Piece By Piece Is Good, But It's Time For A Proper New LEGO Movie Now

In one of the most interesting moves for a modern biopic film, Piece By Piece tells the life story of musician Pharrell Williams using the medium of LEGO bricks — but this doesn't mean it can replace the other LEGO movies. Piece by Piece has been reviewed quite well, with the heartwarming story and animation style praised as particular highlights. It delves into the true story of Pharrell, illustrating his life through LEGO animation. It's great to see filmmakers taking creative risks with documentaries like this, and it is equally great to see the return of LEGO to the big screen.

Piece by Piece is the first LEGO movie to be released since The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part came out in 2019, and it is the first to be released by Universal Pictures after they secured the rights back in 2020. With their rights to LEGO expiring in 2025, it could also be the only LEGO film released by Universal Pictures. It would be quite sad if Piece by Piece was the last hurrah for LEGO on the big screen. Hopefully, this film is just a sign of more good things to come for the beloved and colorful franchise.

Piece By Piece Is Better As A Biopic Than A LEGO Movie

The Film Doesn't Follow The Trends Of Previous LEGO Movies

While Piece by Piece is a great film, it isn't necessarily what one would have expected from the next LEGO-based project. It is naturally very different to the LEGO projects that have come before. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing, the film is very clearly a Pharrell Williams bio-pic first, LEGO movie second. That isn't to say the film doesn't make great use of the chosen medium. The film uses plenty of charming LEGO spins on what would normally be very basic scenes. It also features great depictions of all of Piece by Piece's LEGO musicians.

Related Every LEGO Movie Ranked, Worst To Best (Including Piece By Piece) From the LEGO Movies to Batman and Pharrell's Piece by Piece, the LEGO movies vary in quality and awesomeness, which helps rank every installment.

While Pharrell has still been releasing new music, he hasn't seen the same level of success he was in the early-mid 2010s with the trifecta of Get Lucky, Happy, and Blurred Lines. The LEGO format of Piece by Piece really helps to sell the film, as a regular film about Pharrell Williams might not get many people excited, The creativity on display from Piece by Piece's director Morgan Neville absolutely shines, leading to more interest being garnered in the project than it could have had if it were a straight-laced biopic. However, that doesn't necessarily make it a LEGO movie.

A Real New LEGO Movie Is What The Franchise Really Needs Next

They Can Absolutely Reproduce The Success Of The Original

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Piece by Piece is a very interesting idea for a biopic, but it isn't really a LEGO film. Rather, it is a film that tells its story using LEGO. One might have hoped the first LEGO project since The LEGO Movie 2's box office disappointment would be something more akin to those original two movies or The LEGO Batman Movie, rather than a film about a real-life musician. Despite the stumblings of the franchise with The LEGO Movie 2 and The LEGO Ninjago Movie, there remains plenty of potential to tell so many more LEGO stories.

LEGO Movies Worldwide Box Office The LEGO Movie (2014) $468.0 Million The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) $312.1 Million The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017) $123.6 Million The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) $192.3 Million

While the LEGO movie franchise has had its issues, it could absolutely still be salvaged. LEGO toys continue to gain popularity, and the brand continues to branch out into more expansive LEGO projects like video games. The success of prior films proves there is absolutely space for the LEGO film series to make a successful comeback. Piece by Piece is a good first step in reintegrating the franchise back into the film landscape, but hopefully, it will lead to more LEGO projects down the road.

Universal Is Almost Out Of Time To Make A Proper LEGO Movie After Piece By Piece

Their Deal For The LEGO Rights Expires Soon

Custom image by Yailin Chacon.

After the disappointing box office of The LEGO Ninjago Movie and The LEGO Movie 2, Warner Bros. (who produced the previous four LEGO films) let the film rights expire in 2020. While not too surprising, given the franchise had released two back-to-back box office missteps, it was disappointing to see the LEGO movies given up on so quickly. One major issue was that three LEGO films were released so close together, potentially crowding the market too quickly. Regardless of the reasons, the rights lapsed. Now, LEGO has a deal with Universal Pictures, setting them up to produce Piece by Piece.

While Universal now holds the rights to make LEGO films, Warner Bros. still owns the world and characters that they created, so a direct sequel to the previous films is exceedingly unlikely.

Universal had a five-year deal, spanning from 2020 to 2025, to create their own series of LEGO films. However, the hope of new LEGO films under the new rights holders has been unfounded. Universal has released a grand total of zero LEGO projects outside of Piece by Piece. There are potential plans for another LEGO movie, though what form that takes is anyone's guess. With the rights once again expiring in a year, whether Universal can produce any LEGO-related material outside of Piece by Piece remains very much up in the air, which feels like a wasted opportunity.

Your Rating 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 star 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review 7/10 Piece by Piece Piece by Piece is an animated musical biography film directed by Morgan Neville. The film explores the life and career of musician and performer Pharrell Williams, who, through LEGOS, shows the evolution of his creative process throughout his life. Director Morgan Neville Studio(s) The LEGO Group , Tremolo Productions , I Am Other Cast Pharrell Williams , Gwen Stefani , Kendrick Lamar , Timbaland , Justin Timberlake , Busta Rhymes , Jay-Z , Snoop Dogg , Morgan Neville