Read the excerpt below from "Gizmodo" article, "The Real Geology be Pixar's short film, Lava."

Question

Pixar’s geological love storyLavaisn’t just meant to evoke the tropical islands of Hawaii; it’s actually inspired by a real underwater volcano off the coast of the Big Island. We spoke to the short film’s director and learned about the real geology simmering beneathLava.

“I took my family on vacation to the Big Island,”Lavadirector James Ford Murphy told us in an interview. “We took a helicopter tour and I saw Kīlauea and that was huge. Then, on the last day, we were all kind of sad and leaving and we were walking through this shopping mall that had this diorama of the Big Island. And it’s five volcanos that form the Big Island that have all merged together over time. But then there’s this little sign on the bottom that said ‘Lōʻihi.’ And I was like, ‘What is Lōʻihi?’

“So when I got home, I started doing my research and I found out that it is an underwater volcano that is slowly going to connect [to the Big Island]. And that just blew my mind, because I just thought, ‘Does Lōʻihi know that the Big Island is up here? And does the Big Island know that Lōʻihi [is down there]? And what if they didn’t know?’”

How does the setting of the story (Hawaii, in the sea, all alone...eventually moving underwater) impact the theme of the story or the lesson we can learn about life?

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Answer 1

The setting of the story serves to emphasize the idea of loneliness and longing for connection. The main characters, Uku and Lele, are isolated from the rest of the world, and their longing for companionship is a metaphor for the human need for connection. The idea of Lōʻihi slowly moving underwater serves to emphasize the idea of loneliness and longing, as it is a reminder that even when we are alone, we can still strive to reach out and connect with others. The story also serves as a reminder that even when we feel isolated, we can still find hope and connection in the world.