DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island Charts a Fresh Course with a Filipino-Inspired Animated Adventure

DreamWorks Animation continues to prove that it can breathe new life into original storytelling even within a studio system that often leans on established franchises. Forgotten Island, written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado — the duo behind 2022’s acclaimed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish — arrives as a bold departure: an original fantasy rooted in Filipino culture, centered on the bond between two best friends, and built around the fragile, beautiful power of memory.

A Story Born in Manila, Reaching for the Mundane and the Magical

The film opens in Manila, introducing us to Jo, a wild and whimsical spirit, and Raissa, a more serious-minded girl who dreams of becoming a scientist. Best friends since grade school — bonded by matching charm bracelets and the epic stories told by their beloved grandmother, Lola (voiced by Dolly DeLeon) — the two are on the cusp of graduation and the sobering reality that their lives are about to diverge. Raissa has been accepted to Caltech in the United States, while Jo is stuck in a minimum-wage fast-food job.

Their last night together takes an extraordinary turn when they stumble upon a magical portal on the beach that leads to Nakali, the Forgotten Island of their shared childhood imaginations. What follows is a whirlwind journey through a landscape that feels like a lucid dream — colorful, disorienting, and emotionally resonant.

A Vibrant Ensemble of Characters

Once on Nakali, Jo and Raissa — now changed in striking ways, with Raissa sporting wings and a dramatically altered hairstyle — encounter a cast of eccentrics. Weredog Raww (Dave Franco), a self-appointed guide embarrassed by his erratic human-to-dog transformations, leads them at first. He is joined by Bungi (Manny Jacinto), a cycloptic giant blue baby literally glued to his mother, and Batiba (Jenny Slate), an agoraphobic cave-dweller whose collection of knickknacks turns out to be stolen memories from others.

The supporting roster adds further texture: Jo Koy as Daju, leader of a tree brigade; Ronny Chieng as King Truffle Wuffle; Kevin McCann as the vain Prince Mermahn; and Lea Salonga as The Dreaded Manananggal, a villainess who can split herself in two and commands genuine menace — though, as the film reveals, even she has a backstory that explains her darkness.

Animation, Pacing, and the Risk of Too Much

Visually, Forgotten Island is a feast. Crawford and Mercado pack the screen with shifting artistic styles and saturated color, clearly aiming to hold the attention of today’s younger viewers — though the first half’s relentless pace may overwhelm as much as it enthralls. The film only finds its breathing room in the second act, when the emotional core — the girls’ hopes, fears, and the growing distance that adulthood threatens — finally takes center stage.

Mercado’s Filipino influence infuses the world-building with genuine cultural texture, from the Manila setting to the mythology of Nakali itself. The soundtrack mixes catchy contemporary tunes with original songs, including new material from H.E.R., who voices the older Jo with warmth and credibility.

Themes: Memory, Friendship, and Letting Go

At its heart, Forgotten Island is about what we choose to hold onto and what we must eventually release. The film uses its fantastical premise — literal stolen memories, a world built on recollection — to explore how friendship evolves when life pulls people in different directions. It is a message that will land differently depending on the viewer’s age, but the reviewer notes that younger audiences in particular are likely to connect with its sharp life lessons about the value of friendship.

Whether the film endures in the memory of adult viewers is another matter — the reviewer concedes it may not linger — but for its intended audience, it offers both spectacle and substance.

Key Details at a Glance

The Bottom Line

Forgotten Island may not be the kind of film that stays with the adult viewer long after the credits roll, but for its target audience — particularly teenage girls and fans of heartfelt animated adventures — it offers vibrant visuals, a genuinely touching friendship story, and a rare screen presence for Filipino-inspired fantasy. With Crawford and Mercado continuing to demonstrate their range beyond established sequels, DreamWorks has crafted a film that, while chaotic at times, ultimately celebrates what matters most: holding the people and memories that define us.

Entertainment, Animation, DreamWorks Animation, Universal Pictures, Filipino Cinema, Family Films, Movie Review, Friendship, Memory, Philippines, H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dolly DeLeon, Lea Salonga, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Manny Jacinto, Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado, September 2026 Release, PG Rating, Positive Review