “Morgan said yes. Lego said yes. Focus said yes. Universal said yes. When you get to all those yeses, you realize how impossible this is.”

Neville, known for documentaries like “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” and a recent Steve Martin doc, approached “Piece by Piece” as a documentary. When interviewing people for the film — from Missy Elliott to Kendrick Lamar — he spoke to them via Zoom and informed them they would be animated, though he didn’t reveal exactly how.

Pharrell as a Lego is unexpectedly charming, embodying a playful builder of beats, a man determined to create his own destiny. “I felt like everything we were doing in the film was totally reflective of the subject of the film,” Neville explained. “We’re not doing Lego because it’s a gimmick. We’re doing it because it’s the only way to tell this story right.”

“Piece by Piece” is a rare film that could contend in both the best documentary and best animated film categories at the Academy Awards, as well as for best song, with several original tracks by Pharrell.

The high concept of “Better Man” originated with filmmaker Michael Gracey, who directed the hit musical “The Greatest Showman.” Gracey approached Robbie Williams with a curious question. “I said: ‘What animal do you see yourself as?’” Gracey recounted, introducing “Better Man” at its Monday premiere. “And with a big grin he said, ‘Lion.’” After a pause, Williams reconsidered and admitted the real answer for an entertainer who began in the boy band Take That was a monkey.

In the film, actor Jonno Davies plays Williams, but like the “Planet of the Apes” films, Davies performed in a motion-capture suit. Digital effects teams later replaced him with a chimpanzee, with Williams himself contributing the eyes of the monkey. Every other character, however, remains human.

While “Piece by Piece” is designed for all ages, “Better Man” is R-rated and doesn’t shy away from rock ‘n’ roll debauchery. It’s possibly the most cocaine you’ve ever seen a chimp ingest on screen.

This creates a peculiar viewing experience. Is Williams more sympathetic as a vulnerable animal than as a human? Either way, Williams is thrilled with the result. “For a narcissist, it’s a wonderful treat,” he exclaimed at the screening. “I’ve seen it three times. It’s not enough.”