Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, Forgotten Island takes place In the Philippines during the 1990s, where two childhood friends, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano), promise to remain close forever. After graduating high school years later, Raissa prepares to move to the United States for college at the urging of her parents. Fearing the loss of their bond, Jo tries to persuade her to stay. However, the two are suddenly transported through a portal to the fantastical world of the forgotten island of Nakali—which gradually feeds on the memories of those within—where they must escape before they forget about each other.
Dreamworks has slowly but surely been making a comeback in recent years with some strong original projects that have been telling new kinds of stories and delivering beautiful new styles of animation compared to what they had been doing before. And now Puss in Boots: The Last Wish director Joel Crawford, alongside co-director Januel Mercado, have brought forward a new film that marks the first major Hollywood feature-length animated project centered explicitly on Filipino mythology. I was excited to see this film and I was lucky enough to get the chance to see it early in a Dolby theater. After seeing it all the way through, I ended up having a really good time with perhaps one of the most manic yet still fun animated films I’ve seen in a while.
Forgotten Island is a weird and wild adventure film that presents a touching story of friendship and memories set within a beautifully animated world deeply inspired by Filipino culture and mythology. While the film has several faults that prevent it from being a top-tier DreamWorks film, it is still a commendable original effort that I enjoyed watching for the unhinged imagination, cultural representation, and the genuine heart it has.
The voice cast of this film was solid across the board, and most of the cast, with a few exceptions, is primarily Filipino, giving this film some cultural authenticity with some of its characters. By far the best-performed and written characters of the film are the two leads, Josephine “Jo” Yuson, played by H.E.R., and Raissa Molina, played by Liza Soberano. These two are an absolute dynamic force in this film in terms of friendship, humor and impactful emotions despite having two very different lives and personalities. Jo is a very rowdy outcast while Raissa is a prodigious individual who wants to move on with her life even if it means leaving her best friend behind. Together, they go on an insane journey that has them learn more about each other as well as learn the value of their memories together as friends and not take it for granted. Their friendship wouldn’t be as emotionally impactful if it weren’t for the fantastic voice performances and chemistry by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano.
Also delivering a fun performance full of heart and humor is Dave Franco as Raww, a well-meaning but hapless were-aspin that Jo and Raissa meet upon waking up in Nakali. As one of the few non-Filipino cast members of the film I was worried that Dave would stick out like a sore thumb but he ended up winning me over quickly with his absolute hilarious performance as this wild character that was a comedic gem throughout the whole film. He does manage to also have moments of genuine heart after a major revelation is made about him that changes everything, making him out to be an outcast much like Jo, which is why they connect so easily.
The three characters go on a wild journey through Nakali, meeting all sorts of strange creatures and legendary figures from Filipino myths that are voiced brilliantly by their respective cast members. There is Manny Jacinto as Bungi, a large Tiyanak baby demon that is absurdly funny and unhinged; Kevin McCann as Prince Mermahn, a shallow, self-absorbed merman thirsty for validation that is also absurdly funny and unhinged in his own way; and Ronny Chieng as Truffle Wuffle, King of the Duwende people that is basically an angry mushroom man.
And then there are two unique antagonists that our heroes do go up against that couldn’t be more different in both performances, designs and motives. First we have Manang, voiced by Lea Salonga, the Dreaded Manananggal, who is the most feared creature in Nakali and a character I can best describe as pure nightmare fuel. The character is a terrifying villain that feels like a horror creature dropped into animation and she is a very real physical threat to our heroes on their adventure. From the demonic design to the spine-chilling voice provided by Lea Salonga, this was an awesome villain to have in the film but I wish we had a bit more of her.
The second villain is Batiba, voiced by Jenny Slate, a tree-dwelling Batibat that specializes in collecting memories in exchange for favors. While not as much of a physical threat to our heroes like Manang, she is a thematic threat that plays a huge part in one of the main themes and emotional sequences of the film. I liked the character, her design and her motives but admittedly I was not a fan of the voice. Jenny Slate does a decent job playing the character but she felt like such a generic casting choice for a role that should have been taken by a more talented or new voice actress who could have given the character a lot more weight and impact.
The film’s narrative is extremely manic in terms of pacing and structure, with the first half of the story going at absolutely breakneck speed with our characters enduring one event after another while the second half slows things down to deliver some genuinely emotional moments that were subtly built up from the start. I really loved the themes revolving around friendships and memories as well as how not to take either for granted, but I would have loved if the journey leading up to the exploration of those themes wasn’t so fast-paced and overwhelming. It was hard to keep up with the plot and multiple insane developments this film throws in as it never allows you to breathe and be able to absorb all the mystical wonders or stunning animation this film provides. Had they slowed things down just a bit and allowed us more time with the characters and the world they are in I feel the second half would have felt a lot more impactful with the emotional moments that happen in it. The humor was also a bit of hit or miss for me, with some moments being outrageously funny and others coming off as awkward or unfunny.
With all that said, I really liked the cultural representation of the Philippines and how it is handled in the film both in and outside of the mystical realm. The story weaves in distinct Filipino cultural touchstones, including local food, traditional gestures, family dynamics, and Tagalog phrases, while also drawing on diverse indigenous stories, including references to giant demon babies and other spiritual folklore. You can tell there was a lot of research and effort put into adapting this beautiful culture and representing it appropriately in ways that I hope makes Filipino people very happy when they see this.
The animation of this film is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking in every single frame as it adopts the blend of 3D & 2D animation we are already familiar with in other recent DreamWorks projects, but gives it a more unique visual aesthetic based on the Filipino cultural influences. Everything looks so detailed and very creative, giving us easily some of the most stunning cinematography in DreamWorks animation that we have had in a while alongside others like
The mix of 2D animation also enhances some of the good humor of this film whether it be through outrageous anime expressions of characters or artistically hand-drawn flashbacks that deliver some great laughs. This film does feature some manic editing that adds energy to the animation, but it could end up being overwhelming for some people.
When it comes to the music, we get a fairly decent score by composer Nathan Matthew David, but it is completely overshadowed by a massive use of licensed songs for multiple needle drops. Some of the needle drops do work but I wish there weren’t so many of them as they end up making me unable to hear the score or remember it as much as I do with other animated films.
Despite some faults that do drag the film down, I still had a fun time with Forgotten Island and I do feel it’s a good animated watch people should support. I also do believe this film will be very important for people of the Philippines who have desired to have proper representation for many years that most other media hasn’t provided. Be sure to check it out this week when you have the chance. I’m going to give Forgotten Island a B+ = 89.
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