Pharrell Williams debuts 'Happy'

Pharrell Williams, ICONOCLAST and i am OTHER Entertainment announced today the release of 'Happy,' both the official music video and the world's first 24-hour music video. The song is prominently featured in Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment's blockbuster Despicable Me 2 and on the film's soundtrack.

The video clip was directed by the creative duo We Are From L.A. and was filmed entirely on Steady Cam, requiring the crew to walk nearly eight miles per day over the course of 11 days. The production took place in Los Angeles and more than 400 hundred extras-including many celebrities-appear in the video.

A maverick concept, the 24-hour video is the first of its kind. Viewers may visit 24hoursofhappy.com, where they are automatically taken to the point in the video that the time on their computer reflects. At the top of every hour, Williams performs for the duration of the song, and he appears 24 times in the video. Directly following his performance every hour, 14 unique cameos play in four-minute intervals. Users can watch the video in real time or skip to a different time of the day and share favorite moments on Twitter and Facebook.

In Despicable Me 2, 'Happy' is heard during a pivotal moment in the storyline, and he wanted to re-create that feeling with his music video. 'Gru, the lead character who's no longer a villain, has fallen in love and feels so much joy he literally dances through the streets,' said Williams. 'That kind of happiness is so infectious; you can't help but smile.' Williams calls the song his best work to date.

The clip features celebrity appearances including two of the film's stars, Steve Carell and Miranda Cosgrove; as well as Jamie Foxx; Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt from Odd Future; Jimmy Kimmel; Magic Johnson; Kelly Osbourne; Sérgio Mendes; Ana Ortiz; Issa Rae; and Bevy Smith, among others.