Snoop Dogg has had a remarkable year in 2024, from becoming a viral sensation with memes during the Paris Summer Olympics to taking his place as a coach on Season 26 of The Voice. Now, he is in the spotlight for his role in a comedic segment of Focus Features’ animated biopic, Piece By Piece, which tells the story of artist Pharrell Williams, also a former coach on The Voice.
In a recent interview with NBC Insider, Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville discussed a particularly funny sequence that depicts the moment Snoop and his entourage arrived at Pharrell’s studio to create music history.
In the early 2000s, Pharrell Williams and co-producer Chad Hugo, known as the Neptunes, rose to fame by producing tracks for major artists like Gwen Stefani and Jay-Z. The animated film illustrates how Snoop Dogg sought the Neptunes’ help in 2004 to expand his musical style, which resulted in the creation of the iconic track “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”
Neville shared that they navigated the more adult themes of Snoop’s lifestyle and language during that time through a clever visual gag that injects humor into the film. In a scene where the atmosphere in the studio becomes clouded with “smoke,” LEGO Pharrell and Chad respond by using a fictional PG spray to make the setting more family-friendly.
Neville elaborated on the creativity behind the sequence, emphasizing how animation allows for creative storytelling. He explained that by using the sounds from “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” they could transport viewers back to the moment of creation. He also acknowledged that while the story involved some cannabis smoke, they aimed to maintain a PG rating. The idea of using the PG spray emerged as a whimsical solution to the potential issues arising from the original content, ultimately becoming one of his favorite jokes in the film.
Piece By Piece is currently in theaters.