Forgotten Island is the new DreamWorks Animation feature by directors Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado. Their last film through DreamWorks was the incredible Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a film that, for me and others, made me look differently at what DreamWorks Animation was capable of. It was also part of the movement started by Sony Pictures Animation in reinvigorating the US feature animation scene on screen. Here, the two filmmakers bring a new story with original characters living in the Philippines from the 90s through the very early 2000s.
We meet two friends, Jo, voiced by the music artist H.E.R., and Raissa, voiced by Liza Soberano, who meet early on in grade school. Jo, the passionate artistic friend who lives with her grandmother Lola, and the bookworm Raissa connect after they both get sent to the principal’s office after Jo tells the class the story of the forgotten island Nakali and the Dreaded Manananggal, and they become best friends.
After high school graduation, Raissa reveals to Jo that she plans on attending Caltech and leaving Jo behind in the Philippines. During their last night together, the duo find themselves transported to Nakali and waking up with essentially a bad hangover of sorts and under the clock to return home in order for Raissa to make her flight to California. As they explore the island, the two gal pals encounter various beings and creatures and discover what type of impact they already have made on the island, as well as how growing up is testing their friendship.
I found the movie’s setup, focusing on these two friends in essentially a magical, family-friendly version of The Hangover, very clever. The premise of having these two go back and figure out what they did provides a believable reason for them to meet and interact with all these wonderfully designed characters inspired by Filipino culture and legends. The mix of CG animation and 2D animation keeps the visuals dynamic; the anime and manga influence on the film still feels unique and adds to each character’s personality.
Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado push themselves and their filmmaking team even further visually with some superb character design silhouettes that grab your attention instantly. Along with great color choices, I was constantly engrossed in each frame. Their use of the camera in terms of placement and movement that I’ve rarely seen in animated films. There’s a set piece in the final act that seemed like it was shot on a steadicam as Raissa was running and I was like, “Dang, this feels new even though it’s been in live-action films for years.”
In terms of voice acting, I was very impressed with H.E.R. as Jo. It took me by surprise since this felt like nothing I’ve ever heard from her. It’s such a boisterous character – the performance is so gregarious and charismatic and at times annoying. It’s a stark departure from her other few acting performances and, of course, her persona as a musician. Soberano keeps up with her as Raissa and plays more of the reasonable part of the duo, but has some fantastic stuff in her exasperation at the chaos going on around her. They play well off of each other in every scene.
I feel Dave Franco does fine job as Raww, a were-dog living on the island. He has some great dog energy in his performance. Manny Jacinto voicing a huge 200-year-old demon baby named Bungi is pretty hilarious and has some strong comedic bits. Dolly de Leon as Lola leaves a solid impact even as she’s not in the film that long. And Ronny Chieng as King Truffle Wuffle of the Duwende, little cute mushroom goblins, garnered some nice laughs during my the screening.
However, it’s Lea Salonga as Manang (short for Manananggal) and Jenny Slate as Batiba that capture your imagination the most. Manang works well in this film as a representation of the anger of loss and loneliness. The design is simultaneously appealing and threatening, much like The Wolf in Puss in Boots. The character that is the most interesting threat is Batiba, the agoraphobic being who lives in the trees, trades in memories for favors, and is the key driving point of the whole film. Slate is able to make her empathetic yet also more frightening than Manang. Yet somehow the character is also warm and inviting, looking almost like a plush toy you want to hug.
Sitting down, I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t expect an American animated release to focus on characters and a story not in the United States. It was a welcome surprise and demonstrates this directing duo is a great new creative force in the industry. I hope this film catches on like their last film did because it’s pretty amazing. Forgotten Island is a wonderful and creative delight of an animated feature that spices up the Animated film scene for 2026.
Forgotten Island releases in theaters nationwide on September 25th, 2026.
