Director(s): James Ford Murphy
Date Released: 2014
Theatrically Released Alongside: Inside Out in 2015
And so we conclude A Short Review’s Pixar month with Pixar’s l̶a̶t̶e̶s̶t̶ (second latest) theatrical mini release, Lava. Lava is their second theatrical short to feature voice-over, doubling its actors to two. Unfortunately, after a winning streak of great animated shorts, Pixar disappoints with its weakest film since the 80s. The short follows a cheerful island volcano named Uku (voiced by Kuana Torres Kahele) who wishes to find a lover. Centuries past and Uku is still without a lover, sinking into the sea in depression over such loneliness. Just as Uku is nearly submerged, a female volcano named Lele (voiced by Napua Grieg) sprouts from the Earth. Reignited in passion, Uku erupts from the ocean, forming a single, happy island with Lele.
Lava is beautifully animated, yet surprisingly dull—the characters lack expressive features, largely because they’re giant stiff rocks. Uku and Lele neither possess the animated flexibility seen in Luxo Jr., nor the facial designs seen in Geri’s Game, One-Man Band, and Presto: being capable of only the most basic of expressions, which as it turns out is primarily sadness. While it has cheerful moments, Lava focuses mostly on Uku’s growing feeling of loneliness. There’s a happy ending, but not after 3 depressing minutes (nearly half the film). The short lacks energy, along with having no comedy whatsoever—not that comedy’s always needed, but in Lava’s case some humor may have been nice.