Over the Moon and Back With LEGO and Pharrell at the 'Piece by Piece' Film Screening

For Skateboard P, the multi-hyphenate born Pharrell Williams, LEGO pieces were tangible fragments of his imagination, allowing him to actualize his version of the American Dream. Piece by Piece, the latest biopic directed by Academy Award-winning Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Roadrunner), traverses the triumphant career and legacy of Williams, a story of humble beginnings to international stardom told entirely through LEGO animation. Captured through the lens of Kid of Immigrants, Hypebeast goes behind the scenes of the LEGO Group Piece by Piece film screening and the Over the Moon activation held in Los Angeles at the Pickford Film Center.

Founded by Liberian-American Weleh Dennis and Honduran-American Daniel Buezo in 2016, Kids of Immigrants is a multi-dimensional lifestyle brand rooted in authentic, community-driven storytelling. With a shared ethos to spark joy through a communal tapestry of first-, second- and third-generation Americans, Kids of Immigrants channels a message of unity through bold, youthful designs that reflect today’s multicultural milieu. The concept of intentional design pulses through Piece by Piece, an ode to the building blocks of music and one of the great ears behind America’s beloved rap, R&B and pop exports.

Like the multi-generational toy LEGO, Williams’ discography has left an indelible watermark on mainstream culture. Those ‘90s and Y2K hits with syrupy synths, catchy hooks and wobbly bass lines by the likes of Britney Spears, NSYNC, Clipse, Kelis, Snoop Dogg, No Doubt, N.O.R.E. and more landed on Earth courtesy of The Neptunes, a production group formed in part with Chad Hugo that culminated in the now defunct label Star Trak Entertainment. Williams’ music has always aspired to the stars — even more conspicuous in the hazy, funkadelic odyssey of N.E.R.D., his fashion ventures, including Billionaire Boys Club, its active sublabels, and, most recently, his role as Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director. In partnership with LEGO Group, the luminary inspires audiences to claim the pilot seat and fuel their creative takeoffs.

An exclusive film screening of Piece by Piece kicked off the Over the Moon activation, followed by a panel discussion between Morgan Neville and Pharrell Williams. Similar to how the producer approaches piecing together a beat or melody, Neville and the hitmaker unpacked why a musical pilgrimage through LEGO animation felt organic and the magic of bringing together famed musical collaborators Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and more to enrich the feel-good storyline. After the panel, guests walked down a hallway lit up to resemble the Over the Moon jet stream, transporting them to a space-themed world centered on the limitless possibilities of imagination.

During the interactive experience, Dennis and Buezo designed self-referential LEGO characters at designated building stations. Guests could upload their avatars to a collective, intergalactic cloud using a custom QR code, generating a vibrant, multicultural portrait of the crowd. Rotating digital screens around the event showcased their playful renderings, and illuminated displays featured eye-catching iterations of the Over the Moon LEGO set. The 966-piece collection, developed with LEGO product designer George Gilliatt, depicts a black and gold space shuttle flying over the moon, leaving a rainbow-hued jet stream twinkling into infinity.

Inviting others to stargaze and shoot for the stars, the Over the Moon activation presented Williams his flowers while celebrating the wholesome nostalgia of LEGO, the timeless plastic building blocks of untapped, uninhibited creativity.

See glimpses of the activation in the galleries above. Collectors can visit LEGO’s website to shop the latest Over the Moon set.

Read more at Hypebeast