When Pixar's Inside Out arrives in theaters on June 19, 2015, it will be preceded by another of the company's memorable short films. This time it's Lava, directed by longtime Pixar animator James Murphy, and it follows the story of a lonely volcano searching for love.

Lava also has the benefit of being something Pixar has never attempted before: its first musical. 

"I think music has this way of cutting into your heart so beautifully and genuinely," Murphy told Fandango. "When you match it with the visuals we can do in 3D, I thought it was a tremendous opportunity to blend all the things that I love."

Check out this exclusive image from Lava below, as well as five fun facts about the movie that we learned from our chat with its director.

Click image to enlarge

1. The idea for Lava was born on a napkin

A lover of music and all things Hawaiian, Murphy was instantly inspired by the things that meant the most to him in life.

"I was sitting around my kitchen and I sketched out this little two-headed volcano on a napkin and wrote underneath it, 'I lava you,'" he told us. "I'm a big fan of The Wizard of Oz. It's one of my favorite films and by far my favorite musical, and 'I lava you' sounds like it could come out of that era of songwriting. 'I lava you' was just a great way to write a song about a volcanic love story."

2. Why Lava and Inside Out will feel familiar to animation fans

There's always a reason behind the pairing of a feature film and a short, and Murphy tells us both films will feel nostalgic in nature. "I think they're both very genuine films about emotion," he says. "And I think they both have a tremendous respect for the old cartoons we all grew up on, particularly the old Disney and Warner Bros. cartoons of the ‘40s and ‘50s. Just the way those movies made you feel--they had a lot of heart and soul."

A scene from Pixar's Inside Out.

3. Unbeknownst to Pixar, Lava's two stars grew up together

The music in the film is performed by Hawaiian musicians Kuana Torres Kahele and Napua Greig, both of whom were discovered separately by Murphy when he went searching the Hawaiian Islands for the perfect, authentic voices.

"What we didn't know is that Kuana and Napua grew up together and were hula partners as children," Murphy reveals. "They were eventually pulled out at a young age and asked to be halau singers. Their energy was more than we had ever hoped and dreamed for."

Bonus Fact: Director James Murphy is the one playing ukulele in the movie.

4. Director James Murphy worked at Pixar for 18 years before directing Lava

Murphy has worked as an animator at Pixar for almost two decades on films like A Bug's Life, Cars and The Incredibles, but interestingly enough it was Elvis Presley who inspired his foray into directing. "I feel like throughout your career you have to reinvent yourself in order to stay competitive," he admits. "I see guys like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra and I look up to them as performers because they both reinvented themselves multiple times throughout their careers in ways that helped them grow and define their careers. So basically, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it."

5. The coolest thing about working for Pixar is...

Of course, when you speak to someone at Pixar, you have to ask them this question. Murphy's answer? "The coolest thing by far is the people. It's a collection of amazing, very genuine, very creative, very collaborative people. The other thing is the environment; what I like to call the "creative ecosystem" here at Pixar where it's great to be an artist. You're surrounded by all the best bugs and insects to make things grow, and I think it makes you better by being a part of it."

Watch out for Lava when it arrives in theaters alongside Inside Out on June 19, 2015.