What an unfortunate title. In the upcoming fall with 3 very exciting animated releases already, Forgotten Island feels a bit like it got “dumped” before the big boys play. And that’s just not fair for Dreamworks Animation, who, when they’re cooking, make some of the great animated movies of any year. I’m trying to say don’t pay attention to the title: I will definitely remember Forgotten Island, and you should too!
Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) become best friends in elementary school in The Philippines, and remain so all the way to the present day in the 1990s. However, things get complicated: bookworm Raissa has gotten accepted at CalTech, and is going to school in the US, leaving Jo, who’s still struggling after the loss of her grandma Fatima (Dolly de Leon). On their last night together, a portal opens up, and the girls’ dreams to see the forgotten island of Nakali come true. They party with a half man half dog named Raww (Dave Franco)….and remember nothing. Because that’s one of the consequences of life on the island, where memories disappear the longer you are there.
Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado almost had it! Get rid of a couple on the nose overwritten sequences, and Forgotten Island would have been probably my favorite movie of 2026. As a vet of animated movies, Crawford nails the classic formula in the best ways. Their version of the Up opening isn’t quite to that level of emotional destruction, but it is wonderfully effective and table setting for the audience. The movie is seeped in Filipino culture and folklore. They’ve got dazzling CGI locales transporting us to Nakali’s incredible water market that’s also treetopping in scope. Then there’s the creatures we meet, getting close to a Miyazaki level of wonder, weirdness, and specificity, from the warmongering marshmallow looking Duwende klan, to the ancient wonder of the Kapre and Batibat, to the dark terror of the Manananggal. And I haven’t even mentioned Jo and Raissa’s wolf pack, including the comedic Raww, a literal man baby Tiyanak, and an narcissistic Kataw. Every 5 minutes we meet a new creation that would be the highlight of lesser animated films, that builds out Nakali island’s rich tapestry of characters for Crawford and his animators to play around with, and more importantly, respectfully, give actual things to do in the story besides just be window dressing.
As for the story, that’s where our American director throws a fun wrinkle. Wolf packs and polaroid camera photos? Our bro directors (along with Januel Mercado) clearly loved The Hangover, and uses that as the basis on Forgotten Island, genius! Jo and Raissa then have to backtrack their steps to all these amazing places to figure out what the hell happened on Forgotten Island for 12 hours. The mystery will be clear to adults but blow the mind of kids. But, more importantly, that’s not the point. What the writer/directors plant in your mind, is, well, the mind. Specifically, how it ties to your identity. Through wonderfully simple and powerful markers like friendship bracelets or even something as simple as a stick, Jo and Raissa give these seemingly benign object real meaning because of how they matter to their stories. And as that bond starts to fade on Forgotten Island? You feel it devastate both parties, as they realize how special their bond really is…and the reality that it might be slipping away. There are villain characters in this movie, but the greatest magic trick Forgotten Island pulls off is how memory loss is the real terror here, especially for two friends on the precipice of college. This might be a tough lesson for young kids to get, but any 8 year old or older that had a best friend move away or change classes and they drifted apart will be hit as hard by Forgotten Island as I was.
I mean it. There have been a bunch of wonderfully beautiful movies this year, but departing the theater after this one I was a nearly inconsolable mess, unable to form words for a few minutes. So bring it on Wildwood! And Ray Gunn! And Hexed! Forgotten Island has laid down the gauntlet, are you gonna deliver like that too? Even if you do, you’re not topping the first, best, and what I hope will be the last, refence about The Slap we ever get to see.