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ReviewForgotten Island movie review: DreamWorks’ trippy animated dive into Filipino folklore

Forgotten Island blends Filipino folklore with a distinct 1980s feel as two childhood friends navigate a surreal world of fading memories

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A still from Forgotten Island (category TBC), directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado. H.E.R., Liza Soberano and Dave Franco voice characters.
James Mottram

3.5/5 stars

From Disney’s Fantasia to recent shows like Rick and Morty, animators through the ages have often veered towards the psychedelic. Forgotten Island, the latest animated feature from DreamWorks Animation, borrows a pinch of this surreal strangeness as it unfolds a story of childhood friends trapped in a fantastical world.

The world in question is Nakali, a supernatural isle that has fallen into legend. In 1990s Philippines, Jo (voiced by singer H.E.R.) has heard talk of this special place from her grandmother (Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness). But her greater concern is her best pal Raissa (Liza Soberano), who is about to leave for America to study at the California Institute of Technology.

Raissa’s parents are desperate for their child to get a US education, and so she is reluctantly bending to their will, telling Jo: “We’re not kids any more.” Fearing she will be left behind, Jo convinces her friend to come out for one final night. But at the beach, a portal opens, spiriting them to Nakali – a place where, alarmingly, their memories start to fade.

Forgotten Island | Official New Trailer
The film is co-written and co-directed by Joel Crawford, director of sequels like The Croods: A New Age and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, who collaborates here with his long-time friend Januel Mercado. Together, they draw heavily on Filipino folklore, with feared mythical creatures such as the vampire-like tiyanak and the manananggal appearing in Nakali.
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