Pharrell Williams on his new space-themed Lego set and movie

‘Being the kind of child that daydreams all the time, depending on where you are daydreaming and what you're doing, can determine whether you are seen as a good student, or as a challenging student, or as a child with a lot of imagination,’ says Pharrell Williams.

We are speaking over Zoom to mark the beginning of his collaboration with Lego, a partnership which kicks off with new Lego set, Over the Moon, a taster before the release of his upcoming feature film Piece by Piece, Williams’ autobiography told through the medium of Lego.

The three-part Lego set encompasses a space shuttle, jet stream and the widest range yet of customisable minifigure skin tones. Out of the 51 minifigure heads included, 30 were created especially for this set. Why did Williams choose a space theme for his first set? ‘If we can make it to the moon, or in space, what can't we do on Earth?’ he says. It is an optimistic sense of possibility carried through to the design. ‘There was always going to be a flame, and it was like, why not just flip it on its head. Dreaming outside of the box. Why not have the flames come out as rainbows?’

Upcoming film, Piece by Piece, is also a personal project for Williams. ‘Lego is what I used to play with when I was really young, and I've carried on that tradition with my children, from our oldest who's 15, to our youngest children who are seven: they all love Lego sets.'

‘The film is an animated documentary, just made so much more colourful in Lego. It was my idea, and I went to [director] Morgan Neville, because his storytelling is so masterful, and I'd be so lucky for him to do something with me. He said yes. And I said, but I want to do it in Lego. And he said, sure. And then he and I went and sat down with Lego, and they said, sure, and so did Focus Features and Universal Pictures. So this animated documentary slash biopic is the sum of a lot of yeses. I'm just very grateful because we're doing the impossible.’

Artists who feature in the film include Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and Daft Punk. ‘All of the subjects that were interviewed knew it was going to be an animated doc, but we never told them it was going to be Lego. We didn't want them to posture the stories. We just wanted them to be pure, and for them to give us the best anecdotes. And they did, and I think that's the magic in the film.’

The LEGO® Over the Moon set will be available to purchase at lego.com and in Lego stores from September 20, 2024. The set will be priced at $110