There is something strange about Piece by Piece, the new documentary about singer and producer Pharrell Williams.

Directed by Morgan Neville, the film follows Williams' route from hot shot producer to global megastar. But it does so using animated Lego characters. Real life musicians - Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg - voice their own cartoon selves.

Critics love it. According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of reviews are positive.¹ The Guardian's Radheyan Simonpillai calls it a "hilarious, propulsive and disarmingly joyous ride", while Telegraph critic Robbie Collin praised its "razor-sharp comment on celebrity".

These critics feel that Neville and Williams have managed to say something serious, even beautiful about life using 3D animated avatarsA figure representing a specific person in a video game or online world.  for coloured plastic blocks.

In this, it follows 2014 smash hit The Lego Movie, which met enormous acclaimPraise enthusiastically and publicly..² Piece by Piece is not even the only music film this year to tell its story using unconventional methods. Better Man tells the story of British pop star Robbie Williams - with the twist that Williams is played by an animated monkey.

Animation has often been used to tell stories about serious topics, from the Iranian RevolutionAlso known as the Islamic Revolution. A series of events in Iran that led to the Pahlavi dynasty being overthrown and an Islamic Republic being created in 1979. It shocked the world at the time. in Persepolis (2017) to adoption in My Life as a Courgette (2016).

Yet many commentators have claimed that true art should depict the real world. RenaissanceThe "rebirth" of Western learning began in the late 15th century, as European scholars rediscovered ancient manuscripts and began to make developments in science and art. artist Giorgio Vasari wrote that the goal of art was "the imitation of the most beautiful things in nature". Fantastical elements like talking Lego figures are too unrealistic.

Some believe that a great work of art has to take an honest, multi-faceted look at its subject. Piece by Piece does not do this. As Alissa Wilkins writes in The New York Times: "The rhythm of the film emphasises Williams' successes far more than his failures".

The film exists to promote both Williams and Lego. It is a story and an advertisement. Many say that advertising is not art. It exists to sell people a product, rather than explore our lives and the world.

Is it a serious work of art?

Yes: Artists have explored their own lives for centuries, from Saint Augustine's Confessions to Rembrandt's self-portraits. Piece by Piece attempts a similar thing, using the technology of our time.

No: It may be creative and thoughtful. But Piece by Piece ultimately exists to sell music and Lego figurines. True art asks you to open your mind. Piece by Piece tells you what to think.

Or... Some say serious art has to depict the world as it is. But in today's screen-obsessed culture, virtual objects sit alongside the physical. Piece by Piece is true art for reflecting our hybrid world.

Avatars - A figure representing a specific person in a video game or online world. 

Acclaim - Praise enthusiastically and publicly.

Iranian Revolution - Also known as the Islamic Revolution. A series of events in Iran that led to the Pahlavi dynasty being overthrown and an Islamic Republic being created in 1979. It shocked the world at the time.

Renaissance - The "rebirth" of Western learning began in the late 15th century, as European scholars rediscovered ancient manuscripts and began to make developments in science and art.