James Ford Murphy on his Animated Short "Lava"

Lava

James Ford Murphy may not be a household name, but he is someone you will be hearing a lot about. Inside Out is Pixar’s next highly anticipated release, but it’s also paired with a brand new Pixar short film that’s a must see, James Ford Murphy's directorial debut called, Lava.  The eye catching short feature focuses on a lonely volcano out in the middle of the sea who’s just looking for someone to love, or rather, lava.  And it’s no wonder Pixar Chief John Lasseter went with the idea when Murphy pitched him. The seven-minute piece, is extremely moving and the song is quite catchy, too.

Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, the stunning new animated short from Disney Pixar is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years. It's something that Murphy has been wanting to make for years so when Pixar gave him the go ahead he couldn't have been more thrilled.

I sat down with Murphy during the Toronto International Film Festival this past September where Lava had it's premiere in the Short Cuts International Programme to talk about his animated volcanic journey. I was also treated to a rendition of the catchy theme song when Jim took out his ukulele and sang it for me. Watch for the second video attached to the interview and you can be treated to it too!

Inside Out and Lava in theatres on June 19th

James Ford Murphy is the head of animation at Pixar Studios. His credits as an animator include A Bug's Life (98), Toy Story 2 (99), Monsters, Inc.(01), Finding Nemo (03), The Incredibles (04), and Ratatouille (07). LAVA(14) is his directorial debut.