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DreamWorks' 'Forgotten Island' Celebrates Filipino Folklore
Confirmed
In Short: Jo and Raissa, voiced by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano respectively, find themselves transported to the mythical island of Nakali, where they encounter creatures from Philippine folklore.
Jo and Raissa, voiced by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano respectively, find themselves transported to the mythical island of Nakali, where they encounter creatures from Philippine folklore.
The film, directed by Crawford and Mercado, introduces audiences to a variety of Filipino legends, including the manananggal, a creature that separates its upper body from its lower half to fly at night.
Set in Manila and on the magical island of Nakali, the movie explores themes of friendship and family, with the characters' bond tested as they navigate the island's challenges.
Lea Salonga, known for her roles in Disney's Aladdin and Mulan, and Dolly de Leon, star in the film, alongside other Filipino and Filipino-Canadian performers.
One Malaysian viewer who attended an early screening praised the film's relatable Filipino and Southeast Asian elements, highlighting its cultural authenticity.
The movie has received an early positive response, debuting with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on initial reviews.
Beyond its mythical creatures, Forgotten Island also draws on familiar aspects of Filipino culture, such as family relationships and everyday experiences.
For all its fantastical elements, Forgotten Island ultimately is the story of Jo and Raissa, whose strong bond is tested as they race to escape the island and return home.
Waze is partnering with the film to offer a new navigation feature inspired by Jo's mythical journey, turning daily commutes into epic adventures.
Background
Forgotten Island is a 2026 American animated fantasy comedy film written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film features the voices of H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Lea Salonga.
What's confirmed
- Jo and Raissa, voiced by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano respectively, find themselves transported to the mythical island of Nakali, where they encounter creatures from Philippine folklore.
- The film, directed by Crawford and Mercado, introduces audiences to a variety of Filipino legends, including the manananggal, a creature that separates its upper body from its lower half to fly at night.
- Set in Manila and on the magical island of Nakali, the movie explores themes of friendship and family, with the characters' bond tested as they navigate the island's challenges.
- Lea Salonga, known for her roles in Disney's Aladdin and Mulan, and Dolly de Leon, star in the film, alongside other Filipino and Filipino-Canadian performers.
- One Malaysian viewer who attended an early screening praised the film's relatable Filipino and Southeast Asian elements, highlighting its cultural authenticity.
- The movie has received an early positive response, debuting with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on initial reviews.
- Beyond its mythical creatures, Forgotten Island also draws on familiar aspects of Filipino culture, such as family relationships and everyday experiences.
- For all its fantastical elements, Forgotten Island ultimately is the story of Jo and Raissa, whose strong bond is tested as they race to escape the island and return home.
- Waze is partnering with the film to offer a new navigation feature inspired by Jo's mythical journey, turning daily commutes into epic adventures.
What's still developing
- For DreamWorks directors and best friends Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado ( Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ), Forgotten Island offered an opportunity to make an original movie that was a wildly imaginative love letter to their shared Filipino culture and mythology.
- That’s when Jo discovers a magical portal to Nakali, the titular island filled with supernatural creatures that has stirred their childhoods.
- Another local review noted that the film initially appeared to be a familiar animated story centred on friendship based on its trailers, but the reviewer’s expectations changed after watching it, describing the finished film as offering much more than the trailers suggested.
- Sept 24 — A mysterious island, mythical creatures and two childhood friends trying to find their way home form the heart of Forgotten Island, DreamWorks Animation’s latest adventure rooted in Philippine culture.
- Rotten Tomatoes is a review aggregation platform that compiles critics’ ratings to produce a percentage score reflecting how many reviews are positive.
- Unable to remember their night on the island, Jo is wearing a crown of some sort — is she Nakali royalty? — and half of Jo’s head has been shaved.
- For all of its bells and whistles — and there are many, the hyper-paced film employing multiple visual styles in a largely effective way — “Forgotten Island” ultimately is the story of longtime besties Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano), whose strong bond is tested as forces threaten to pull them apart.
- They are filled with tales of a magical island, Nakalimutan, or Nakali for short, by Jo’s adoring Lola (grandmother) Fatima (Dolly de Leon, “Triangle of Sadness”), and, over the years, they add to matching charm bracelets that serve as an ongoing monument to their time together.
- Moments later it’s daytime on Nakali, “Forgotten Island” establishing its unmistakable “The Hangover”-but-for-tweens blueprint.
- She was the singing voice for Princess Jasmine in “Aladdin” as well as Fa Mulan in “Mulan” and “Mulan 2.” Later this month, Salonga, who made her singing debut when she was just seven years old in her native Manila, appears in “Forgotten Island,” DreamWorks Animation’s Philippines-set fantasy adventure about childhood friends who get trapped in the mystical world of Nakali.
- However, their bond is firmly put the test when the two of them get transported to a mythical island named Nakali where they discover that the only way they can successfully return home is if they erase the memories they have of one another.
- On paper, this animated adventure is a hybrid of both ‘ Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ’ and ‘ The Hangover ’, a combination that simply shouldn’t work.