Pharrell Williams gets animated for ‘Despicable Me 2'
theGRIO REPORT - The minions are back, and so is Pharrell Williams, and he’s doting a brighter, cheerful outlook in his music for the new animated sequel, 'Despicable Me 2',,,
Creating a brand
But Williams hasn’t just made it, he owns it. He’s a four-time Grammy winner, nominated 19 times; his production credits are too numerous to list, or even summarize. He’s a fashion designer for Louis Vuitton as well as his own brand, Billionaire Boys Club, and he’s also designed furniture for the French company Domeau & Pérès.
On top of that, he recently forayed into the realm of new technology by developing a YouTube Channel, i am OTHER, and serving as Creative Director for KarmaloopTV. Further, he’s helping launch a new nightclub in Ibiza this July.
It’s an impressive slate of ventures, not without risk, but Williams says he selects his projects based on gut feeling. He aims to fill a void, and creates what he hopes will catch, linger and move.
“I know that I’m blessed, I know that I’m super fortunate, so what I try to do is repay it with diligence and research, and going super hard,” he says. “Finding things that are sticky, but feeling good. There’s a stickiness that pisses you off, too. Like those songs that are annoying, but you can’t get them out of your head. They’re sticky. So I try not to bore you guys with the wrong kind of glue.”
He adds, “I try to make something that is colorful.“
‘Despicable Me 2’ and dabbling in cartoons
When the opportunity to work on Despicable Me and the sequel came along, Williams didn’t pause. From his perspective, animation gigs are hard to come by; thus, immediately they were a go.
Beyond personal accomplishments, the films have also allowed the star producer to embrace the spirit of his youth and childhood passions.
“I was always obsessed with cartoons,” he says. “When my aunt used to watch things, it was always a real serious tug of war. She wanted to watch General Hospital; I wanted to watch Flintstones. It was a real thing. So now, being a grown up and being able to afford my own television and my own satellite service, Boomerang’s on all the time.”
Despicable Me 2, out in theaters July 3, follows many of the old characters as they are placed amidst an evil party set on turning the world into a batch of unruly monster-like creatures. There’s a little love, a sense of retreat and companionship, and a search for stability throughout the narrative.
Williams’ music adds elements of funk, pop and modern zeal while maintaining the same characteristic style he brought to the original picture. He describes the “continuity” of his melodic narrative as way of “lifting people up emotionally.”
While the results have been well received, Williams doesn’t feel like he’s even close to hitting his mark when it comes to movies. Like his near 20-year track in the record business, a true sharpshooter derives from practice.
“Filmmaking and scoring are really comprehensive jobs that take a lot of years and experience to get to an expertise level,” he admits. “Part of it is just reaching into oblivion for things that don’t exist.”
Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @courtgarcia
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