Telluride: ‘Piece by Piece,’ Animated Doc About Pharrell, Opens Fest; Set to Challenge Academy Genre Biases

The 51st Telluride Film Festival officially kicked off on Friday afternoon with the world premiere of Piece by Piece, an animated documentary about the innovative singer, songwriter and record producer Pharrell Williams, as the Patron Preview screening at the Werner Herzog Theatre. And the consensus of those in attendance was that the film is a [...]

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The 51st Telluride Film Festival officially kicked off on Friday afternoon with the world premiere of , an animated documentary about the innovative singer, songwriter and record producer , as the Patron Preview screening at the Werner Herzog Theatre. And the consensus of those in attendance was that the film is a truly original, outside-the-box, rollicking good time. Directed by the great Oscar-winning documentarian ( ), the taut 93-minute film — at the request of Williams, who experiences sounds visually, something known as synesthesia — employs LEGO animations to illustrate Williams’ journey from the projects of Virginia Beach to the heights of showbiz, and the bumps he has experienced along the way.

(Neville had never previously worked with animation.) Williams is not only the film’s subject — and opens up as never before during interviews with Neville in which they are both LEGO-ized — but also one of its producers. That undoubtedly helped to pave the way for the film to incorporate many of the hit tunes that Williams has performed and/or produced over the course of his career — including the one with which he is most closely associated, “Happy” — as well as two new tunes.



One in particular, “Piece by Piece,” which features the Princess Anne High School marching band, could be a strong contender for the best original song Oscar. Speaking of Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hasn’t always known what to do with films that blur genre lines. 2008’s , for instance, was a wonderful animated doc that ended up with only a best international feature Oscar nom.

2021’s was the first animated film ever nominated for the best documentary feature Oscar the first documentary feature ever nominated for the best animated feature Oscar. A documentary feature has never been nominated for the best picture Oscar. And only three animated features — 1991’s , 2009’s and 2010’s — ever have been.

But Focus Features, which will release wide on Oct. 11, and the teams supporting Williams and Neville, intend to push not only for best animated feature, best documentary feature and best original song recognition, but also for inclusion in the 10-slot best picture category. Given how thin this year’s field of contenders is looking, and how much love and admiration is out there for Williams and Neville, I wouldn’t rule out that possibility.

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