Jul 11, 2014

First rendering of the Pixar film "Lava

Uk of Pixar's "Lava." (Click to expand.)

The first renderings of Pixar's new short film "Lava" were published today in the LA Times. Directed by James Ford Murphy, "Lava" will premiere next week at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival. It is a seven-minute musical love story about two mountains: uk (pictured above) and lele (pictured below). In the U.S., the film will be released before "Inside Out" on June 19, 2015.

Murphy told the LA Times that he came up with the idea for the film while on his honeymoon in Hawaii 20 years ago:

I thought it would be really cool to fall in love with a place that is also a character. I wanted Wook to be charming and likable, but I also wanted him to look like he was carved out of a lava flow.

...

This whole story was an exercise in contrasts. Volcanoes are very destructive, but very creative. Eruptions are very powerful, but very peaceful.