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Forgotten Island Review
Image Credit: DreamWorks Animation
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Directed By: Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
Written By: Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
Runtime: 109 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated PG for animated sequences of scary action, language, rude humor, thematic elements, some violence, and brief tobacco imagery
H.E.R. – Josephine “Jo” Yuson
Liza Soberano – Raissa Molina
Dave Franco – Raww
Jenny Slate – Batiba
Lea Salonga – Manang
Manny Jacinto – Bungi
Kevin McCann – Mermahn
Dolly de Leon – Lola Fatima
Jo Koy – Datu
Ronny Chieng – King Truffle Wuffle
Kailey Crawford</> – Young Jo
Kayla Tereul – Young Raissa
The directors of the acclaimed animated sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, present a new animated adventure in the new DreamWorks Animation release, Forgotten Island. Steeped in Filipino folklore and legend, Forgotten Island presents a vibrant, enriching, and emotionally poignant animated adventure.
The story concerns two best friends, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Soberano). They meet at a young age in school and form an unbreakable friendship through their teens into young adulthood. As children, Jo’s grandmother, Lola (de Leon), often regaled them with tales of Nakali, a mystical forgotten island filled with fantastical creatures. As kids, they make a pact to one day follow in Lola’s footsteps and visit the magical realm too.
Years later, Raissa graduates high school and is about to ship off to Caltech, and her parents fear Jo’s wild, less serious attitude will hold their daughter back. The night before Raissa is set to fly to her new school, she decides to have one last hurrah with their best friend. However, a magical sand dollar that unlocks the portal to Nakali suddenly appears, and they finally go there.
The next morning, they wake up with no memories of what happened. They have wild tattoos, and Raissa even has possession monstrous wings and talons, which belong to the vampiric-like demon Manang (Salonga).
The rest of the movie plays out like a PG-friendly animated family version of The Hangover. Jo and Raissa are soon joined by the weredog, Raww (Franco), who offers to help them retrace their steps. They need to find the magical sand dollar so they can make it back home in time for Raissa to make her flight.
During their adventures, Jo and Raissa learn the truth about the island and its mysterious nature, and they discover emotional revelations about their own friendship. Along the way, they meet more amazing creatures of Filipino myth and folklore.
Crawford and Mercado truly succeed with Forgotten Island through its amazing depiction of Jo and Raissa’s bond. Their script wonderfully fleshes out their characters and individual emotional arcs, as well as how much their friendship means to one another.
Jo is upbeat, cheerful, rowdy, and playful, but sometimes her rowdiness causes chaos. Meanwhile, Raissa is shyer and more reserved, but Jo always encourages her to come out of her shell and break the rules. Exceptional writing and vocal performances by H.E.R. and Soberano complement the lead duo, as Forgotten Island impressively depicts the characters’ charming and uplifting friendship.
The magical realm of Nakali also provides a visual feast. The island is teeming with characters of all shapes and sizes. Some of them can be cute and cuddly, such as the Duwende led by King Truffle Wuffle (Chieng). Others, like Manang, appear fiercer and more dangerous.
Other parts of the story are set in the Philippines, offering a fun, unique setting. The Philippines setting fills the movie with an appealing style and charm unique from typical animated features. It also adds a layer of cultural richness and authenticity, as co-director Januel Mercado pays homage to his Filipino heritage.
Crawford, Mercado, and their animators also depict incredible animated visuals throughout the story. Forgotten Island mixes in many familiar animated styles, taking an anime-style approach to the humor, i.e., characters’ facial expressions becoming wildly exaggerated in comedic moments.
However, the action sequences also look vividly gorgeous. The movie’s approach to visual kineticism and motion looks so engrossing and immersive. Few Western CG-animated features achieve this level of dynamic movement.
If there’s one major critique, the movie handles its more emotional moments with sincerity, but there are select moments where it would’ve been nice to dial back the slapstick and flesh out some of the other antagonistic characters, like Manang.
Batiba is also an interesting, seemingly benevolent character, and Jenny Slate delivers a strong performance. However, Batiba’s arc unfolds in a predictable fashion.
Ultimately, Forgotten Island delivers a fun, vibrant, and emotionally uplifting animated adventure. The delightful experience proves to be one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the year.
Where To Watch Forgotten Island
Forgotten Island arrives in theaters on September 25. Ticket and showtime details are available at the movie’s official website.
