“Lava” is the 2014 Pixar short about a lonely volcano singing for love.
Written and directed by James Ford Murphy, the musical short follows Uku, a volcano in the Pacific Ocean who longs for companionship. He sings to the ocean for millions of years while gradually losing his volcanic strength. Unknown to him, a submarine volcano named Lele hears his song and falls in love with him.
The story unfolds almost entirely through the film’s title song, with no ordinary spoken dialogue. Its setting and musical style were inspired by Murphy’s affection for Hawaii, the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the emotional impact of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s music. The names Uku and Lele also combine to suggest “ukulele,” linking the romance to Hawaiian musical culture.
“Lava” premiered at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival in 2014 but reached broad theatrical audiences in 2015, when it played before “Inside Out.” The distractors are also Pixar shorts, which can make the question tricky: “The Blue Umbrella” is a romance involving umbrellas, while “La Luna” and “Piper” focus on very different subjects.