'LAVA': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
Another Pixar computer-animated short; which preceded 'INSIDE OUT' in theaters. It tells the story of a volcano, on a tropical island in the Pacific, that's lonely and dreams of love. So he sings a song to the ocean, about his longing, for thousands of years. Little does he know that there's a sunken female volcano, near by, that hears his song, and is inspired by it. The male volcano continues to vent lava, in sadness, and sink as well; while the female volcano grows stronger, from hearing his song. The short is 7-minutes long and was directed by James Ford Murphy (a veteran Pixar animator). It stars the voice talents of Kuana Torres Kahele and Napua Greig. The song, sung by the volcano, is also titled 'Lava' and was written by Murphy as well (it's also featured as a bonus track on the 'INSIDE OUT' soundtrack). Once again the animation is beautiful to watch (like all Pixar shorts) and the story is moving. I like the music, and the touching song, as well. It's not quite as emotional, and memorable, as other Pixar classics though. It also is lacking any humor (which makes some Pixar shorts more entertaining). It's a beautiful little short, but it's probably not Oscar worthy; like a lot of Pixar is.
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