Director James Ford Murphy had wanted to make a film about Hawaii and its culture since he honeymooned there in 1989. The plot for this film became a bit more focused when Murphy visited Hawaii in 2011 and learned of the existence of Lo'ihi, an underwater volcano that is growing next to the Big Island and will eventually merge with it. Murphy reflected on the situation and decided to do a love story about volcanoes.
Director James Ford Murphy has said that the character Uku is based on the late Hawaiian musician and entertainer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. Like Kamakawiwo'ole, Uku is a musically-gifted gentle giant.
Most of the animation was created by a group of interns working for one of the animators.
The story occurs over millions of years.
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