'Forgotten Island' Review
Release Date: 09/25/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Action. Adventure. Animation. Comedy. Family. Fantasy. Music. Mystery.
MPAA: Rated PG.
Distributor: Universal Pictures.
The Verdict: A Must-See
If you glance at the trailers and posters, the new DreamWorks movie Forgotten Island looks like the latest in a line of animated films, all blending into fantastical premises. If you aren’t the type of movie-watcher willing to give everything a chance, what's different about Forgotten Island that you can’t get from movies like Disney’s Strange World, Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, or even DreamWorks’s own Abominable? These are just a few examples, but many of these lesser movies skip the steps Forgotten Island takes to make this viewing experience work at a level beyond the expected. Here is an off-the-walls creative and genuinely touching surprise of a family film, and another win for non-sequel DreamWorks programming.
Forgotten Island is set sometime in the late 20th or early 21st century Philippines — you can tell the era by the ever-present soundtrack, with hits from INXS, Journey, and the Baha Men boomboxed or sung by best friends Jo and Raissa. These two girls have been inseparable ever since they were sent to the principal’s office for spinning wildly fantastical stories about the land of Nakali to their elementary school peers. Both have struggled to make friends. Jo (Kailey Crawford as a kid, music star H.E.R as an adult) is aggressive, tomboyish, yet extremely imaginative and artistic. Raissa (Kayla Teruel as a kid, Liza Soberano as an adult) is a shy bookworm with a prowess for pyrotechnics, and she is utterly captivated by Jo’s spirit. She also loves Jo’s grandmother, Lola (Dolly de Leon), whose family has left to take care of Jo (her Dad, Father of the Year, lives without her in America).
As the years pass, the duo remain two brilliantly rebellious peas in a pod, but that’s all about to change. Lola has died, and while Raissa has been there for Jo in the aftermath, she is about to go to school in California. The two have just one last night to make memories, and what better place for one last adventure than on Nakali? A portal transports the friends to a world with a little wonder, a little danger, and some very bizarre inhabitants. They wake up on the beach, with no recollection of the night before and the friends/enemies they’ve made. It all plays out like a beginner’s version of The Hangover, if you swapped out Ken Jeong for a hyper-attentive were-dog (Dave Franco) and had the Wolfpack chased by a she-vampire: the terrifying Manananggal known as Manang (Lea Salonga).
There’s a ticking clock to get Raissa back in time for her evening flight, but it is fair to say there is not the same urgency to leave this adventure behind. The challenges ahead of Jo and Raissa are very relatable. We've all had friends who played major parts in our adolescence; sometimes they feel more like family. But Forgotten Island lets these characters act appropriately mature and immature, and it understands how natural it is for people to start thinking selfishly in their late teens. Raissa will always love Jo like a sister, but if Jo isn’t going to put her best foot forward, content to be canned from one dead-end job after another, why should she bother worrying about her? On the flip side, maybe Raissa isn’t asking enough questions about why Jo seems to be self-sabotaging.
These are all fair questions that Forgotten Island’s script engages with throughout its narrative. It is clearly inspired by several classic female-friendship comedies, like Bridesmaids and Booksmart, which so cleverly approach the adversities life's crossroads create. This is a busy animated movie, which is nothing new for the DreamWorks brand, but these character challenges really shine above everything else. Forgotten Island works as well as it does because directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado take the crisis of an uncertain future as seriously as the mortal threats Jo and Raissa face.
Crawford and Mercado received plenty of well-deserved props for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a long-gestating sequel that had no business being as exciting and memorable as it was. They bring much of that same energetic attention to Forgotten Island, especially when the movie arrives in Nakali. It is non-stop sensory overload, with many impressive feats of animation. The characters are constantly moving, the backgrounds constantly change color, and there are plenty of surprises in the chances the animators are empowered to take. Crawford and Mercado find many opportunities to honor the film’s Eastern World roots, with plenty of places to pay homage to anime. Think of a heightened version of what Pixar accomplished with Turning Red, with facial expressions and thought bubbles that look like they’ve been ripped right out of a manga (could’ve also cited KPop Demon Hunters as well in this comparison).
I think the middle section of the film might be a bit headache-inducing for anyone over the age of 10. It often feels like a direct shot of sugar to the veins, which of course will come with a crash. Kids will love all the mayhem, particularly from Franco’s loudly dialed performance as Raww the were-dog. Many of the other side characters are silly and loud, but also frequently quite amusing. Other highlights include precocious, mommy-loving demon baby Bungi (Manny Jacinto) and the dashing, full-of-himself aquabro Mermahn (Kevin McCann). I do think, however, it is equally as important to warn the parents of younger kids about some sincerely scary moments. It’s another filmmaking skill carried over from The Last Wish, when Death stalked Puss in Boots to the mortal ends of the Earth. Manang is a nightmarish adversary the animated camera isn’t afraid to show in intimidating, horrific close-ups. She’s genuinely unnerving, as is Jenny Slate’s witchish cat-creature Batiba, whose sensitive exterior seems like a mask for something much more perilous for Jo and Raissa.
Even if it doesn’t pop like an animated juggernaut on initial release, Forgotten Island is the kind of enjoyable experience that has a good chance of becoming a word-of-mouth hit, much like The Wild Robot did at this same time of year in 2024. DreamWorks seems to have embraced the storytelling model their rivals at Pixar perfected years ago. In the last decade or so, they have done a much better job of not letting the heart get drowned out in the fireworks. The beautiful animation is an unforgettable bonus in Forgotten Island, supporting a really strong tale about an eternally evolving friendship.
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